January 3 Wednesday – James R. Osgood wrote from Boston asking about “premiums offered” for canvassers of LM [MTP].

Dean Sage wrote from NYC with a plan to sell two stocks; he also asked for an autograph for “an interesting young lady. “Can you send it to me appended to some ambiguous (not too much so) sentiment” [MTP].

C.H. McHenry wrote from Nashville, Tenn. asking for a letter written by Mark Twain [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “O hell!”

January 3 Wednesday ca. – On or about this day, Sam received a letter from James R. Osgood & Co. asking for instructions to give to canvassers about premiums for LM sales. Sam forwarded the letter with a note to Charles Webster.

“Charley, if there are any instructions to be given, you may give them—I will not interest myself in anything connected with this wretched God-damned book. S L C

 “If you know of no other instructions, you can write them & tell them I say invent instructions of their own” [MTBus 207]. Note: MTP’s latest transcription assigns Jan. 5? 1883 to this letter.