Writings by Susan Dickinson: Correspondence with John P. McGregor

Milwaukee May 17th 1853

My Dear Miss Gilbert

Your kind letter of Apr 25
reached me at Lyons and I was glad to find
that you had not forgotten us, and were still
mindfull [sic] of your promised visit

You do well to dismiss all fears of needing
an introduction ? time as I have
never had so many friends that I can
afford to forget any of them - You must
not give up your visit west this fall, and on
no account must you allow Lake Michigan
to be a barrier to your progress westward

There are movements now in progress which
will bring Grand Haven directly into the line
of our travel eastward and then Milwaukee
will be in constant communication with that
place so that I shall then expect to see your
brothers at home even if they do not find
themselves "attracted" here

I see our friend Brigham every day He seems
very well and I had a delightful moonlight
sail with him till about 10 oclock last
night in Lake Michigan - But today the
weather has made a complete change

H bMS Am 1118.95, Box 9

and a dryroom and a good fire are far
more to be desired than any out door amusements
whatever - I found on getting back
from Hartford to New York that there was
no necessity for my return there at all
So that my visit to you was lost to
no purpose My vexation was accordingly
great for I wanted not only to have seen
you but to have gone up the Connecticut
Valley into Vermont -

We have expected your visit to us here
so long in vain that I really can not feel
very sanguine that we shall ever see you - So
the main prupose of this letter, as you doubtless
will discover, is to keep you in mind of
your promise and to urge you not to fail
of performing it. Make your arrangements to
give us a good, long, sensible visit - We will do
what we can to make it pleasant for you and
you may rely on finding Mrs. McGregor a
warm friend, almost as good a one in fact
as

Yours Most Truly
John P. McGregor

To Miss Susan H. Gilbert

P.S. Let me hear from you at all events so that I
shall not be under the necessity of sending Mr. Brigham to look you up


	Image reproduced by permission of the Houghton Library, Harvard University. Not to be reproduced in whole or in part without permission. Transcription and commentary copyright 1998 by Martha Nell Smith, Laura Elyn Lauth, and Lara Vetter, all rights reserved Maintained by Rebecca Mooney <rnmooney@umd.edu> Last updated on January 25, 2008