March 15 Tuesday – In Boston, William Dean Howells wrote to Sam:

I wish to acquaint you with Mr. Wilson Barrett, to whom we all took such a liking when he was here. I wish you might see him as Hamlet; but if not, he is very good as Wilson Barrett [MTHL 2: 588]. Note: Barrett was an English actor who toured the U.S. several times between 1886 and 1897.

In Hartford Sam sent a one-line response to Augustin Daly’s invitation of Mar. 11 for the 100th performance of Taming of the Shrew at Daly’s Fifth Avenue Theatre and a midnight supper on the stage on Apr. 13:

Good. Count me in [MTP].

Sam also responded to Bruce W. Munro, the young Toronto writer who had sent his novel.

It is of no use — I give it up; I can’t get the time to read anything of so great length as a novel. I have begun your book three or four times; but in each case have been interrupted & broken up….I have no liking for novels or stories — none in the world; & so, whenever I read one — which is not oftener than once in two years, & even in these rare cases I seldom read beyond the middle of the book — my distaste for the vehicle always taints my judgement of the literature itself…[MTP].

To Munro’s argument that since Sam had written stories he must like to read them, he replied:

Quite true: but the fact that an Indian likes to scalp people is no evidence that he likes to be scalped.

Sam also had Franklin G. Whitmore write a letter for him to Charles Webster about letters Webster had sent and matters of copyright infringement [MTP]. Note: It is noteworthy that Sam would place Whitmore between himself and Webster at this juncture, perhaps reflecting Sam’s increasing antagonism toward Webster.