Mary Dickerson Donahey to Charles W. Chesnutt, 13 May 1922 Mary Dickerson Donahey Stephanie P. Browner Kenneth M. Price Transcription, encoding, and annotation Millhorn, Lauren Anderson, Antje Weakly, Laura K. Barney, Brett Center for Digital Research in the Humanities, University of Nebraska-Lincoln The New School 2025 The Charles W. Chesnutt Archive
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 Mary Dickerson Donahey to Charles W. Chesnutt, 13 May 1922 May 13, 1922 Transcription derived from scan of original. Western Reserve Historical Society Charles Waddell Chesnutt Papers> MS 3370 1 2 Correspondence Chesnutt, Helen Maria Counts, Frank typed letter signed Donahey, Mary D. Chicago, Illinois Chesnutt, Charles W. (Waddell) Unknown Unknown Brett Barney checked; corrected Laura K. Weakly review Antje Anderson annotated, made further corrections Lauren Millhorn transcribed, encoded [1]
WILLIAM DONAHEY 5808 WINTHROP AVENUE CHICAGO
May 13 1922 Dear Mr. Chesnutt,

I don 't suppose that if you ansd Helen and Bill| and I all| put our heads together we could think| of the names Frank would call you if positions were reversed. Very likely he now thinks you are a blankety dash fool for being so patient , That would be about his style. Some times my unwise unregenerate nasty self gets so worked up I wish we could all tell him exactly what we think| of him and call him, as nearly as possible, what he would call| us, but my more covilizedcivilized self knows perfectly well that you have handled the case in the wlisest possible way, and that it does not aypay to be mean--though seems to me we could be prettty mean and yet be only just.

Billie and I do not and never have thought of you as " a slacker". We have known exactly what a hard task you were facing and have only been sooRry that our distance made it rather harder on you than it might have had we been near by. Rest assured that we will neither of us do anything that will in any way go against you‸R wishes or interests. One friendship has been sacrificed to this thing, but no more thank you,-- aint them your sentiments ?

Frank| made me rather hot with his hint that if we would sell to them-- do their way and be good (Didn't his letter sound that way to you?) -- the friendship betwebetween them and us would be patched up. Their sort of friendship does not [2]

WILLIAM DONAHEY 5808 WINTHROP AVENUE CHICAGO
appeal to my fancy now I know what it is worth. Undoubtedly he t thought we 'd jumpatjump at the chance to get back with them and leave you folks in the lurch as gaily as he would if he wanted to. Trust him? I would not trust him to give a cold potato to a starving tramp ,, if one of his canaries gave the smallest longing twitter at sight of the thing.There certainly is too much ego in his cosmos.

I am platnning to come on in June.Whether I camn stand it at the cottage withougtht the Elliotts trying will tell. At least I can get another whiff of it all and we can have a council of war. Bill| is wr iting Frank about what you suggested. He will make it very clear that we want what you want and that we will not move without your word of consent.

When I think of the valuable time you have wasted trying to be decent to a man who evidently does not know what decency means it makes me boil. To my mind he has insulted you along with akll the rest of his crimes. We are going to Wisconsin on Tuesday to be gone four days. When we hear more we will write more. Do you likewise and remember we are with you and appreciate what you have had to put up with

To every one in the family, our best. As ever yours Mary D. Donahey