March 19 Tuesday – Susy Clemens’ seventeenth birthday.

In Hartford, Sam wrote a long letter of explanation to Edward H. House about contracting P&P for the stage with Abby Sage Richardson. Here in part:

I was not at home when your letter of a few days ago arrived [not extant]: it followed me, but has not yet over taken me; so I get its substance at second — hand.

My delay in answering the preceeding letter arose from the fact that an immediate reply did not seem necessary, & I have been very busy. The case is quite plain, quite simple: I have lately made a contract for the dramatization of the Prince & Pauper. I must live up to it unless there is an earlier contract in existence. If you have one, send me a copy of it, so that I can take measures to undo my illegal action, & I will at once proceed in the matter.

Sam then recited his memory on the matter of encouraging House to dramatize the story, but thought it would be a sketching out of the plot for him to fill in, and claimed that House had “gradually abandoned the matter & ceased to speak of it.” Sam recalled the sketch House had done on the first act, but nothing more.

From that day to this, if the play has ever been referred to by you, I have no recollection of it….I supposed I had a full right to make that late contract, & I made it. If you have a previous one, I beg you to send me a copy, & I will come as near setting things exactly right as possible [MTP].

A.V.S. Anthony wrote from Boston to Sam having rec’d a note from Webster & Co. asking for the address of the illustrator for P&P, and also that another book by Mark Twain was “imminent.”He didn’t know if Webster was aware of his “ability as a book-maker so thought it might not be out of place to drop this line to you” [MTP].

Fred D. Owen wrote to Sam that he’d noticed some damage to his property by Sam’s cattle “passing to and fro over the steep bank of the bridge.” Sam wrote “I’ll leave this up to you Brer W. SLC” [MTP].