Cather expresses her appreciation of Towne's telegram, but cannot comply with his request. The addressee, Mr. Towne, may have been the poet, author, and editor, Charles Hanson Towne (1877-1949), who worked at various times for Cosmopolitan, Smart Set, McClure's, and Harper's Bazaar. Mr. Towne may have been interested in serializing A Lost Lady, which was later published by Knopf.