The death of Miss Emily E. Dickinson, daughter
of the late Hon. Edward Dickinson, at Amherst on Sat-
urday, last makes another sad inroad upon the small
circle so long occupying the old family mansion It
was for a long generation overlooked by death, and one
in passing in and out there, could but think of old
fashioned times, when parents and children grew up to,
and passed maturity together, in lives of singular un-
eventfulness, unmarked by sad or joyous crises. Very
few in the village knew Miss Emily personally, except
among the older inhabitants, although the fact of her
seclusion and intellectual brilliancy was one of the
familiar Amherst traditions. There are many homes
among all classes into which her dainty treasures of
fruit and flowers, and almost ambrosial dishes for the
sick and well, were constantly sent, that will forever
miss those dainty traces of her unselfish devotion and
mourn afresh that she screened herself from closer ac-
quaintance. As she passed on in life, her sensitive
nature shrank from much personal contact with the world,
and more and more she turned to her own large wealth
of individual resources, for compansionship - sitting
henceforth, as some one said of her, "In the light of
her own fire." Not disappointed with the world - not
an invalid till within the past two years - not from
any lack of all embracing love, and sympathy - not be-
cause she was insufficient for any mental work, or so-
cial career, - her endowments being so exceptional, - but


[marginal notes in MDB's hand:]

Springfield Daily Republican
Tuesday May 18 1886

l.6 "in" at beginning of line
deleted, "could but think"
changed to "thought"

l.10+11 transposed clauses:
"except among the older inhabitants"
after "village,":
"fact...was one of the" changed
"facts...were"

l.13 "homes" changed to "houses"

l.15 "almost" deleted

l.17 "dainty traces" changed to
"evidences"
"devotion"
changed to "consideration"

l.18 "closer" changed to "close"

l.21 "she" deleted

l.26 "All embracing love,
and" deleted