April 15. Thursday — Sam noted in his after Sept. 25, 1909 letter that on this day, “The Lioness abolished.” In his L-A MS “‘letter to Howells” he gave particulars:
On the 15 I gave Miss Lyon a month’s notice—sent it to her room by a maid. In the forenoon. Claude [Benchotte] (butler) arrived at noon. In the afternoon Miss Lyon sent me her reply by a maid. She had been married about a month, but was still called by her unwedded name, & she was still using it herself, & so it came natural to her to sign the present note in that way.
[here Mark Twain indicates a note should be inserted| [on a new page, Mark Twain indicates: Miss Lyon’s Note]
April 15/09
Dear Mr. Clemens
Thank you so much for doing in so kind a way, the thing that I have been expecting. The original letters that I have had charge of, are all in the house, & I shall be glad to inform Miss Clemens about the collecting which has not gone beyond the letters Mr. Howells sent. :
And I now accept my dismissal from your service, to take place at any time you shall chose within the month, with thanks inexpressable, for the wonder & beauty you have brought into my life.
(over)
I am
with great respect &,
Your secretary
Isabel V. Lyon [MTP: L-A MS XIII].
Note: the above paragraph from Clemens was included in his “letter to Howells” and dated July 11, 1909.
Clemens also received a letter from daughter Clara:
On the 15th I was home again, & received a letter from Clara, about a housekeeper to take Miss Lyon’s place. Miss Lyon had stipulated in her contract of month earlier that she was to be Social Secretary only, & have nothing to do with the housekeeping. The Miss Hindhaugh mentioned was a lady who was highly educated & had been rich but lost her money three years before, & from that date had been serving as housekeeper & secretary in the family of a Columbia-University professor at $30 a month, That is, for nine months of the year. The family went away each summer, but left her behind without salar. She was very willing to come to us at Clara’s offer—$50 a month—but she didn’t come, because when the professor heard about it he raised her wage to $50—vacation included. She liked the family very much, & they liked her as much.
This is Clara’s letter:
(Insert it here) [MTP: L-A MS XII].
Clara Clemens wrote from NYC to her father about a replacement for Isabel Lyon; the letter is included in the Lyon-Ashcroft MS, part XII as follows:
Dearest Marcus
Even if Miss Hindhaugh can not come on the 1st of May once can get along perfectly without anyone for awhile as Jean will be in Redding [Mark Twain makes his own revision on Clara’s letter. .…Jean will be at Stormfield in Redding ] and I shall be there a great deal & with such servants as Claude and Teresa the house almost runs itself,—
Of course I don’t believe Horace because he could never for a minute have fancied that I discharged him whatever else he might have missundertood.
I think it was a little scheme to make you the pay the higher wages for otherwise he would have addressed me on the subject instead of you.
But fortunately in [he] has been a benefit to us instead of an annoyance. Somebody else may have put the idea into his head. Who knows?
Last night I sang at the Small Musicale without nervousness & consequently with success.
Tomorrow we go to Boston & I shall stop with Katie at Marie Nichols’ home 1700 Beacon Street
I am glad that you are well again,
With a great deal of love.
Clara
You will give Miss Lyon her notice right [a]way I hope.-— [MTP: L-A MS XII]. Note: Clara performed at the large concert on Apr. 13, and Clemens received this letter on Apr. 15, so this must have been dated on Apr. 15, and her “Small Musicale” took place on Apr. 14.
John Larkin, Atty NYC wrote to Sam about the Fentress Land Company: “I have a letter from Colonel McNutt, who is conducting the case as you remember, in which he states that he wishes to take your depositions... Would it be more convenient to have the hearing, (which will be short) at Redding, or could you manage to attend at my office?” [MTP].
John Albert Macy wrote from Wrentham, Mass. to Sam.
“We thank you for the copies of your book [Is Shakespeare Dead?], which we have all enjoyed. It is so telling, deadly, convincing. It not only does up this case but is a great chapter in your big book of argument against superstition, against that colossal failure, Carlyles ‘Man Thinking’, He don’t” [MTP].