Return to the States

Relying mainly on letters, this chapter treats Edith’s semi-unwilling return to the States. It was not that she wasn’t publishing: 1908–1909 saw nine stories; a translation (with L. J. Naylor) of the Middle English Babees Book; two sets of translations of Middle English romances; a collection of early English carols, essays, and sketches; and The Beggar in the Heart. But the 1907 financial crisis meant she was having trouble selling her stories. After crossing to the States for an exploratory visit she decided to extend her loan and try for another year in England. She changed her mind after Edmund Cooley (1857–1923), once her head at Lyons Township High School and now about to become co-head of D. C. Heath & Co. in Boston, visited her at Tibbles. She positively wanted to return after a visit from “Herr Professor Extraordinaire” (Manly) and his sister Annie (1872–1915). She spent her final weeks in England researching Christopher Marlowe’s death in 1593.