February 12 Saturday – Sam wrote from Hartford to James R. Osgood pressing him to work out a contract with George Gebbie, a Philadelphia subscription publisher who had approached Sam to edit an encyclopedia of American humor. Sam had cooled on the project, especially after Gebbie had postponed a Feb. 4 appointment and failed to show on Feb. 11. Sam called the project a “big, stupid, laborious piece of work” [MTNJ 2: 356; MTLTP 132-3]. (See July 14–17, 1880 entry.)

On the back of his photograph (by Warren’s Portraits of Boston), Sam inscribed “kindest regards” to Koto, Ned’s adopted Japanese daughter with the date [MTP]. Edward House and Koto arrived for a visit sometime between Feb. 5 and this day. (See Feb. 4 entry).