January 2 Sunday – In New York, Bret Harte wrote to Sam about the dramatization of Gabriel Conroy. John T. Raymond had not agreed to Harte’s terms for the play, and another actor had pocketed Harte’s first play without performing it:

I have been such a tremendous fool in disposing of my first play as I did—that I feel wary. To think that Stuart Robson has it in his pocket while he is quietly drawing a good salary from his manager for not playing it…is exasperating.

Try and make Bliss do something for me. You can if you choose make him think it is the proper and in the end the profitable thing—certainly it is no risk to him [Duckett 98].

Lilly Warner stopped in at the Clemens’ home and the next day (Jan. 3) wrote her husband, George:

Mr. Clemens is still miserable—wasn’t dressed yesterday [Jan.2] when I ran in at noon. I really think it might run into some serious trouble.” The next day, however, she reported he was “better & out again” [MTPO]. Note: Sam often stayed in bed to read and write and smoke. Perhaps his state of dress fooled Lilly.