May 12 Friday – In New York, Sam was out in the city nearly all day until 9 p.m., including “a little visit” with Charles Dudley Warner. At midnight Sam wrote to William Dean Howells, who had come from his home at 48 West 59th Street to say goodbye.

I am so sorry I missed you….I expected to get up to your house again, but got defeated.

I am very glad to have that book for sea entertainment, & I thank you ever so much for it.

I’ve had a little visit with Warner at last; I was getting afraid I wasn’t going to have a chance to see him at all. I forgot to tell you how thoroughly I enjoyed your account of the country printing office, & how true it all was & how intimately recognizable in all its details. But Warner was full of delight over it, & that reminded me, & I am glad, for I wanted to speak of it.

Sam mentioned that besides the unnamed book Howells had given him, Annie Trumbull gave him one as well, probably White Birches (1893). Hall gave him a “choice German book,” and William Mackay Laffan furnished “two bottles of whisky & a box of cigars.” Sam felt he would “go to sea nobly equipped” [MTHL 2: 652-3 & notes]. Note: Howells’ article, “The Country Printer” ran in May 1893 issue of Scribner’s.

Before leaving, Sam withdrew his stock account with Mr. Halsey, some $14,000. This was intended to be Webster & Co.’s “emergency fund,” but by July 8 Sam was complaining that it had been used in short order by Hall to pay agent fees in the sales of LAL [MTLTP 350n2].

Sam also responded to Harriet E. Whitmore who had sent a book for him to deliver to someone in New York (both the book and the recipient are unspecified). Sam agreed to deliver the book and her “good messages,” and wrote he was sailing in the morning. He was sorry he never made it to Hartford, but promised to make it next time [MTP].