August 17 Saturday – In Tuxedo Park, N.Y. Sam began a letter to Dorothy Quick that he added to on Aug. 18, 19, 21 and 22. For this day, he drew a sketch of an insect:
Do you know what that is? It is a butterfly. Drawn by the artist. The gifted artist. I am the gifted artist. Self-taught.
No, I find it is a grasshopper. It is for your collection. Miss Lyon has nailed it to box, with pins. It took more chloroform than was good for it. And so it is sleeping with its fathers [MTAq 53].
H.E. Cole wrote to warn Sam that “These people are using your name for advertising purposes…Ever your grateful friend.” Cole inserted a clipping advertisement for monuments (paper not specified) headed “Mark Twain” [MTP]. Note: Sam began the following answer, not published nor sent:
Many gay & lightsome humorous letters come to me, but they are never wholly free from certain little blemishes which—well, which oughtn’t to be present. They are of a sort that give to the gaiety & the lightsomeness a labored look; the humor doesn’t flow freely, carelessly, joyously, after the fashion of a rill which is dancing along in the sunshine thorough June meadows, bound for nowhere in particular & having an unsalaried good time, but has about it a suggestion that it is being pumped. That isn’t pleasant. Fooling, just for fun, isn’t good fooling nor welcome fooling except when it bubbles from its source without effort. But there are exceptions to all rules, & at last here is a letter which has not the blemishes which I have spoken of: [MTP]. Note: left unfinished. However, Cole wrote on Aug. 21 thanking Sam for his letter of Aug. 21, so evidently another reply or one similar was sent.
Howells & Stokes billed Sam $3,374.82 “under the terms of your contract with Mr. William Webb Sunderland” [MTP].
L.W. Opdyeke wrote to Sam concerning a recent article in Nation about the authorship of the play of P&P being in error. He wrote the editor to secure credit for his friend, Abby Sage Richardson; Sam’s name was not mentioned in the article, wrote Opdyeke [MTP].
Elizabeth H. Sane wrote a short note from Lansdale, Pa. to ask Sam for his autograph [MTP].
Clemens A.D. for this day is listed by MTP.