February 12 Friday –Sam gave a reading this evening and the following afternoon at the amateur performance of Cousin Kate; in his NB entry for the next day he noted the location of the reading, “(second floor) via Cavour.” Sam was first on the program, a few minutes after 8:30 p.m. on Friday and a few minutes afer 3:30 p.m on Saturday [Feb. 3 and after Feb. 3 from Gordon].
In response to the Feb. 3 invitation by Dr. Laing Gordon, Sam gave a charity reading of “Italian Without Grammar” for the British Relief Fund in Florence. It was a curtain-raiser for a performance of Cousin Kate for the Fund. An undated column by Edward Caulfield of the Italian Gazette is quoted by both Hill and Fatout [MT Speaking 673]:
The great humorist looked as full of vitality as ever though it was plan that he was labouring under a stress of emotion, and at times he nervously tore the paper he was holding in his hands. At the end of his talk, with a break in his voice, he bade his hearers goodnight, and everyone admired his generous courage when it was known that he had left Mrs. Clemens at home seriously ill.
A note in the DV245 file: “Tell Mr. Gordon I am willing to read 10 minutes (shall I write it?)”
Note: In secondary sources the date is unclear, and Fatout suggests possibly March (Gribben gives April: p.178). Sam protested that some of his reading got into the papers (Feb. 27 to Gordon). After seeing the report, Sam “waited for an explanation from Dr H. Laing Gordon, connected with the Fund.. Hill gives the reading as the same week as Sam’s Feb. 25 to Rogers. Clearly these scholars did not have access to the incoming letters of Gordon; and/ or did not piece together the Gordon letters with Sam’s NB entry of Feb. 13.
In his Feb. 17 to Duneka Sam wrote that Isabel Lyon “came on duty again for a few minutes per day, Feb. 12 or 13.” This after her scare by the mad killer donkey on Feb. 2. By Isabel’s account she was out of commission only five days.
Sam’s notebook: “Miss Lyon appeared for the first time, but is not strong yet. / [Horiz. Line separator] / 10 p.m. found the gates wide open (to let the countess in?) I believe she was there. Senilio closed them. He was in doubt” [NB 47 TS 6].
Charles S. Fairchild wrote from NY to Sam, glad to receive Sam’s note (no recent note extant to Fairchild) that they were comfortably settled in Florence. Fairchild gave progress details on The American Mechanical Cashier Co. which he’d persuaded Sam to invest in [MTP].
Willie Shine wrote from Chicago to Sam, telling of an adventure he and his uncle and two other men had on Aug. 10 in the infamous Hannibal cave of Mark Twain’s stories. They had to find a secondary entrance, did not bring coats, got lost and cold and scared but finally broke out [MTP].