(The following is from The New York Times Magazine, August 12, 1917)
“One day in February, 1888, a certain butcher in Saranac Lake, NY, sent a piece of mutton to Baker’s Cottage. At that time there was no railroad to Lake Saranac, and this may be the reason why the mutton seemed, to the occupants of Baker’s cottage, not to be all that the mutton should be . Be that as it may, an occupant of Baker’s Cottage was very indignant at this piece of mutton and wrote the following letter about it:
“‘Mr. Robert Louis Stevenson presents his compliments to Mr. Oldfield and begs to return to him the rest of a piece of mutton which he refuses to eat or pay for. The fillet of beef had been ordered as early as Monday. Mr. Stevenson can easily understand that there might be difficulties in providing this; but at least Mr. Oldfield knew that MS would want something on Thursday; and Mrs. S. prefers to hope that it was a mistake that MO sent him something. as perfectly inedible as the joint of which he now has the pleasure of returning a part.
“The meat supplier kept this letter and his sense of humor recently led him to present it to Stephen Chalmers, secretary of the Stevenson Society. It is part of the company’s relic collection – a collection personal enough to gladden the hearts of all true Stevensonians and bizarre and varied enough to satisfy RLS itself…
“A particularly interesting part of the Stevenson shrine is the picture gallery… There is a charming picture of two boys in kilts and balmoral caps. This is an enlarged print of an ambrotype. The boys are Robert Louis Stevenson and his cousin Lewis Balfour, later Lewis Balfour of Eldred, Penn. The boys played together at Colinton in 1857, when this photo was probably taken…
“Of all the Stevensonian letters, perhaps the most important are those written by Stevenson’s cousins and uncles in the early 1970s, when his genius was unsuspected and serious doubts about his future were entertained. The letters were written to Reverend Lewis Balfour of Eldred, Penn. (whose early portrait with his illustrious relative has already been mentioned), by Stevenson’s uncle, Dr. John Balfour… These letters have been temporarily lent to the Stevenson Society by Mrs. Elizabeth J. Balfour of Olean, NY, widow of the Reverend Lewis Balfour…
“Among the articles intimately linked to the great dead novelist, the place of honor must be given to the velvet coat. This well-worn item of clothing is one of the first things most visitors to Saranac Lake seek out. His chest measurement indicates that (William Earnest) Henley was telling the truth when he described his friend as “thin chest, incredibly light”. Among the treasures of the collection are Stevenson’s embroidered velvet skullcap, felt hat, cape and red belt. With them are his famous whistle or flageolet, the tapa mat that covered him with death, and the last pen he used. The tip has long rusted the pen, and the end of the holder has been badly bitten…
“In the memorial library are several autographed books with characteristic inscriptions. One of them, Child’s Birthday Book, was brought to RLS one day for autograph by one of Mrs. Baker’s (Blanche Baker) and Stevenson’s children, who was very amused and interested in the many cats in the Baker household. and children’s love for them. , wrote the following: “Train up a cat in the way it should follow and when it is old it will not stray from it.
“Another copy of the child’s birthday book belonged to Bertha Baker, now Mrs. JH Vincent. The novelist writes: “All cats are born free and equal…”
“All Stevensonians adore ‘Cummy’, the nurse Stevenson called his second mother, to whom he dedicated A Child’s Garden of Verses. The collection is enriched with a portrait of her, taken at the age of 91 , a year before his death in July 1913. In a folded leather multi-frame are photographs of Stevenson showing him at various ages, from baby in arms to bewigged and begwn lawyer…
“Readers of Stevenson’s biography will remember Po’e, the political prisoner whom Robert Louis Stevenson escaped from prison and refused to hand over to authorities. It was Po’e who then gathered the chiefs who built the ‘Loho Alofa’ or ‘Road of the Loving Heart’ in thanks to ‘Tusitala’. In the collection is a permit signed by King Malietoa of Samoa and a guarantee signed by Stevenson referring to Po’e. The permit is written on one side of a sheet of paper in Samoan, signed “Malietoa” and sealed with the Samoan royal seal. On the back is this guarantee:
“‘I hereby undertake to pay the sum of one hundred US dollars to the Treasury of the Samoan Government in the event that the faipule Po’e commits a breach of the aforesaid conditions imposed upon him.’
—Robert Louis Stevenson
“From W. MacDonald of Toronto, the Stevenson Society has received a complete copy of one of Stevenson’s rarest writings – a poem which Stevenson addressed to Andrew Lang. It was to be published in Lang’s edition of Cupid and Psyche (London, 1887). It is said to appear in only one copy of the first edition of this work, having been suppressed – probably by Stevenson himself…”