Well now, as George Harvey might say—­“One day After!” I want to help in any way I can to make this administration a success. ...  If Hoover can work with Harding, or the latter with him, all will be well.  But I fear the politicians—­especially ... [those] ambitious for a great political machine.  The country will be generous for a time to Harding. ...  But it will turn against him with anger unbounded if he turns the country over to the men who want office and the men who want privilege and favor.  The politicians and the profiteers may be his undoing.  I hope not!

...  I cannot close without a special word to that most gracious, tender, and charming Lady who is your “sweet-heart.”  As I wander and see many, I find no limitation, no reservation, or modification to put to that declaration of admiration and devotion, which I made to Her now some fifteen years ago, nearly.  Tell her that this old, sick troubled man thinks nice things about her often.  My affectionate regards to you, dear Jim.

LANE

To Adolph C. Miller

Morgan Hill, March 9, [1921]

When my eyes opened this morning they looked out upon a hillside of vivid green, like the tops of Monterey cypress, flecked with bits of darker green embroiderings, and behind this was green, too, but very dark, and it had great splashes of a green so dark that they looked black—­and my heart was glad.  It was a common scene, nothing rarely beautiful about it.  Fog enclosed the earth.  There was no sky.  But I had known it as a boy, this same kind of a picture, and it went to this poor tired heart of mine and was like balsam to a wound.  By Jove, it is balsam!  These hills are for the healing of men.  I have been here three days and have taken more exercise than in three months—­walking and climbing; beside the creek lined with great sycamores—­alluvial soil, crumbles in your hand, and with our friend the gopher in it; and climbed up through a bit of manzanita—­big fellows, twenty feet high some of them—­ and such a rich brown, near-burgundy red!  I barked a bit of the bole to get that green beneath, spring green, great contrast!

And above the grove of manzanita was a flat top to the hill, from which I could see three ways, and all ending in cloud-wrapped mountains, that had shape and were blue of some kind, as far as you could see.  Ah man, this is a glorious land—­even the people!  Along the road I talked to Lundgren, who used to be a ship-carpenter, but he had a prune orchard here “since the fire.”  I must “see his horses,” great snuzzling monsters that he had raised himself (sold one of them once, and sneaked off and bought it back) and his calves, twins out of a three-year-old—­and she had had one before.  Oh shades of Teddy Roosevelt, there’s your ideal!  (Do you remember Kipling’s line in the Mary Gloster, “And she carried her freight each trip"?)

And next to Lungren was the Frenchman—­far up on the hill cultivating his grapes, for which he got $110 per ton last year—­ and this year he puts out five acres more.  The Frenchman has indigestion and lives alone ... that hillside of vines gives him something to love.