September 14 Thursday – Sam wrote a note from Hartford to Elisha Bliss reminding him to put a dedication to Livy in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer [MTLE 1: 109].

Sam also wrote to Mary Mason Fairbanks, explaining why they could not travel to Cleveland. Livy was frail, and Sam claimed she was still not over the trip to Fredonia and Canandaigua from two years before. And it seemed that both children were never well at the same time. So Sam did the hard sell for the Fairbanks family to come to Hartford for a visit [MTLE 1: 110].

Sam also wrote to Howells, explaining that details in the sketch, “The Canvasser’s Tale,” or “The Echo That Didn’t Answer,” came from his travels to Italy in 1867. Sam suggested a sarcastic small book about Tilden in the upcoming presidential election (Sam was a Hayes man) and then observed:

“It seems odd to find myself interested in an election. I never was before. And I can’t seem to get over my repugnance to reading or thinking about politics, yet. But in truth I care little about any party’s politics—the man behind it is the important thing” [MTLE 1: 112].

Sam remarked on articles in Atlantic, and a play Howells was working on. He also said he was enjoying Howells’ biography of Rutherford B. Hayes, which had just been released by Hurd & Houghton; it sold fewer than 3,000 copies [MTHL 1: 149].

Sam also wrote to Christian Bernard Tauchnitz. He pointed out the delay in the U.S. edition of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but supposed from the letter that Tauchnitz possessed an English version. Sam confirmed that save for the dedication to Livy, which he’d forgotten to add in the English edition, the U.S. edition would be without alteration. Sam complimented Tauchnitz on his recognition of the author’s “moral right” to his books [MTLE 1: 114]. Note: Sam claimed to have met Bret Harte in New York on his last trip, but Harte had enclosed Tauchnitz’s letter in one of his own [MTPO Notes].