April 2 Sunday – At the Hotel Krantz in Vienna, Austria, Sam finished his Mar. 31 to Frank Bliss, noting he had finished signing the pages for the deluxe Uniform edition and would express them the following day (Apr. 3). He enclosed a letter from a man in Iowa which he thought Bliss should answer as it was out of Sam’s line. His Christian Science articles had been sent to Joe Twichell for more information and though they had been returned he wouldn’t have time to work on them for two weeks, perhaps. He would send them all when he was done, and thought they might be put in the next volume of sketches “without first appearing in a magazine.” Sam referred an unnamed “Montreal gentleman” to the public librarian of Sydney or Melbourne for information about Australia [MTP]. Note: Sam’s Apr. 25 to Chatto indicates there were 512 signed & numbered copies of the deluxe edition.
He also began a letter to Poultney Bigelow and Edith E. Bigelow, now in Devonshire, England; he added to this letter the following day, Apr. 3.
We are beginning to think a little seriously of spending the summer in England instead of in Russia, Norway and Sweden—say from the middle of July to the end of September. Now you must know England pretty well, and can tell us where to find the right kind of quiet pleasant comfortable country village. Testify—testify! [MTP].
Sam also wrote to Chatto & Windus, passing on a request from Mrs. Adolfine Fruhauf of Hohenzollern, Germany to translate into German his Nov. 1898 Century article on the Dreyfus case, “From the London Times of 1904.” Sam wrote his answer upon her letter, which follows:
“By granting this request you will confer a great favor to the undersigned, who would like to bring this splendid satire on the Dreyfus case to the notice of the German people, thorugh the medium of the ‘Frankfurter Zeitung.’”
Sam’s note to Andrew Chatto: “ I have no objection to her using the article temporarily, & if you are of like mind won’t you please write her to say so?” [MTP].
Sam also began a letter to William Dean Howells that he added to on Apr. 5, 6, 12 and 13.
I am waiting for the April Harper, which is about due now; waiting, & strongly interested. You are old enough to be a weary man, with paling interests, but you do not show it. You do your work in the same old delicate & delicious & forceful & searching & perfect way. I don’t know how you can—but I suspect. I suspect that to you there is still dignity in human life, & that Man is not a joke—a poor joke—the poorest that was ever contrived—An April-fool joke, played by a malicious Creator with nothing better to waste his time upon. Since I wrote my Bible (last year) which Mrs. Clemens loathes, & shudders over, & will not listen to the last half nor allow me to print any part of it, Man is not to me the respect-worthy person he was before, & so I have lost my pride in him & can’t write gaily nor praisefully about him any more. And I don’t intend to try. I mean to go on writing, for that is my best amusement, but I shan’t print much. (For I don’t wish to be scalped, any more than another) [MTHL 2: 689]. Note: Howells’ Their Silver Wedding Journey was running serially in Harper’s.