October 13 Thursday – Nathaniel Judson Burton died of pneumonia. John Hooker, his deacon, was at the bedside. Andrews quotes Twichell, who wrote in his Journal this day,

…a dark, sad day!!…I went at once to his house and found that it was even so. There I met my other brother Dr. [Edwin] Parker. In presence of the astounding fact, which overwhelmed both of us with surprize and distress we found nothing to say, but could only embrace with tears [53; Twichell’s Journal: Yale, copy at MTP].

Coincidentally, the famous English preacher, Dr. Joseph Parker spoke at Hartford’s Unity Hall in the evening (no relation to Dr. Edwin Parker). Bush writes of a reception given for Parker “a few days later” than the Oct. 8 letter from Grace King to her mother, which likely was this evening after the lecture by Parker. The Hartford Courant of Oct.14, p.8, “Clocks and Watches” reported the Oct. 13 event, and described Parker as “a rather large man of massive features, and with much force when he [is] roused by his subject.” Grace King had a somewhat different description of Parker after observing him and Mark Twain interact:

Mr Parker, a fat egotistical man with an animal face, was busy showing off before “Mark Twain,” & Mark Twain who is not nearly so nice as Mr Clemens, was showing off for him. It was a cross firing of anecdotes, some of which I had heard too often to enjoy much….[Bush 38]. Note: King’s observation is interesting in that she perceived the duality of Samuel Clemens and Mark Twain.

Webster & Co. Wrote to Sam that Appleton and Scribner’s had given permission to use various texts for the Library of Humor book [MTP].