they and Richard formed a mutual
attachment that lasted until his death.

Richard had always taken an intense interest in the drama, and at the
time he was managing editor of Harper's Weekly had made his first
efforts as a playwright. Robert Hilliard did a one-act version of
Richard's short story, "Her First Appearance," which under the title of
"The Littlest Girl" he played in vaudeville for many years. E. H.
Sothern and Richard had many schemes for writing a play together, but
the only actual result they ever attained was a one-act version Sothern
did at the old Lyceum of my brother's story, "The Disreputable Mr.
Raegen." It was an extremely tense and absorbing drama, and Sothern
was very fine in the part of Raegen, but for the forty-five minutes the
playlet lasted Sothern had to hold the stage continuously alone, and as
it preceded a play of the regulation length, the effort proved too much
for the actor's strength, and after a few performances it was taken
off. Although it was several years after this that my brother's first
long play was produced he never lost interest in the craft of
playwriting, and only waited for the time and means to really devote
himself to it.

BOSTON, January 22nd, 1891.

DEAR FAMILY:--

This is just to say that I am alive and sleepy, and that my head is
still its normal size, although I have at last found one man in Boston
who has read one of my stories, and that was Barrymore from New York.
The Fairchilds' dinner was a tremendous affair, and I was conquered
absolutely by Mr. Howells, who went far, far out of his way to be as
kind and charming as an old man could be. Yesterday Mrs. Whitman gave
a tea in her studio. I thought she meant to have a half dozen young
people to drink a cup with her, and I sauntered in in the most
nonchalant manner to find that about everybody had been asked to meet
me. And everybody came, principally owing to the "Harding Davis" part
of the name for they all spoke of mother and so very dearly that it
made me pretty near weep. Everybody came from old Dr. Holmes who never
goes any place, to Mrs. "Jack" Gardner and all the debutantes. "I was
on in that scene." In the evening I went with the Fairchilds to Mrs.
Julia Ward Howe's to meet the S----s but made a point not to as he was
talking like a cad when I heard him and Mrs. Fairchild and I agreed to
be the only people in Boston who had not clasped his hand. There were
only a few people present an