…You were honest since you made no pretense of any kind to yourself. You took no gold that you did not logically, humanely, or shamefully earn. You were consciously and unconsciously above all subterfuge. You wrought no ruin nor error nor darkness upon your own spirit or any other. You deceived neither yourself nor anyone about you. The tone of your life was of sun-shining simplicity and cleanness. There was no greed in you. You saw your way of life before you and lived it without degradation, with a positive of strength.___Mary MacLane from I, Mary MacLane

Though there were moments, such as the example above, of the Mary MacLane of old, this sequel to her original diary failed in providing the power expected in her writing. Perhaps she had become a bit too enamored with herself and the instant fame and notoriety her first work afforded her. This offering seemed uninspired, and perhaps that had something to do with her return to Butte, Montana. Even so, nothing will lessen for me the importance of what Mary MacLane achieved in her first book. And this proves how difficult it is for a writer of note to go on and continue to remain vital. It is no wonder she faded from the public's eye, and no fault but her own. ( )