The Tar Baby and the Tomahawk: Race and Ethnic Images in American Children's Literature, 1880-1939

I feel very much ashamed of myself for letting your letter of December 15 wait so long for an answer: but as we have said, I am red-headed and that must account for it. The proofs and sketches have been lying on my desk ever since I said I would send them "tomorrow" looking at me with the cold china-blue eye of reproach. I didn't send them "tomorrow" because I wanted to write you, and I didn't write you 'cause I'm red-headed. I think I have made a case that would stand in any court of law:

I am afraid you will be
cots.har.IMG.0137.jpgdisappointed in the sketches: they are very small and slight, but they are about as much as I can do for any of my drawings. They generally have more "go" in them than the finished drawing. You will see that I have made several for some of the stories:

I am very pleased to be able to send you a set of proofs. For you will see how much more the drawings have in them, they lose considerably in the printing of the book. I think the drawings are splendidly reproduced, I never saw better photo-engraving, and I wrote and told H M & Co. so: I am very glad you like the drawings, I would feel very flat if you didn't. Will you
cots.har.IMG.0138.jpg swap volumes with me? I want one with your autograph in it, and I will send you one with mine in it. I have all of your books with your autographs in them and I want this one too. I will be very much obliged to you if you will.

Look-a-here young man. You never told me how much I owe you for these photographs you so kindly sent me: Seriously, I want to pay you for them, it is a rank imposition to take your time and bother you and put you out of pocket as well: Please tell me and I will send you my cheque: they were very useful to me: I could not have got along without them:

I wish I could do some more animal myths for you
cots.har.IMG.0139.jpg I enjoyed making these drawings very much and would like to do some more, You talked about making a book in color once: talk about it more and let me do the drawings: Color printing is now done very well and very cheaply, really strong, artistic work can be done at a very slight cost compared to what it was a few years ago: I would have a very good time doing Brer Rabbit in color:

Thank you for your picture, it is very good: You are stouter than when I saw you, think: Like me, you look very solemn in a picture: The photographer tried one of me "looking cheerful" it looked silly drunk in
cots.har.IMG.0140.jpg the printed result:

I am glad to hear you like Miss French's stories: They are very strong and very American: I would have enjoyed making the drawings for the last lot of Stories of a Western Town if I had not been so hurried, but every installment came to me late and had to be rushed through: She wrote me a mighty nice letter the other day;

I wish you would come see me: we could have some nice talks here under the trees: that is a little later: the trees at present are slightly moist and the lawn is a trifle soggy, when it aint hard as a board, but this Spring, we could go off on jaunts together and swap
cots.har.IMG.0141.jpg yarns and be as quiet as you could wish, and eat buckwheat cakes from my own buckwheat, and sassage​ of my own making and other fixens: I want you to meet Stockton: he is a mighty good man to meet: quiet and sensible with no frills or airs about him:

We have put in a very good winter in spite of the cold, the babies are as well as two babies could be, and so is Mrs Frost and I'm enjoying pretty good health myself, barring a bilious headache about once a week. I hope Mrs Harris and the children are well. Please give Mrs Harris my kindest regards: and ask her if she remembers me and the day I dropped in on her to lunch without warning: Have you
cots.har.IMG.0142.jpg still got that bull dog that tried to eat my left leg? He was a dear!

I hope some day to make that trip "from Kennesaw to Coon Mountain" with you: and after I get this blamed farm in shape I can do it: It is hard for me for me to get away for any length of time just now, I would just like to go off with you and some character work "on the spot", We would have to strike some new country, the Southern Mountains have been written about so much lately that I doubt if a man's life would be safe among them if they found out what he was up to. They would lie in wait for him as they do
cots.har.IMG.0143.jpg for the revenue officers.

Write to me, will you? and I will not wait two months to answer it, honest!

A.B. Frost