August 24 Monday – In Marienbad, Germany Sam wrote to Frederick J. Hall.

I am mailing you to-day in separate envelopes, 3 letters for McClure. He may publish them in any order he prefers.

Sam asked Hall to bank the payment for the letters, but not in Mt. Morris Bank, for some “trifle of interest” as he should “not want it for some months.” He advised that the six letters would be all he’d write from Europe; he’d turned down the Century’s offer by cable. He also wrote that he had a fourth letter finished, but not yet revised, or as he put it, “trim & fix & edit,” which took longer than to draft. He suggested when all six letters were done that Hall might make plates of them for a 25 cent book of 25,000 to 40,000 words — it might be a experiment that would work and include Andrew Chatto, his English publisher.

Sam also thanked Hall for statements and letters sent about the affairs of Webster & Co. Everything was made clear by them. Sam hoped Hall would soon “be clear” of the $16,000 remaining debt to the Mt. Morris Bank.

Good-bye — my arm has given out again. I get your letters, none of them miscarry, but I have to use all my strength on the McClure work. With all our kindest regards [MTLTP 282-3].

Sam also wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore, assuring that he’d received Whitmore’s letters but was saving “all my muscle for my literary drudges.” Sam approved of the $60 spent on painting and caulking the Hartford house, and advised on payments of the Paige royalties. “My arm is crippled yet & I do considerable cussing over it” [MTP]. Note: no more letters from Sam are extant until Sept. 13.

While in Marienbad, Sam “saw a great deal of our great American savant” Dr. Charles Waldstein (1856-1927).

He is at the head of the American school in Greece, archaeologists, who found what seems to be Aristotle’s grave last year; he is also connected with Cambridge University, England, & is there most of the time. He has known personally every European famous in science & art & literature for the last 20 years, & writes sometimes for Harper, Century & the English Quarterlies. He is full of valuable meat…[Sept 15 to Hall]. Note: Waldstein was later Sir Charles Walston; he headed the American School of Classical Studies in Athens from 1889-1895. Just which days Sam was in his company is not known. Waldstein recommended doctors Gerhard and Leyden of Berlin for Livy [NB 31 TS 1].

The Charles Dudley Warners were also vacationing at Marienbad. Susy Clemens wrote of seeing them there in her letter to Louise Brownell a week or so after the family’s arrival in Berlin on Oct. 8-9:

The other Warners will pass by soon on their way to America. When they were in Marienbad she was perceptibly aged and seemed to be sort of combating the consciousness of it with smiles and vivacity that weren’t as spontaneous as once. It’s sad in a fascinating life-loving woman, this disagreement between body and soul [Cotton 101122-3].

Sue Crane particularly loved the pine forests surrounding Marienbad [Susy to Brownell Oct. 2].