April 19 and 20 Tuesday – In Hartford, Sam wrote to William Dean Howells.

I have just “wrotened” this stuff to-day—as Bay [Clara] says—may-be you may need it to fill up with.

      We had a most elegant good time in Boston, & Mrs. Clemens has two imperishable topics, now, the museum of andirons which she collected, & your dinner. It is hard to tell which she admires the most. Sometimes she leans one way, & sometimes the other; but I lean pretty steadily toward the dinner, because I can appreciate that, whereas I am no prophet in andirons.

      Well what a good time we had at old Mr. Fields’s. And what lovable people the Bulls are—both of them. Did you notice her dress?—what a piece of perfection that ws.—And what a master-hand she is with a piano. And if Ole Bull had been born without arms, what a rank he would have taken among the poets—because it is in him, & if he couldn’t violin it out, he would talk it out, since of course it would have to come out [MTHL 1: 299-301]. Note: whatever “stuff” Sam wrote it was suppressed by Livy; James T. Fields’ home; Ole Bull, Norwegian composer and violinist.