February 27 Sunday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Howells.
MY DEAR HOWELLS,—I go to West Point with Twichell tomorrow, but shall be back Tuesday or Wednesday; & then just as soon thereafter as you & Mrs. Howells & Winny can come you will find us ready & most glad to see you—& the longer you can stay the gladder we shall be. I am not going to have a thing to do, but you shall work if you want to. On the evening of March 10th, I am going to read to the colored folk in the African Church here (no whites admitted except such as I bring with me,) & a choir of colored folk will sing Jubilee songs. I count on a good time, & shall hope to have you folks there, & Livy. I read in Twichell’s chapel Friday night & had a most rattling high time—but the thing that went best of all was Uncle Remus’s Tar Baby—I mean to try that on my dusky audience. They’ve all heard that tale from childhood—at least the older members have.
I arrived home in time to make a most noble blunder—invited Charley Warner here (in Livy’s name) to dinner with the Gerhardts, & told him Livy had invited his wife by letter & by word of mouth also. I don’t know where I got these impressions, but I came home feeling as one does who realizes that he has done a neat thing for once & left no flaws or loop-holes. Well, Livy said she had never told me to invite Charley & she hadn’t dreamed of inviting Susy, & moreover there wasn’t any dinner, but just one lean duck. But Susy Warner’s intuitions were correct—so she choked off Charley, & staid home herself —we waited dinner an hour & you ought to have seen that duck when he was done drying in the oven. (The G.’s tea here tonight & leave for New York & Europe tomorrow.) MARK. [MTLP 394-5; MTHL 1: 355-7].
According to Joe Goodman’s Mar. 9, 1881 letter, Sam wrote him on this day. Evidently the letter is lost [MTP]. See Mar. 9 entry for Joe’s reply.
Sam gave one of his specially-made notebooks, to Karl Gerhardt, and inscribed the endpaper:
“This note-book is conveyed to friend Gerhardt by the hand of its inventor, the same being / S.L. Clemens / Hartford, Feb. 27, 1881. / Mem. –When you have filled a page, tear off the projecting corner — then you can always find your place instantly. This economizes time & temper. / S.L.C.”
[www.liveauctioneers.com/sothebys/item/165577; sale Jun. 19, 2003].