June 1 Saturday – An earlier entry in Sam’s notebook gives this as the date for Julia Langdon’s high school graduation. The oldest daughter of Charles Langdon, “Julie” had been chosen valedictorian. Sam and Susy Clemens were invited to attend; Sam wrote, “Best weather. / Bad weather up to 6” [MTNJ 3: 470n221]. Thus he and Susy may have made the trip to Elmira, weather permitting, though no further record of such a trip was found. Salisbury writes, “Clara and Susy apparently felt an intense sense of rivalry with their cousin, Julie Langdon…” [335].

Part of the system that caused the great Johnstown flood, the Chemung river flooded Elmira causing a great deal of damage. When Kipling visited Sam in August and later wrote his article, “Rudyard Kipling on Mark Twain,” he observed, “The Chemung River flowed generally up and down the town and had just finished flooding a few of the main streets” [Scharnhorst, Interviews 118]. Note: This article concerning Kipling’s Aug. 1889 visit to Elmira is usually cited from the New York Herald on Aug. 17, 1890, but it first ran in two Allahabad, India papers: The Pioneer of Mar. 18, 1890 and The Pioneer Mail of Mar. 19, 1990 [Baetzhold, John Bull 358]. Note: Kipling was on the editorial staff of The Pioneer.