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#0081: Willa Cather to George Seibel, April 28 [1903]

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My Dear Mr. Seible1;

Certainly you are better at not forgetting old acquaintance than anyone I know. I could not at all tell you over the telephone how much I feel your good will in going into that review3 so heartily. Of course the appreciative tone4 of the notice will help the book5, but it was not that which especially pleased me. There was a frank and friendly ring about it that put courage into me and made me feel equal to trying almost anything. Of course I am mighty glad that you like the verses, but I am much more pleased that you seem glad to like them, and that you blow upon me with such a friendly wind. Surely we can disprove Hesiod’s6 epigram that, “Potter hates Potter,
and poet hates poet.”
To tell you the truth, you have so often handled me severely in private apropos of some of those same verses that I rather expected chastisement and sunny clemency has quite taken my breath away.

We shall expect you on Thursday night, and please come early, as soon after seven oclock as possible.

Faithfully Always Willa S. Cather