December 30 Thursday – Sam wrote in a gift copy of Sketches, New and Old, for Moncure Conway:

To Friend Conway: / Who will kindly remember that the billiard-odds lay with him, & Victory with his gratified friend & servant, Mark Twain. Hartford, New Year’s 1876 [MTL 6: 607].

John W. Hart wrote from Middleton, Conn. to thank Sam for his “kind letter of Dec. 21…it was quite unexpected.” He thanked him for his interest in his son’s work (likely the ship model sent) [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env. “From Hart the prisoner’s father”

December 30 or 31 Friday – Sam wrote a card to Howells, which is now lost. MTP’s online annotation for Jan. 1, 1876 to Howells gives this as “his first known communication with them [Howellses] since 23 November…” [MTPO].