http://www.weeklystandard.com/writers-seat/article/2009520
On the occasion of being sent news that E. B. White’s saltwater farm on the
coast of Maine was up for sale, Ferguson wrote the above essay. He was
influenced by White: “when a writer grabs you young, he usually grabs you for
good.”
I wonder if David Ritchie might have been influenced by White as well.
Ferguson wrote to White and White, being in the habit of answering all letters,
wrote back.
‘Anyway, [Ferguson wrote] a year or two after our exchange I found myself out
of work, footloose, and broke. I reasoned that White, an octogenarian widower
living alone and in poor health, would appreciate a visit of unknown duration
from a young stranger with lots of time on his hands and no visible means of
support. As a courtesy I dropped my friend a line letting him know I was
planning to come see him in Maine—although planning was a deceptive word. At
the time I couldn’t plan a trip to the grocery store.
‘This was years before email, and I had no idea the postal service could
operate so quickly. Within four days an envelope was in my mailbox, with
elegant pale blue lettering showing the return address in the upper left hand
corner. “Dear Mr. Ferguson,” the letter read. “Thank you for your letter about
the possibility of a visit.” After this uplifting sentence, the tone went
brittle. He mentioned a couple of his stubborn ailments, including his failing
eyesight. And then: “So here I am, one eye gone, half my wits gone, and you
want to come and view the ruins. Figure it out. There’s one of me, at most, and
there are ten thousand of you. Please don’t come. Sincerely, E. B. White.”
Lawrence
