February 5 Saturday — In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam inscribed his photograph to an unidentified woman: “To Etheldoralinda, from her principal best friend” [MTP]. Note: The playfulness of the name used by Sam infers a young lady.
Sam also began a letter to Albert B. Paine that he finished Feb. 7.
Dear Paine:
Your preliminary report is very fine.
Under “Salaries” it lacks one item, not yet payable: Stanchfield, which is about $80 a month.
Now let us consider an idea of mine—to-wit: Clara is evidently not coming to America for a long time & then not to stay much.
As I shall probably see Stormfield but seldom, hereafter, & then only flittingly, we can go on reducing expense there & get them well down.
Suppose you stop all expense on Jean’s farm as soon as you can:
1. By ceasing to raise poultry
2. By selling any live stock not needed—except Scott.
3. Or by renting the farm & its belongings to somebody.
The farm, the house, the tools, etc., might possibly be rented out for four or five per cent on $10,000 (which is about what they have cost, up to now.)
And suppose you discharge all servants not absolutely necessary to your little family’s needs---thus diminishing food-expense & wage-bill.
When I am there for a while no additional servants & no change of menu will be needed.
When Clara & Ossip are coming, they will bring a servant, of course; & if they are likely to invite company, they would give Mrs. Paine a month’s notice, so that extra help could be provided.
I would give notice, too, if I wanted to invite company. I forsee no such emergency, unless I could get Helen & her mother and brother to come for parts of August & September. Helen’s school opens September 30.
I expect to run to America every few months & stay a while at Stanchfield’s & a while at Stormfield.
I want Katy to remain, & be always there when Clara or I come. I shall keep Claude myself.
The photographs have come & are all right, except I wanted a sepia. These are black & white. Please send a sepia.
Paine, we cannot afford to take any notice of Haithwaite’s impudent letter to me. / As ever /S. L. C. [MTP]. Note: Haithwaite’s letter not extant. Hill gives insight into who Haithwaite was and what his letter may have been about:
A young man named Haithwaite, apparently a friend of Ashcroft, tried to negotiate with the Mark Twain Company to purchase Clemens’ shares in the Milk Products Company [Plasmon], but Haithwaite declined to pay the $35,000 par value which Clemens set as his asking price [252]. Note: Hill refers to the period just before the Dec. 11, 1909 discontinuation of the Company, Haithwaite, still poking around two months later likely referred to Sam’s refusal to set a price acceptable to Haithwaite.
M. Cooke wrote to Sam after reading an account of him introducing General Joseph Hawley to a Republican meeting years before. She asked Sam to “let me have a line to know if any of the [Hawley] family are living” [MTP
A.O. Kaplan wrote from Englewood, NJ to Sam, sending him his book, The New Baby’s Biography [MTP]. Note: MT: Please give him the usual perfunctory words of thanks for his unwelcome book, Paine. / SLC”