September 22 Thursday – In Hartford Sam wrote what is obviously a response to Laurence Hutton, whose recent letter is not extant.

But you ought to know that people begin to lie about their age as soon as they turn 40. Bret Harte was born in 1833. — Look in any cyclopedia & you will find him parading his shabby career in 1838. Last year the papers proclaimed Aldrich as 50. It was a fib then, it is a falsehood now, & next year’s report will reach the stature of a lie. Dear friend, Aldrich was born Nov.11 1827. I remember it as if it were yesterday [MTP]. Note: Sam signed it “Your Kinsmen,” so Hutton’s letter may have had to do with a planned Kinsmen Club event, perhaps a birthday dinner for Thomas Bailey Aldrich’s “50th”?

Karl Gerhardt wrote to Sam about commissioning another statue, this one of Henry Clay Work (1832-1884), for the city of Hartford:

The author of “Marching through Georgia” surely deserves a statue and if you should favor me with an order, it not only should be my very best work but you should have it at your own price above actual expenses [MTNJ 3: 335n102]. Note: Work died in Hartford.

Charles H. Clark for Hartford Courant wrote to Sam with the status of several pieces and extracts needed for the Library of Humor book. [MTP].

Webster & Co. Wrote to Sam that they received a letter with some MS from Charles H. Clark on the Library of Humor book; they asked for a table of contents; permissions would now be “very easily done” now that they’d secured copyright from Houghton & Mifflin [MTP].

Check #  Payee  Amount  [Notes]

3814  Houghton, Mifflin & Co.  100.00  Publisher

3820  Adams Express  .24  reight

Note: The check #3814 to Houghton, Mifflin & Co. Was likely payment or part payment for some of the material Sam had been trying to gain use of for Library of Humor.