May 28 Tuesday – In Hartford, Sam wrote a humorous episode for Susan L. Crane pass on to her husband, Theodore Crane about Joe Twichell, who would always be oblivious when passing acquaintances on the street.

Twice in a week, our Clara had this latter experience with him within the past month. But the second instance was too much for her, and she woke him up…with a reproach. She said: —

“Uncle Joe, why do you always look as if you were just going down into the grave, when you meet a person on the street?”…. Well she has met Twichell three times since then and would swim the Connecticut to avoid meeting him the fourth. As soon as he sights her, no matter how public the place nor how far off she is, he makes a bound into the air, heaves arms and legs into all sorts of frantic gestures of delight, and so comes prancing, skipping and pirouetting for her like a drunken Indian entering heaven [MTP].

Frederick J. Hall wrote to Sam about an artist named “Battersby” who had dropped in several times soliciting funds “toward the completion of a painting of the ‘Surrender of Lee’” — Hall wanted to save Sam the annoyance of the man and would lay the idea before him [MTP].

Webster & Co. wrote to Sam: “We enclose weekly reports. We have been paid over $1700 this week…most of it for Vol VIII L.A.L. We will commence to deliver this Vol next Monday.” Cash balance was over $2,600 [MTP].

Arthur G. Stedman wrote to Sam, unsure he’d been notified that “young Hewitt has promised us a full set of the portraits about June first.” He also related being “of service to Mr. & Mrs. Moffett.” Sam wrote on the envelope, “No Answer needed” [MTP]. Note: Teddy Hewitt, amateur photographer and friend of Dora Wheeler, had taken pictures of Sam at Onteora.