April 1 Thursday – At Quarry Farm Sam finished the Mar. 31 letter to Mary Mason Fairbanks. 

Livy says—well, I can’t get the straight of it—but the idea of it, is, that some western friends are to be visited in May, & so maybe she & I & Mrs. Langdon can go out a little in advance, otherwise if it was, & so she could—but if not, then perhaps it would be just as well for both of us & certainly as convenient for you, especially while Severance is. (Well, that is what she says, you know, but blamed if I don’t know what it means.) (She made that correction—I like “blamed.”) Well, the general idea is, that maybe we can go out to Cleveland & see you, in advance of the gathering of the clans. Savez? So, therefore, whereas, if we do go, Fairbanks & I can talk business—but we are not at all certain that we can go, for Livy has to be bridesmaid for Alice Hooker & both of us have to read proof for a month (because I am publishing a book, you know,) Livy is here (Mrs. Crane’s parlor,) & we are writing letters & been two hours writing four two pages, & she has only written a page & a half—dinner time, now & we must tell you good-bye how do you like the enclosed portrait of Mr. Cutter which I snaked cut it out of the proofs we have been reading Andrews always distorted the phrase “Poet Laureate” into Poet Lariat if you remember I do love to all good bye

Yr Dutiful Scrub

Mark [MTL 3: 184-6].