January 13 Sunday – Mark Twain’s Plea for setting apart the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln ran on p.8 of the New York Times, “A Lincoln Memorial.”
Sam wrote to Jean Clemens on Jan. 14 of his dinner company for this evening:
We ran late, last night [Jan. 13]—billiards & dinner. Present, Daniel Frohman, Margaret Illington, Mr. & Mrs. Wayland, Mr. Wark, Clara, Miss Lyon & I. Next Sunday this service will be repeated at the Wayland home; at our house the Sunday after. Next winter the alternating will continue. No other engagements can be made for Sunday evenings by these people [MTP]. Note: see Jan. 14 for the rest. Charles E. Wark, 29, native of Ontario, Canada, and Clara’s new piano accompaniest. He also accompanied her in a few other indoor pursuits, which, by the help of Isabel Lyon, nearly became a scandal. See Shelden on the Wark-Clara Clemens relationship.
Isabel Lyon’s journal: Yesterday Mary Newcomb with to C.C. to Luckstone to have her voice tested. It had been quite beautiful once & she was ready for the operatic stage—really ready, for she had a conductor & roles, and then the voice broke down. For 2 years she has been living with her dead voice—but Luckstone says it isn’t deat at all.
The King does get so mad at the Hobby (she did stupid things with his ms.) & here on this day full of “pretty weather” which he wants to go out in to call on the Coes, but first must read Friday’s dictation which Hobby should have sent yesterday & didn’t. He says, “God will knock her gully est someday.”
Oh, the billards! Today the King played for ten hours. There come shouts from the billiard room, for he loves it so, & now that AB is beginning to swear the King says he has become so much better company—in fact he is unsurpassable. I go in & sit—“perch”—on the arm of the red sofa to watch the game & the King smokes every minute. He makes such a pretty bridge of his hand, which is so beautiful & in his white silk coats which he had made at Vantine’s, he is as wonderful as an ivory soul. He’s too beautiful for a human man, & yet you never get away for an instant from the fact that he is a man & a very very strong one. Today I told him how the perfume of his pipe makes me long to follow Dr. H’s advice to smoke one too, & how AB said he’d get me a little one, & when I asked the King if his secretary might smoke it, he said, “The secretary can do any thing she wants to, provided its proper, he gave me my first little meerschaum” [MTP TS 9-10].
John Howard Moore wrote from Chicago to Sam. “I am asking the publishers to send you a copy of my book, ‘The Universal Kinship’. I do not know that the book will appeal to you at all, but I thought that it might.” He praised Sam’s pen and his wit [MTP]. Note: Universal Kinship; see Feb. 2. See also Gribben 482.
Doane Robinson wrote from Pierre, S.D. to Sam. “I wonder if you have grown beyond the point where such notes as the enclosed, contribute to warm the ‘cockles of your heart?’” [MTP]. Note: no enclosure extant; Note: Lyon wrote on the letter: “Answered Jan. 17, 18” No answer extant.
Lyman Beecher Stowe wrote from NYC to Sam. “My dear Mr. Clemens / I am very anxious to secure an editiorial position on some one of the magazines in town. You, of course, know many editors and makers of editors, and if you would give me a line of introduction to one or two of them I should very greatly appreciate your kindness.” Stowe had met him once at cousin Alice Day’s and once at Sam’s New Year’s party “and very likely several times…[as] a small boy” [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote a short letter of intro for Stowe and lists Burlingame, Page, Hapgood, McClure, Gilder, Colonel (Harvey) Davis, and Dunne.