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Winnie’s Notebook
- University of Georgia Press
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Winnie’sNotebook myfather’speccadilloes Fourandahalfyearsago,astartlingrevelationcametomefrom PrairieduChien,Wisconsin.Labeled“Personal,toMissVarina Anne(Winnie)Davis,incareoftheNewYorkWorld,”theletterwas forwardedtoourhomeaddress.Islitthetopoftheplain,workmanlike envelopeandhopedthecontentswouldnotrequirearesponse .Unlikemymother,whoreplieswithpromptcivilityeven tothosewhocriticizesomethingshehaswrittenorispurported tohavesaidordone,Iprefertoputthattimeandenergyon writingforpublicationor,asintheseprivatepages,onanalyzing events,people,andmyownthoughtsandimpressions. Onthatmid-Januarydayin1893,Ihadjustreturnedtothe apartment from a satisfying walk through flurries of snow in CentralPark,whereIimaginedmyselfdisappearingintothat spongywhitenessanddissolvingwithitintooblivion.Forone vaporizing,light-headedmoment,itseemedIhadachievedthat transition—thatmyhandonthedoorknob,althoughstillvisible ,wasnolongercorporeal,butasweightlessasamoth.Yet thedoorhadopened,andatthesoundofit,MargaretConnelly, herprettyapple-shapedcheeksflushedwithheatfromthecoal 66 devotion grateandherIrishblood,hurriedinfromthekitchentorelieve meofmydampmuffandcloak.Iacceptedhercheerfulofferof acupofteaandwaiteduntilMargarethadlefttheroomagain beforeopeningtheonlymysteriouscommunicationinthestack ofmailshehadretrieved.ThetinyfireplaceglowedsilentlyasI readtheletter,thenre-readit,untilthepenciledhandwriting, withitsexaggeratedloopsinl’sandy’sandcuriousmarkslike birdwingsoverthei’s,wasasclearasifitwerestampedonthe walloppositeme.Sincethatday,theletterhasbeenhiddenina glovebox.Nowitoccurstomehowfoolhardythatwas.Themore houseboundV.becomes,themoreshepriesamongmythings. AtleastIknowshehasn’tcomeacrossit.IfshehadfoundMr. Brown’sletter,shewouldhavementionedittome.Notmerely mentioned.Shewouldhavescreamed,Howcouldyouhavekeptthis slanderousliefromme? Mycalmretortwouldhaveinfuriatedherevenmore:BecauseI donotbelieveitisalie,andIdidnotwantyoutobehurt. 12January1893 DearMissDavis: Bywayofintroduction,IamEdwardJ.Brown,amerchant andmillerinPrairieduChien,Wisconsin.Theexcellentnewspaper youandyourmotherareassociatedwithoccasionally findsitswaytoourremotetown.Thearticleswithyourname attached indicate you are a perceptive and compassionate youngwoman,aswellasagiftedpurveyorofwords.Therefore, Iamtakingthelibertyofwritingtoyouonbehalfofsomeone whocanneitherreadnorwrite,yetisamostremarkable,intelligent fellow,andhighlydeserving,inmyopinion,ofsome recognitionfromyourfamily,especiallynowthatheisover [34.204.181.19] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 14:44 GMT) winnie’snotebook 67 sixtyyearsold.Thisman’sname,JeffDavis,isrecordedinan oldledgerfromtheearly1850s.Itdoesnotrequireastretch oftheimaginationtoseehisstrongresemblancetoyourlate father,whoasyoumaybeaware,hadmilitaryserviceinthis areaduringthelate1820stoearly’30s. WhilepostedatFortCrawford,LieutenantJeffersonDavis wassentfarthereast,tohelpbuildFortWinnebagoattheportage betweentheFoxandWisconsinRivers.Theyouthfulof- ficerwasevidentlyhighlythoughtofbyhissuperiors,ashewas putinchargeofdismantlinganillegallybuiltsawmill.Lieutenant Davisworkedsohardhetooksickandalmostdied,and wouldhave,sothelegendgoes,haditnotbeenforanAfrican manservanthe’dbroughtwithhimfromMississippi,whocared forhimandnursedhimbacktohealth.TheChippewasadmired LieutenantDavisandcalledhim,withaffection,“Little Chief,”becausehewaseagertolearntheirlanguageandways. Soon,thestrong,agileyoungwhitemancouldperformtribal dancesandracehorseswiththebestofthebraves. MydearMissDavis,Iheardstories,asaboy,aboutyour...