Letters to a Friend 



ton slough. They all were as kind as ever they 

 could possibly be, and wanted me to stop 

 longer, but I could not find a conscientious 

 excuse for so doing and came away somewhat 

 sore with obligations for stopping so long. Met 

 Mr. and Mrs. Allen there. 



Smith has gone this morning to Shasta, tak 

 ing Helen, and I 'm terribly lonesome and home 

 sick and will not try to stand it. Will go to the 

 woods to-morrow. How great are your trials! 

 I wish I could help you. May the Doctor be 

 speedily restored to health. 



Cordially yours, 



JOHN MUIR. 



920 Valencia St., 



April 9th, 1879. 



I did not send the pine book to you, because 

 I was using it in rewriting a portion of the Cali 

 fornia forest article, which will appear in Scrib- 

 ner's, May or June, and because, before it could 

 have reached you, you were, according to your 

 letter, to be in San Francisco and could then 

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