February 9 Saturday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Howells and marked the latter “Private & Confidential.” Howells wrote on Feb. 4 that he’d shown the Sellers play to Marshall Mallory before receiving Sam’s advice to make him wait. Though Sam easily dismissed Mallory’s offer of thirds of the profits to Mallory, the actor, and the writers, Sam’s focus was elsewhere—his relationship with Osgood. Sam was increasingly dissatisfied with Osgood’s efforts to sell LM.

      If you still have the Library of Humor in your possession, keep it there, until I tell you otherwise. I will explain when I see you.

      Osgood & I have not quarreled, but I think we are pretty completely dissatisfied with each other; & if we are destined to fall out, I will not deliver that book into his hands until the clause in the contract which requires me to pay two-thirds of all losses shall be stricken out. I think that if he were given the copyright on the Bible, his gang are stupid enough to publish it in such a way as to lose money on it [MTHL 2: 468].

Sam also sent $8,000 check to Hubbard & Farmer bankers & brokers, note not extant but referred to in H&F’s Feb. 11 acknowledgment.

Charles Webster wrote to Sam: talk with Jimmy Lewis, actor under Augustin Daly; PS “I will see Goodwin at once” [MTP].