June – Sam sent a part-printed subscription form to the Vienna Neue Freie Presse (“ New Free Press”) seeking a run of July 1 to Oct. 31, and asking to “Please send the bill by the postman.” Under the line for “character” (title), Sam wrote “Hasn’t any” [MTP: Bomsey Autographs catalogs, No. 46, Item 103].

A. Hoffman puts this month as the one Clara Clemens decided to give up the piano as a career and to choose what her late sister excelled in, singing. Though he errs on this date, he observes:

Sam and Livy preferred Clara’s unpredictability to Jean’s contrariness. Sam and Livy disagreed on whether Jean’s personality resulted from her disease or from her essential self. Livy was the more forgiving of the couple [423].

Note: like many errors in biographies, this one simply ignores the facts of many letters (which may not have been available to the biographer) Clara continued with her piano instruction throughout the year. Harnsberger puts her decision at “one day early in 1899,” [183] which depends on Clara’s later recollection. Closer to the change, in his Mar. 5, 1899 to cousin James Ross Clemens, Sam wrote: “Clara forsook the piano four months ago…” which puts her decision to December, 1898.