October 23 Friday – In N.Y.C. Sam and Livy signed the new contracts making Harper & Brothers his exclusive publisher in exchange for a guaranteed $25,000 per year. He then wrote to the American Publishing Co.
“Until further notice in writing from us please send all notices of default, if any there be, under the contract between yourselves, Harpers & Brothers and ourselves executed this day to us, in care of H. H. Rogers, Esq.” [MTP].
Sam and Livy also wrote a letter to Harper & Brothers authorizing them to pay to the Estate of Charles Dudley Warner half the forthcoming royalties for GA and charge those amounts to their account [MTP].
Sam also wrote his autograph to an unidentified person [MTP].
Sam also inscribed a copy of HF to Blanche Bates: “None genuine without this label on the bottle: Mark Twain, Oct. 23/03” [MTP].
Sam’s notebook: In 1895 Cheiro the palmist examined my hand and said that in my 68th year (1903) I would become suddenly rich. I was a bankrupt and $94,000 in debt at the time, through the failure of Chas. L. Webster & Co. Two years later—in London—Cheiro repeated this long-distance prediction, and added that the riches would come from a quite unexpected source.
I am superstitious. I kept the prediction in mind and often thought of it. When at last it came true, Oct. 22,/03, there was but a month and 9 days to spare.
The contract signed that day concentrates all my books in Harper’s hands, and now at last they are valuable: in fact they are a fortune. The guarantee me $25,000 a year for 5 years, but they will yield twice as much that for many a year, if intelligently handled. Four months ago I could not have believed that I could ever get rid of my 30-years’ slavery to the pauper American Publishing Co—a worthless concern which always kept a blight upon the books [MTHHR 540n1: NB 46: TS 15]. Also entered: “Dr. Starr, 10 a.m. / To-day the Bliss-Harper contract was signed. See. Apl. 17/02” [TS 28]. Note: Louis Hamon was Cheiro.
The Clemens family boarded the Princess Irene in Hoboken, N.J. and took possession of Suite 1 on the promenade deck [Oct. 21 to Johnson]. Flowers and fruit waited on board for them, a gift from Mrs. H.H. Rogers and Mrs. Coe [MTHHR 541n1: NB 46 (formerly 36) TS 28]. They would sail the next day for Genoa, Italy. Isabel V. Lyon and her mother would make the trip about a month later [before Nov. 1 SLC to unidentified].