[The envelope in which this letter was enclosed was postmarked Dec 14, 1935, so either the postmark or the date on the letter is wrong.]Freiburg i/Br. [im Breisgau] 15.12.35
68 Talstr.My very dear friend!
I must tell you, that your dear long letter, from 5 June on the Atlantic is full of my own marks, because I wrote an answer to yo[u] 6 long pages, telling you, where to travel in Sweden, to friends of mine etc. I wrote it before lunch in the garden by the big round table, you know, my dear husband at my side telling my [sic] so many things about Marienburg etc. to write to you. We were so happy together, so full of gladness. He made his Witze [German: "humorous remark"] over and over again and when I had finished my 6 pages, he said, he had only written one side at the same time on his work "die Gerichtslauben von Gr." [German: "the court arcades of Germany"] (it is not finished now, sadly enough.) I said, that one page was much more valuable than 100 of mines. [sic] He was so well & glad. After lunch he slept in the garden, I heard him come up at 1/25 and went to meet him. He told me, he felt very ill, I understood at once it was something dangerous, put him to bed, sent for the dokter, who did all. At 9 oclock he wanted to sleep and rest and spoke to me, so dearly and clear. Then he slept and died at 1/27 in the night with me at his side. I am so thankful, he had not to suffer long; he could not be ill. And I am thankful that I have had the happiness to live with such a great man and been able to help him a little bit in good and bad years. Too not so much [...] on our own great love, the world has lost one of the very great artists and personalities, that I know. And that his dear hand never can be able to creat[e] something great again, that makes me so sad. You are my dear dear friend, you were in his thoughts until his last hours. I went alone very early in the morning to tell my daughter the very sad news and it took her strongly. But I have had a good dear help from her and my daughter in Gottingen and their dear husbands. You can understand that I am now only living for his work and my clid. His great work may not be dispersed, I must try to hold it together and his wish was that it may remain in its home so as I not arranged it till his 80 birthday. With all my strength and will I have been able to fulfill his wish and I am so very thankful to all gentlemen of the town, the Oberburgermeister and all the others and friends etc. who understand, what he was, not only in Germany. His name was well known in the world. The town will buy the whole thing, garden, houses and his works and make a Fritz Geiges home of it. For young artists the[y] will make studios and a school etc. and you can understand, how happy that good will and hope makes me. I may stay up in the little upper story, where our salon and bedroom were. And for that I am thankful too. But his work is the first of all to me.
Dear friend, it will always be a little corner for you, when you come to visit me!
I wish only, that I can fulfill my holy duty without to[o] many difficultis. [sic] I am now writing up all the works and where they have come and it will come out a Heft [German: "book"] in Schaunisland only about him next year. That I will send to you as a memory of him. Have a happy Xmas my dear good friend and may the new be good to you is a warm wish from
ever yours
true friend
Maja Geiges.[Fritz Geiges died on June 23, 1935 at the age of 81.]