January 23 Wednesday – At 1410 W. 10th in N.Y.C., Sam began a reply to Joe Twichell that he finished Jan. 24. (Twichell’s incoming not extant, yet from Sam’s text we can deduce at least some of the subject matter of Joe’s letter).

Certainly. I used to take it in my coffee, but it settled to the bottom in the form of mud, & I had to eat it [Plasmon] with a spoon; so I dropped the custom & took my 2 teaspoonfuls in cold milk after breakfast. …

No, blame it I can’t go to the Alumni dinner Joe. It takes two days, & I can’t spare the time. Moreover I preside at the Lincoln birthday celebration in Carnegie Hall Feb. 11 & I must not make two speeches so close together. Think of it—two old rebels functioning there—I as President, & Watterson as Orator of the Day! Things have changed somewhat in these 40 years, thank God.

Sam added that when Joe came to New York he must be their guest; Livy would “make trouble” for him if he went elsewhere [MTP]. Note: Twichell had invited Sam to go to the Yale alumni dinner [MTB 1122].

Sometime after 3 p.m. Livy and Clara Clemens returned from Washington, D.C., where Clara debuted as a singer on Jan. 22 [Jan. 22 to E. Rogers].

In the evening the Clemens family attended Charles Major’s play, When Knighthood Was In Flower, at the Criterion Theatre [Jan. 21 to E. Rogers; NB 44 TS 4]. See insert ad.