December 17 Saturday – At 21 Fifth Ave. in N.Y.C. Sam wrote an autograph for Avery (not further identified): “To Avery—with kind remembrances of / Mark Twain / Dec. 1904” [MTP: Smith, Perline & Co. catalogs, Apr. 7, 1995, Item 782].

Ralph W. Ashcroft wrote to Sam [MTP]. UCCL 39141 letter is not currently available.

George W. Reeves wrote to Sam. “The copies of contract enclosed I will ask you not to sign until Mr. Benjamin has approved of them…If satisfactory, I will call with duplicates with Mr. Gardiner’s signature” [MTP].

Edmund C. Stedman wrote from Bronxville, NY to invite Sam to lunch to meet the recently elected members of the Academy of Arts and Letters—at the Century Club, Sat. Jan. 7 at 1 p.m. Howells was in Europe, but John Hay would travel to NY for the occasion [MTP].

December 17 ca. – At 21 Fifth Ave. in N.Y.C. Sam responded per Isabel Lyon to Edward F. Brownell’s Dec. 15 question on behalf of Tabitha Greening: “No, add $ 15 to the Dec. allowance” [MTP]. Note: Brownell’s letter from Keokuk likely took longer than 2 days the MTP uses as an estimate of Sam’s response.