January 1 Saturday – in Hartford Sam wrote a postcard to William Dean Howells, asking to write a few articles for the Atlantic in a “new & popular low-comedy vein”—and Sam wrote “scofulous humor” inside of a box [MTLE 1: 28]. Sam’s postcard suggestion for “scrofulous humor” and a pasting of a newspaper clipping is revealed by the following ad, which is typical of many that ran for this product in the Hartford Courant (27 times in 1875) and other papers. use of a standard advertising phrase with double meaning, using the old physiology definition of “humor.”

Webster’s on Scrofula: “A disorder of a tuberculosis nature”; Scrofulous: “pertaining to or affected with scrofula”; 2nd meaning (which both men undoubtedly were aware of): “morally tainted.”

Sam also had cards printed up, pink against a black background with a facsimile of his Mark Twain signature underneath “1876 A HAPPY NEW YEAR” next to a jumping frog sketch by Thomas Nast [MTLE 1: 29].