June 7 Thursday – In Dublin, N.H. Sam wrote to daughter Clara at the 21 Fifth Ave. home in N.Y.C.
Clärchen dear, it is good news you send, very good news indeed. I take it that with your voice’s progress your health improves, too—may it continue!
I hope you will not have to stay in New York after this month, for I judge you are going to have blistering weather there.
We are living in a solitude, but it is a pleasant one. We have no near neighbors. Yesterday towards sunset I was standing on the piazza when a couple of beautiful young deer sauntered leisurely across the grounds a little distance away, & stopped & took an indolent survey of me, then passed lazily along & disappeared among the trees. Jean is going to put salt on a rock there & encourage them to come again & be sociable & friendly.
I am dictating two hours every morning, & enjoying it—& enjoying fine health, too, but I do no work. Jean drives, & Miss Lyon walks, but I only read & loaf, afternoons.
Mr. & Mrs. Rogers are coming presently, per automobile, & maybe I shall go back with them to Fairhaven for a few days.
With a hug & a kiss & a have-a-good-time, dear ashcat, / Father [MTP].
Sam also sent a telegram to William Dean Howells: “Please dont burden yourself with Furness story—I think I Can tell it well enough to answer” [MTHL 2: 808].
Note: the source gives the A.D. for this day as dealing with “the parallelism of the situation in the Furness household, described to him by Howells, with the story ‘Was it Heaven? or Hell?’ (Harper’s, December 1902…), and with the elaborate precautions taken in the Clemens household during the winter of 1902-03 to keep from Livy the knowledge that Jean was dangerously ill with pneumonia” [n1].
Clemens’ A.D. this day included: The difficulties of Clara’s position during her mother’s and Jean’s illness—The Susy Crane letter—Mr. Clemens’ version of William Dean Howells’ story—Taking Livy to Florence, and her death, there [MTP: Autodict2].
Isabel Lyon’s journal:
Jean, 11:30; 2:15
Edith
Yesterday Mr. Paine and I went off for a walk, up over the hill in Monadnock direction. We went to find a wonderful pink bush, but were stopped before we could reach the distant spot by a thunder storm. We crept in under a hemlock tree & with the rain dripping from our noses, we philosophized. In these days I’m not as happy as I ought to be, & the very unhappiness is teaching me things of course.
Is it the loneliness, perhaps?
Evenings Mr. Clemens reads aloud to us. The Jungle Books now.
Standing alone on the porch, Mr. Clemens saw 2 deer sauntering along close to the house [MTP TS 79; also mention Gribben 378].
John Daniels for the Congo Reform Assoc., Boston wrote to Sam “to ask for further aid in the work of this Association.” The urgent appeal to their friends stemmed from a debt of $5,000. “We must have money.” Could Sam at least supply some names of likely donors? [MTP].
Harper & Brothers wrote to Isabel Lyon: “Replying to your favor of June 5th asking us to send one copy of Harper’s Magazine, the issue of December 1902 to Mr. S.L. Clemens, Dublin, N.H. we regret that we are unable to comply…as this issue of the Magazine is entirely out of print” [MTP].
Clärchen dear, it is good news you send, very good news indeed. I take it that with your voice’s progress your health improves, too—may it continue!
I hope you will not have to stay in New York after this month, for I judge you are going to have blistering weather there.
We are living in a solitude, but it is a pleasant one. We have no near neighbors. Yesterday towards sunset I was standing on the piazza when a couple of beautiful young deer sauntered leisurely across the grounds a little distance away, & stopped & took an indolent survey of me, then passed lazily along & disappeared among the trees. Jean is going to put salt on a rock there & encourage them to come again & be sociable & friendly.
I am dictating two hours every morning, & enjoying it—& enjoying fine health, too, but I do no work. Jean drives, & Miss Lyon walks, but I only read & loaf, afternoons.
Mr. & Mrs. Rogers are coming presently, per automobile, & maybe I shall go back with them to Fairhaven for a few days.
With a hug & a kiss & a have-a-good-time, dear ashcat, / Father [MTP].
Sam also sent a telegram to William Dean Howells: “Please dont burden yourself with Furness story—I think I Can tell it well enough to answer” [MTHL 2: 808].
Note: the source gives the A.D. for this day as dealing with “the parallelism of the situation in the Furness household, described to him by Howells, with the story ‘Was it Heaven? or Hell?’ (Harper’s, December 1902…), and with the elaborate precautions taken in the Clemens household during the winter of 1902-03 to keep from Livy the knowledge that Jean was dangerously ill with pneumonia” [n1].
Clemens’ A.D. this day included: The difficulties of Clara’s position during her mother’s and Jean’s illness—The Susy Crane letter—Mr. Clemens’ version of William Dean Howells’ story—Taking Livy to Florence, and her death, there [MTP: Autodict2].
Isabel Lyon’s journal:
Jean, 11:30; 2:15
Edith
Yesterday Mr. Paine and I went off for a walk, up over the hill in Monadnock direction. We went to find a wonderful pink bush, but were stopped before we could reach the distant spot by a thunder storm. We crept in under a hemlock tree & with the rain dripping from our noses, we philosophized. In these days I’m not as happy as I ought to be, & the very unhappiness is teaching me things of course.
Is it the loneliness, perhaps?
Evenings Mr. Clemens reads aloud to us. The Jungle Books now.
Standing alone on the porch, Mr. Clemens saw 2 deer sauntering along close to the house [MTP TS 79; also mention Gribben 378].
John Daniels for the Congo Reform Assoc., Boston wrote to Sam “to ask for further aid in the work of this Association.” The urgent appeal to their friends stemmed from a debt of $5,000. “We must have money.” Could Sam at least supply some names of likely donors? [MTP].
Harper & Brothers wrote to Isabel Lyon: “Replying to your favor of June 5th asking us to send one copy of Harper’s Magazine, the issue of December 1902 to Mr. S.L. Clemens, Dublin, N.H. we regret that we are unable to comply…as this issue of the Magazine is entirely out of print” [MTP].
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