Letter from Grey Owl to Hugh Eayrs (Macmillan Company of Canada), 28 August 1935

Beaver Lodge
Prince Albert National Park
via Prince Albert,
Saskatchewan, Canada.
August 28th, 1935
H. Earys, Esq.,
The Macmillan Company of Canada
70 Bond Street, Toronto 2.
Dear Mr. Earys,
There is no time for me to write you a proper letter, as some people are leaving here immediately who expected to have stayed longer, which would have given me time to get my mail ready; as it is I must rush. Will you therefore ask Mrs. Boothe to please accept my kind regards, and ask her to please excuse my not answering her letter at this time. As to the matter of her supposed visit here, it must have seemed awfully crazy to her, my letter on the subject. I had received word from a third party that she was coming West, and would visit us en route. It was probably a misunderstanding.
About the alterations in the Sajo book - they were few, but seemed rather important to me, and both Mr. Dickson and Mr. Thompson have generously agreed to my requests. I hope very much that you will be pleased with the book as it stands. I am afraid I made rather too much of a fuss over the printers' alterations; but at the time I was still suffering from the after-effects of my illness, and allowed myself to become rather worked up over things. A man living much alone is sometimes apt to brood over things and perhaps exaggerate their importance.
I am having that difficulty in regard to the lecture tour, as I have no one near whom I can depend on for advice, or with whom I can talk things over; so I did a lot of worrying over it.
However, I am about ready. The two principal lectures have been very carefully written, and I am talking over all my notes and all unpublished manuscripts. Mr. Campbell is supplying me with pictures, as he promised.
It is my intention to leave Prince Albert about 1st October, or thereabouts. I intend then to go to Ottawa to spend a few days with Mr. Campbell, for some coaching and advice, and on the way I want to be routed through Toronto in order to meet you, and if possible, Mrs. Boothe too.
Mr. Dickson wants me to put in my first lecture on the morning of the 28th October, but I intend to try and arrive in London about the 20th, so as to get my land-legs back and also to confer with him and get the lectures properly arranged. I may have some more writing to do, and want to be well prepared.
The journey will be the first of its kind that I have ever taken entirely on my own, but I anticipate no difficulty.
I am not going over on any holiday, or in any carnival spirit. I am going to work, and work hard, even though the very liberal and considerate terms of Mr. Dickson's contract have evidently been planned in such a way as to give me every opportunity for relaxation. For that I am very grateful, and I will do my utmost to make the thing go. I am inexperienced, and am perhaps no speaker, but I have something to say, and by God I'll say it. I hope for the sake of my few friends, whose interest in my attempts to bring Wild Life before the public notice, has given me this unparalleled opportunity, I hope for them, & for the sake of those whom I will represent, that I will make the grade.
There is much to do here, getting ready, training Anahareo into the work, examining and compiling notes, besides the moving pictures is about to be taken, so this may be the last letter you will get from me till I have the fortune to meet you, regarding which I will wire you later.
With kindest personal regards to both Mrs. Boothe and yourself, I am
Yours sincerely, Grey Owl.