t sport and very
popular at home and in England and it would be a pleasant experience.
Kuhne Beveridge is doing a bust of me in khaki outfit for the Academy
and also for a private exhibition of her own works, which includes the
Prince of Wales, and the Little Queen of Holland.

Hays Hammond has invited me down to South Africa again, with a promise
of making my fortune, but I am not going as it takes too long.

DICK.

CHAPTER XII

THE BOER WAR

On May 4, 1899, at Marion, Massachusetts, Richard was married to Cecil
Clark, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John M. Clark of Chicago. After
the marriage Richard and his wife spent a few weeks in Marion and the
remainder of the summer in London and Aix-les-Bains.

MARION, May 28th, 1899.

DEAR MOTHER:

You sent me such a good letter about the visit of the three selected
chorus girls. But what was best, was about your wishing to see me. Of
course, you know that I feel that too. I would have it so that we all
lived here, so that Dad could fish, and Nora and Cecil could discuss
life, and you and I could just take walks and chat. But because that
cannot be, we are no further away than we ever were and when the pain
to see you comes, I don't let it hurt and I don't kill it either for it
is the sweetest pain I can feel. If sons will go off and marry, or be
war-correspondents, or managers, it does not mean that Home is any the
less Home. You can't wipe out history by changing the name of a
boulevard, as somebody said of the French, and if I were able to be in
two places at once, I know in which two places I would be here with
Cecil at Marion, and at Home in the Library with you and Dad and The
Evening Telegraph, and Nora and Van Bibber. You will never know how
much I love you all and you must never give up trying to comprehend it.
God bless you and keep you, and my love to you every minute and always.

DICK.

Late in January, 1900, Richard and his wife started on their first
great adventure together to the Boer War. Arriving at Cape Town,
Richard left his wife there and, acting as correspondent with the
British forces for the New York Herald and London Mail, saw the relief
of Ladysmith. After this he returned to Cape Town, with the intention
of joining Lord Roberts in his advance on Pretoria. But on arriving at
Cape Town he learned that Lord Roberts did not intend to move for three
weeks, and so decided to say farewell to the British army and to return
to