January 31 Friday – In Riverdale, N.Y. Sam replied to William Webster Ellsworth (incoming not extant).
When money is taken for the performance I don’t take part, except in a private house, —in New York City. I’ve played to money in private houses once or twice, & hope for other chances of the like, but I’ve declined every one of the other kind, & find it a good & wise rule.
It isn’t that I am not in sympathy with the cause, for I am; it is only because it is easier to decline 20 invitations than to accept one & then explain to the other nineteen.
Verstehen Sie? [MTP].
Sam also wrote to Samuel E. Moffett.
You can call on the Colonel [Harvey] again, now—I went down yesterday & talked with him & Duneka.
They were not encouraging.
You can mention casually that I am projecting a periodical of my own & want you to make no arrangement which will bar you from being its editor. Give no hint of the character of the periodical. But you can say I am not going to edit myself; also you can say I did not mention it yesterday because I never absolutely decided to start the magazine until after a final & searching meditation over the matter last night.
Do you get the idea? In case I should take the job elsewhere I don’t want them to be able to say I never gave them a chance to apply for it. … [MTP].
Sam also wrote to H.H. Rogers.
Enclosed is the summons. If you can’t get me released, take my place—the court will prefer that anyway. Please let me have your hen-composition. I promise not to let it get out of my hands, & I won’t print it unless I put it into Huck’s or Tom Sawyer’s mouth one of these days when I transfer your school-jubilee to the banks of the Mississippi.
I’m expecting to leave for Hartford at 4 p.m. & be Twichell’s guest for 24 hours, then return.
Jean is bad again. It is a continuous distress—without a break these 5 years [MTHL 480]. Note: n1 of the source conjectures the summons was either an appearance in court in the case of Robert Lutz vs. Jacobsthul, or for jury duty. Rogers’ hen-composition was a piece Rogers read at a reunion for Fairhaven H.S. See n2 of source. Evidently, Sam, moved the Feb. 1 trip to Hartford (planning to meet Whitford at 10 a.m.) up to a Jan. 31 departure and night’s stay with Twichell.
Sam left Riverdale for N.Y.C. and Hartford, where he gave an unscheduled dinner speech at Allyn Hall for Yale Alumni Association. The Hartford Courant reported the next day,
“The familiar features and flowing hair of the gifted humorist were quickly recognized and the entire party rose, cheered, clapped and yelled with a waving of napkins and other demonstrations of delight” [Note: Part of Sam’s remarks may be seen in Fatout, MT Speaking p.426-7.; NB entry gives this date for “Yale Alumni Dinner” NB 45 TS 3]
Sam spent the night at 1758) Freedom of Will
Joe Twichell’s. While there Joe loaned him a copy of Jonathan Edwards’ (1703-(1754). Sam’s reactions are in the letter headed only “February.”
Chatto & Windus’ Jan. 1, 1904 statement to Clemens shows 2,000 3s.6d. copies of CY were printed, for a total printed to date of 5,000 [1904 Financials file MTP].