February 17 Friday – Isabel Lyon’s journal recorded a visit from Muriel Pears of Scotland:

For several years Mr. Clemens has been in correspondence with a young Scotch woman. Miss Muriel Pears—I think he never expected to see her but yesterday came a local word from her saying that she arrived here in America last Sunday [Feb. 12], and is staying at the Brevoort House. From Mr. Clemens I went to see her and tonight she dined here. I found her very attractive and refreshing and her regard for Mr. Clemens is very beautiful. Mr. Clemens enjoyed her. He enjoyed her so much that he wants her to come again. She has a fine (-mind the word, I’ve-) [Lyon was searching for the right word here] memory, remembering the things best worth remembering. She dwelt charmingly on things written by Mr. Clemens, and she drew him out so that he was a glory, and she’ll never forget that evening. Her eyes grew in beauty (those lovely English eyes) and she gave continued little murmurs of assent to his words—his anecdotes—to himself. She wore a very pretty black lace gown, very becoming and her neck was most lovely to look upon with a string of pearls about it. Oh, the comfort for even a woman to look at a pretty woman [MTP: TS 40].

Lucy J.M Taylor (Mrs. Knox Taylor) for Quarter Club (for consumptives) wrote from Plainfield, N.J. to Sam. She had written in the fall of 1904 asking for signatures on his books and could she “beg again for the ten minutes” it took for him to send more? They would buy the books [MTP].