November 12 Thursday – A half-hour later than planned, Sam and Twichell set off at 8:30 AM to walk the 100 miles to Boston. Two and one-half hours later, Sam wrote from Vernon, Conn. to Livy.

“The day is simply gorgeous—perfectly matchless. And the talk! Our jaws have wagged ceaselessly, & every now & then our laughter does wake up the old woods” [MTL 6: 277-8].

Sam wrote from Grant’s Hotel in Ashford, Conn. to Livy again, using envelopes she’d prepared for him. It was here that Sam wrote in his notebook of the “funniest scene I ever saw was when my poor parson struck up a talk with the hostler…” who let fly with profanities.

“We got here at 7—an hour or more after dark. Westford is 2 miles further on. Our last 3 or four miles found my knee-joints aching fit to give me the lock-jaw” [MTL 6: 278].

Henry Watterson wrote: “Dear Clemens, / What have you been doing to this woman / H.W.” enclosing a letter to the Courier from Mrs. E.H. Bonner. Sam wrote on the env., “Female fraud”; See earlier on Bonner. Here is her protest to Watterson’s Courier-Journal:

Gentleman / I have before me an Article published in the Constitution purporting to be a Letter Published in the Columns of the Courier Journal last winter, from Mark Twain, denying any knowledge of my history, the Constitution claim they clipped it from your paper. I therefore ask you to Produce Said Letter, as I am in Posession of Several Letters from Mark Twain denying the writing said Letters, to your Paper. As to his writing my Book, he had nothing to do with it. Now in justice, I either wish you to forward to my Publisher the Letter from Sam. Clemens or Mark Twain. Or correct the statement you have made. My marriage name is Mrs. E. H. Bonner, and Velazquez is my fathers name, which I have chose for the Title of my Book, now in Prep. the Woman in Battle, let me hear from you at Your Earliest [MTPO].