November 22 Tuesday – Now clearly impatient for success at the Kaolatype-brass casting process, Sam telegraphed from Hartford to Webster.

“PERFECT THE ENGLISH PATENT. MY BRASS PATIENCE IS RUNNING LOW. PUT A HUNDRED MEN ON IT AND TELEGRAPH ME A RESULT OF SOME SORT OR OTHER IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS—S.L. CLEMENS” [MTBus 177].

Sam could demand the impossible. Webster’s answer:

“SO IS MINE. IT’S JUST AS HARD TO REPORT RESULTS YOU CAN’T GET AS TO GET 100 SKILLED MEN IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS” [177].

Webster also sent a letter to which Sam responded on Nov. 24.

Sam also wrote from Hartford to W.H. Lentz (see Oct. 2? entry):

“I have received the Honolulu paper; & after reading half of that dream, I recognize the fact that I did write it after all. I had totally forgotten it. It is a worthless piece of rubbish. I must have been pretty young then, or sick, or something” [MTP].

Sam wrote a letter mounted on “Old Times on the Mississippi,” a Belford Co. 1876 pirated edition of LM to an unidentified person: “With the wish & hope for a better acquaintanceship…”[MTP].