September 30 Friday – Henry Drummond (1851-1897), Scottish evangelical writer and lecturer, visited Hartford and spent some time at the Clemens home. Drummond assisted Dwight L. Moody in his evangelical crusades, and came to America at Moody’s request in the spring of 1887 for a Conference of Students which sought to continue a religious movement in America’s colleges like that he began in Edinburgh, Scotland. Drummond had some success at Yale. His book, Natural Law in the Spiritual World (1883) sold 70,000 copies in five years and made him famous. He would publish another popular book, Tropical Africa, in 1888 after making a geological survey of southern Africa. In a letter of Oct. 7 to Lady Aberdeen, Drummond wrote:

I had a delightful day at Hartford last Friday [Sept. 30] after writing you — called on Mark Twain, Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe, and the widow of Horace Bushnell. I was wishing A — — had been at the Mark Twain interview. He is funnier than any of his books, and, to my surprise, is a most respected citizen, devoted to things aesthetic, and the friend of the poor and struggling [Smith, G., Drummond 380-1].

And in another letter to an unidentified person, Drummond wrote:

I spend half-an-hour with Mark Twain at his own house (Hartford, Connecticut). He turned on the gun at once, and is really a very droll creature. He speaks just like his books. He let off several jokes which would have printed on the spot. He has a reputation for kindness to all who need help [534]. Note: Drummond returned to England on Oct. 29 [382].

Orion Clemens wrote to Sam on receipt of his monthly $155 check. On the 24th he’d collected $28 for Ma on a mortgage. He wanted to know about the new book and the new play; he had a cold [MTP].