June 4 Friday – Sam wrote from Elmira to his mother and family:

“In twelve months (or rather I believe it is fourteen,) I have earned just eighty dollars by my pen – two little magazine squibs & one newspaper letter – altogether the idlest, laziest 14 months I have ever spent in my life.”

Sam preferred to get “located” in a newspaper rather than suffer more tiresome travel on the lecture circuit. Sam also perceived that the famous speakers on the circuit had no plans to get out of it. He did not want to be “wedded” to lecturing.

“Day after day Livy & I are together all day long & until 10 at night, & then I feel dreadfully sleepy” [MTL 3: 259].

Sam also wrote to Mary Mason Fairbanks that the:

“…last chapters of the proof came, & to-morrow we shall finish reading & be done with the tiresome book forever” [MTL 3: 262].