Nebraska, New England, New York: Mapping the Foreground of Willa Cather and Edith Lewis’s Creative Partnership

N e b r a s k a , N e w E n g l a n d , N e w Y o r k : M a p p i n g t h e F o r e g r o u n d o f W l L L A C A T H E R A N D E D I T H L E W I S ’S C r e a t i v e P a r t n e r s h i p M e l i s s a J . h o m e s t e a d A n n e L. K a u f m a n So m e t im e in 1931 o r 1 9 3 2 , a b o u t t h ir t y y e ar s in t o h e r r e la t io n sh ip w it h W illa C a t h e r , E d it h Le w is sat d o w n w it h p e n in h a n d t o e d it a w o r k in g t y p e sc r ip t o f C a t h e r ’s sh o r t st o r y “ N e ig h b o r R o sic k y .” Fir st p u b lish e d in 1 9 3 0 in t h e W o m an s H o m e C o m p an io n , t h e st o r y w as t o b e in c lu d e d in O b scu re D estin ies, a v o lu m e o f t h r e e C a t h e r st o r ie s t h a t h ad all fir st a p p e a r e d in w o m e n ’s m agaz in e s. Le w is, t h e e v id e n c e su gge st s, w as w o r k in g w it h a c a r b o n o f t h e t y p e scr ip t o r igin ally su b m it t e d fo r m agaz in e p u b lic a t io n .1 O n t h e t y p e scr ip t a n d in t h e m agaz in e p u b lic a ­ t io n , C a t h e r d e sc r ib e s M ar y , A n t o n R o sic k y ’s w ife, c h e c k in g h e r b a k in g b e fo r e sh e ask s h e r h u sb a n d a b o u t h is v isit t o t h e d o c t o r c o n c e r n in g h is h e a r t t r o u b le : “M ar y t o o k t h e t w ist e d c a k e c o v e r e d w it h p o p p y se e d s o u t o f t h e o v e n , ligh t ly b r o k e it u p w it h h e r h a n d s a n d t h e n sa t d o w n o p p o sit e h im .” In h e r e la b o r a t e b u t le gib le scr ip t , e asily d ist in gu ish a b le fr o m C a t h e r ’s...