• Title: Letter from John G. Neihardt to Benjamin Black Elk, Spring 1935
  • Date: Sping 1935
  • Author(s): Neihardt, John Gneisenau, 1881-1973
  • Recipient: Black Elk, Benjamin, ?-1973
  • TEI XML: nei.j4c.17.21-22.xml
John G. Neihardt, Branson, Missouri, to Benjamin Black Elk, [Spring (?), 1935]
Dear Ben,

I just heard that you broke your ankle not long ago and the news has made me write the letter that I thought of writing to you many times.

I am very sorry to hear of your accident and I hope you are getting along well and will be careful not to use the ankle too soon. I wrote you a letter after returning home but received no reply. I am wondering if my letter reached you. By this time you will think that I have forgotten about the radio but I have not. This past winter has been a trying one in various ways and there has been plenty of excuse for not getting the radio ready to send to you.

My mother died in December. She told me that she wanted me to give you the radio from her, and I'll see that you get it before too long.

I have been working steadily on "The Song of the Messiah" and I am very happy about it. I think I have never done anything half as good. I do hope you will like it yourself. I will send you a copy when it is published in September.

Just before my mother died, my study caught fire while I was at her house and when I came back the whole top of my desk and everything on it was burned up. Among the things burned was the ms. that Joe sent me and I just haven't had the nerve to write him about it until now. 250 lines of "The Song of the Messiah" got burned, too, but I could remember the lines. I have had two nice letters from Sonny and I feel that he is a fine boy. His first letter reached me when I was in Omaha lecturing at a university and shortly after I wrote him the news of mother's death reached me and I had to start home.

Hilda has been going to school all winter at SC in W. N. and has made the highest grades right along. The student body voted her the most scholarly student recently. She is a great old kid. She was home at Christmas time and I saw her again when I was in Omaha. She will be coming home within three weeks now.

I think of you and Ellen and the kids a whole lot and I don't think you can realize, Ben, how warmly I think of all of you. I have often been happy up there. I don't know whether I can get back this summer or not--at least not for long perhaps--as I will be doing some lecturing at summer schools but you can bet that I'll turn up if its ​ possible and we will have a good feed together like old times. Tell grandpa I think of him too and would like to see him again.