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257
244
#33 Ferry Avenue,
Detroit, Michigan,
September 7th, 1901.

Dear Mr. Coffin:--
I am glad to have your kind letter of the 4th instant, which puts me upon the right trail concerning the Carnegie Institute. I was under the impression that Mr. Beatty had declined to loan you his Whistler, and I am glad to know that he did send the Vedder, Melchers and Shannon, and shall refrain from sending the reply which suggested itself to my mind the instant his letter was received.

The request of Mr. Beatty to borrow from my little group now under your charge was preceded by similar ones received from Mr. Morris of Philadelphia and others. I found it utterly impossible to satisfy all of these demands, so I have decided to comply with none. Furthermore, I expect to spend the coming winter in Detroit, and I would like, for the first time in some years, to see once more my little collection all together in my own home Therefore, kindly keep what you have of mine until your exhibition ends, then be good enough to forward them to me at Detroit. The present occasion seems to be, in the minds of all who know, the most important one thus far know in American Art, and let