December 8 Saturday – Joe Goodman wrote Sam, praising LM. and offering other news:

I have not written you…since I received “Life on the Mississippi.” It is one of the most thoroughly entertaining and satisfactory works you have ever published. I was undecided at first which portion suited me best, the older or newer; but a review of it determined I’m in favor of the latter. Those recollections and impressions upon revisiting your old house are inimitable. The revival of boyish emotions is one of your strongest suits. That is what makes “Tom Sawyer” so toothsome. Dickens is the only other writer that brings back our boyhood to us as naturally and vividly.

In one of your letters you [word torn away] John McCullough’s visit to your house and of his delightful fine family. It is too bad that so good a fellow and so hearty a swearer should meet an early doom; but I am informed he is hopelessly afflicted with softening of the brain. Women, women, women [MTP].

Joe added a paragraph about Rollin Daggett, who was healthy and happy and married again, and with two literary projects, one a history of Hawaii. Even though Joe was “still frigging away at the vineyard,” he was planning to return to “newspapering for a time” [MTP].

James R. Osgood wrote:

Mr. Webster has delivered me your message, which I must confess astonishes me, I cannot believe that on reflection you will confirm the attitude in which he represents you to stand at present. / We are deeply conscious of having done everything which anybody could have done for this book….If it is a failure it is not due to lack of intelligent, conscientious and energetic effort on our part [MTP]. Note: Sam was quite disappointed with book sales.