September 18 Thursday – In York Harbor, Maine Sam began a letter to H.H. Rogers that he added a PS to on Sept. 19. The doctors had vetoed a sea voyage to Riverdale for Livy, so the use of the Kanawha for such a trip was out. Sam thought it was a mistake but he wrote he “mustn’t venture the responsibility” of saying so. He wished that Jonas Henrik Kellgren could have been there when Livy was stricken on Aug. 12: “He would have had the madam on her feet & as sound as a nut in three days.” Mostly, he didn’t like the way that doctors guessed at the proper medicines:
I wonder she is alive at all. It has been one continual guess, guess, guess, change, change, change, from one incompetent drug to another, & from one indigestible food to another. It seems a stupid idea to keep a student 4 years in a medical college to merely learn how to guess—& guess wrong. If ever I am deadly ill I hope you will stand by me & bar out the doctors & let me die a natural death.
They had used three doctors (two from Boston) and Sam had “implored” them to give Livy only plasmon for three days, but they would only do so part of one day, “then they got scared & went to guessing again & raised some more hell” [MTHHR 489-90].
Sam’s notebook “Telegram from Duneka: ‘Thank you very much for Heaven or Hell. It is great. Have you sent Russian Passport yet? If not, won’t you, please?’ (Am mailing it to him now—8 p.m.) / About 6,500 words after I reduced it for publication—say $1,300. (Heaven or Hell)” [NB 45 TS 27]. Note: Duneka’s telegram not extant.
Albracca Stables in York Harbor wrote to Sam. Only the envelope survives; Sam had likely inquired about keeping horses during their summer stay [MTP].
Edmund S. Mills for McVickar Realty Trust, N.Y.C. wrote to Sam acknowledging his Sept. 12 letter (not extant). Mills regretted “that the way does not appear plain at present to dispose of the Tarrytown property” on his behalf, and had “one at command for the Hartford property” [MTP]. Note: Sam forwarded Mills’ letter to Franklin G. Whitmore on Sept. 26—see entry.