July 5 Friday – At Quarry Farm Sam began a short note to Robert Underwood Johnson of Century Magazine, that he finished with a PS the next day, July 6.

I am still in bed with my Pullman carbuncle (41st day), but I’ve ground out some 2,500 words of nonsense (& fact) about the bicycle. I could have strung it out indefinitely — but not with advantage, I think [MTP].

Sam also wrote to H.H. Rogers explaining why he was delayed making the trip to Fairhaven, and what with an all-night to Albany, then to Boston, and Cape Cod, and somehow to New Bedford (next to Fairhaven) — it was not so easy on trains from Elmira.

It is a dam shame and a sign of poor progress that at this late day the railroads still follow the old mouldy methods, instead of hanging a brass tag on a person and checking him through, same as they would any other trunk.

Sam had also received news from his brother-in-law, Charles J. Langdon, who had gone to New York in the past few days to confer with Rogers and Bainbridge Colby, the assignee in Webster & Co.’s bankruptcy assignment.

I had come to a dead stand-still, and lost all interest in life and work and lecturing and everything else; but my brother’s account of his visit with you, and Colby’s subsequent letter confirming all he said, made things look plenty well enough, and so I will either get at my lectures again this morning or write an article which the Century wants in a desperate hurry.

It is mighty good and lovely of you to be doing all this work and taking all this trouble for me, but I can tell you one thing — God shall reward you for it. I am going to look after that detail personally.

Sam encouraged Rogers to “come up here as soon as you find you can,” and could explain which railroad to take but felt Rogers “would not have any confidence in” his directions [MTHHR 162-3].