February 27 Wednesday – Augustin Daly turned down Sam’s dramatization of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Daly wrote “I fear that Tom Sawyer would not make a success at my theatre.” He disagreed with Sam that grown ups could play the part of children [MTP]. Webster claims that Sam “seems to have dropped playwrighting at this point” [236-7].

William Dean Howells stopped off briefly for a visit with Sam in Hartford on the way to meet his father in New York. Howells left New York and returned home to Boston on Mar. 1. In New York Howells interviewed Mallory, probably with Webster [MTHL 2: 477, n1-2].

In Hartford, as Sam was finishing a letter to Edward House, Howells arrived. Sam thanked House for a photo of Koto, and related Cable’s sickness and that he’d just gone away.

“Why, man, he made 280 times more fuss over his little pains than you did over your big ones. Lord, if I dared to laugh as I want to laugh—but Mrs. Clemens would kill me” [MTP].

Rose Terry Cooke wrote from Winstead, Conn. advising she’d sent a book of “dialect” stories to Cable at the Clemens home; seeing how he was no longer there would Sam hold the book until she came for it? [MTP].

Charles Webster wrote to Sam: written to Osgood asking for statement on LM; mixing of ad costs, etc. which were not to be included in statement as Osgood & Co. was to pay for all those [MTP].