Letters to a Friend 



Two miles below La Grange, 

 October 3rd, 1869. 



My summer in the third heaven of the Sierras 

 is past. I am again in the smooth open world 

 of plains. I received three of your eight notes, 

 which for mountain correspondence is about 

 as might be expected. I learned by a San Fran 

 cisco newspaper that Dr. Carr had accepted 

 a professorship in the University, and Prof. 

 Butler told me about a month ago that he had 

 gone to Madison to fetch his cabinet, etc. There 

 fore I know that you are making a fixed home 

 and that you will yet see the mountains and the 

 Joaquin plains. We were camped within a mile 

 or two of the Yosemite north wall for three 

 weeks. I used to go to the North Dome or 

 Yosemite Falls most every day to sketch and 

 listen to the waters. One day I went down into 

 the valley by the canon opposite Hutchings and 

 found Prof. Butler near the bridge between the 

 Vernal and Nevada falls. He was in company 

 with Gen. Alvord. He was in the valley only 

 a few hours, his time being controlled by the 

 [ 66] 



