. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; a biographical sketch. charge of and bringing from the OldWorld a gift so precious as the inkstand of thepoet who wrote the 4 Rhyme of the Ancient Mari-ner. Will you be so good as to send me the pres-ent address of Mr. Hall ? I wish, without delay,to acknowledge this mark of his remembrance andregard, and am not sure where a letter will findhim. The general impression of that room isfixed in memory as upon a photographersplate ; but it was so crowded with objectsof interest that an enumeration would be dif-ficult. Every one will remember the crayonportraits before
. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; a biographical sketch. charge of and bringing from the OldWorld a gift so precious as the inkstand of thepoet who wrote the 4 Rhyme of the Ancient Mari-ner. Will you be so good as to send me the pres-ent address of Mr. Hall ? I wish, without delay,to acknowledge this mark of his remembrance andregard, and am not sure where a letter will findhim. The general impression of that room isfixed in memory as upon a photographersplate ; but it was so crowded with objectsof interest that an enumeration would be dif-ficult. Every one will remember the crayonportraits before referred to, the fine bust ofProf. G. W. Greene, and the multitudinousbooks. The real study was in an upper room, towrhich none but intimate friends of the familywere admitted. There in one corner, at awindow looking out upon a lovely lawn, isthe standing desk shown in the picture. Atthat desk were shaped the glowing imagesthat remain to us more lasting memorials of A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 261 the poet than any which the grateful publicshall It has been mentioned that on social oc-casions the poet was habitually abstemious,and his whole life was an exhibition of per- 262 HENRY WADS WORTH LONGFELLOW. feet self-control. It may be mentioned, how-ever, that like Tennyson, and like Lowell, hisneighbor, he was fond of the allurements oftobacco, and always offered his visitor acigar. Pipes he was not partial to, at leastwithin doors, but on his walks, especially onfrosty mornings, he often followed at a suit-able distance behind some laborer who wassmoking a grimly colored T. D. that Ten-nyson would have envied, and enjoyed thejust perceptible odor of the peculiar thin bluesmoke. He was never really robust, although hisnatural vigor was sufficient to sustain him inhis labors and studies; but his care for hishealth was continuous, and he persisted inout-door exercise even when it was far fromagreeable. In the spring or autumn, whenraw or blustering winds prevailed, he wouldwrap
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectlongfel, bookyear1882
