February 13 Tuesday – At 21 Fifth Ave., N.Y. Sam wrote to thank an unidentified person for “the newspaper slip & for your pleasant words” [MTP].
Clemens’ A.D. for this day: Susy’s Biography continued—Cadet of Temperance—First meeting of Mr. Clemens and Miss Langdon—Miss Olivia Langdon an invalid—Dr. Newton [AMT 1: 354-359].
M. McElroy wrote from N.Y.C. to Sam and enclosing an article that referred to a meeting for the blind. Was it to be a public or private meeting? McElroy offered to put Sam in touch with someone who could offer “good and substantial practical ideas” for Sam’s undertaking for the blind [MTP]. Note: see ca. Feb. 13. McElroy enclosed a clipping from the Boston Evening World, “Helen Keller in State of Collapse.” Lyon wrote on the typed letter, “Meeting will take place on the 29 of March at the Waldorf, but necessarily with Miss Keller absent from the program. It will be public. As for further particulars I am not very well posted, but refer him to
Miss Holt who is at the head of the movement.”
Gertrude Natkin wrote a valentine poem to Sam on a picture postcard (of a girl with flowers), mailed inside an envelope:
TO MY SWEET VALENTINE
You are a merry merry lark,
You are the noble witty Mark;
My thoughts of you to tell, I fain,
You cut my little heart in Twain
[MTAq 12]. Note: Sam replied on Feb. 14
Isabel Lyon’s journal: Mr. Clemens is hating & hating & hating having to sit for his portrait, and it is such a bad portrait too. Young Woolf hasn’t caught one gleam even of Mr. Clemens’s personality and the man who gazes at you from that canvas hasn’t one idea in his head. It must be stopped. There is a mistake somewhere [MTP TS 29-30]. Note: Samuel Johnson Woolf.
Brander Matthews wrote a small, mourning-bordered note to Sam. “Do you know any good reason why you should not come here to lunch at half past one on Washington’s Birthday—the 22 —Thursday of next week? / I’ve scarcely seen you all this winter” [MTP].
William McCutchan Morrison wrote to thank Sam for his little booklet, “King Leopold’s Soliloquy,” which he thought had done more good than anything written on the subject [MTP].
February 13-15 Thursday – During this period Isabel V. Lyon replied for Sam to an unidentified person’s invitation to an opera in Washington [MTP].
February 13 ca. – On or after this date Sam directed Lyon to reply to M. McElroy’s Feb. 13 request: the meeting was on Mar. 29 at the Waldorf, and public, but Helen Keller “of necessity” would not appear. He directed Lyon to steer the man to Miss Hall who was head of the movement [MTP].