December 20 Monday – Sam traveled with Twichell to New York City, arriving in the evening. They had a midnight oyster supper at the Tile Club, Francis Hopkinson Smith Studio, where Sam first met Francis Hopkinson Smith (1838-1915) [MTNJ 2: 360; AMT 2: 580]. Smith was an engineer and a writer whose hobby was painting. He was the great-grandson of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Aldrich was also supposed to have been there [MTLE 5: 227]. Howells did not go [234]. In Sam’s letter of Dec. 24 about the dinner: “Smith’s an enjoyable fellow. I liked [Lawrence] Barrett too.” Sam and Joe stayed at the Gilsey House [MTNJ 2: 380n70].

Sam purchased one copy of John D. Champlin’s Young Folks’ Cyclopaedia of Common Things (1879) from Brown & Gross, Hartford booksellers; two copies of William Hamilton Gibson’s Pastoral Days; or, Memories of a New England Year (1881); and August Rodney Macdonough’s translation of The Loves of Provence, etc. [Gribben 138; 257; 442].

The December bill from Western Union shows a telegram sent to New York, recipient unspecified (see Dec. 31 entry).

Moncure Conway wrote from England to show what he’d inserted in the Athenaem of Saturday about TA’s “remarkable success…it has reached its eightieth thousand in the United States…Canadian …sold about 20,000.” He liked the chances of getting a copyright law for all three countries [MTP].

Rose Terry Cooke wrote from Winsted, Conn. to Clemens. “My dear Mr Clemens. / Did you think I had such audacity? I had no idea of asking you to make a speech, only to say a few words, perhaps as many as the introductory sentence to the Mc Williams tragedy” [MTP].

Mary Keily finished her Dec.18 letter, enclosing some religious beads [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “From the lunatic”