February 25 Friday — In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam wrote to Albert B. Paine in Redding, Conn.
Dear Paine.
Perhaps I have no business to be dictating, and I have refrained all day, because my bronchitis makes it troublecome for me to talk.
I have nothing to say that would not keep over another steamer, but I must bark enough to assure you that I am not in the least degree troubled about those stocks.
You and & Freeman & the others, are quite competent to take care of them and do the judicious thing at the judicious time. Jervis’s Organ enterprise is probably going to fail. I am sorry,—so sorry, that if I could sell that copper stock at any profit at all—at least any considerable profit—I should be tempted to put a third of the money in there and help him out.
I see that Arnot is dead, he is the man who ought to have saved that enterprise. It would not have cost him a month’s income to do it.
Please take Prof. Henderson on your shoulders, I can’t dictate a letter for him, I am tired & must stop.
With love to all.
Clemens,
per M. S. A.
[MTP]. Note Matthias H. Arnot died on Feb, 16. The Hope-Jones Organ Co. of Elmira, New York had been organized by Jervis Langdon II; Sam had invested modest amounts for each of his daughters. See Jan. 19, 1907 and others.
Albert Bigelow Paine wrote from Redding to Clemens: “Yours of 20th and 21st met me at the station this morning. I had not ordered the Cyclopedia yet, so that is all right. I tried to see Broughton today, but he is no longer with that bank; has an office somewhere on lower Broadway. Freeman is going to get hold of him [about a stock] [MTP]. Note: Clemens’ letters of Feb. 20 and 21 are not extant.