April 26 Thursday – Sam dined with Dr. and Mrs. Clarence Rice, then went to the theater [Apr. 25 to Livy]. Meanwhile, in Paris, Livy wrote to Sam:
On Sunday I saw by the paper that on Monday there would be a representation of “Carmen” at greatly reduced rates. I thought that was a good time for Susy and me to go [Gribben 72].
April 25 Wednesday – In New York on Players Club letterhead, Sam wrote to Livy, still putting a happy face on the business failure:
April 23 Monday – In New York, Sam wrote Orion Clemens about the assignment of Webster & Co.
April 22 Sunday – In New York at the Players Club Sam wrote to Livy. There was hope the company could resume business since the creditors initially seemed friendly. Sam blamed Fred Hall’s “stupid & extravagant mismanagement” as well as J.M. Shoemaker’s “fooling around so long” for the assignment. Still, he took the bright side of things, as he was usually disposed to do. He wanted to revoke Shoemaker’s privilege to sell his Paige Compositor Co.
April 21 Saturday – The London Chronicle, p.3 “The New Mark Twain” gave Tom Sawyer Abroad a mixed review:
April 20 Friday – In New York Sam wrote to Livy about his day-trip to Hartford, and about the assignment and Fred Hall:
April 19 Thursday – From the New York Times, p.9
MARK TWAIN’S COMPANY IN TROUBLE.
— — —
Publishing Firm of Charles L. Webster & Co. Financially Embarrassed.
April 18 Wednesday – Two copies of Tom Sawyer Abroad by Huck Finn were deposited with the U.S. Copyright Office on this day, the same day that Charles L. Webster and Co. declared bankruptcy [Hirst, “A Note on the Text” Afterword materials p.24, Oxford ed. 1996].
Henry E. Barrett, clerk for Tioga County, N.Y. Surrogate’s Court wrote to Sam, thanking him for the “many pleasant hours” the books of Mark Twain had given him from his youth on [MTP].
April 17 Tuesday – The New York Times, p.6 ran an article from the Minneapolis Times:
The Frog Two Thousand Years Old.
A college professor recently asked Mark Twain, “How old do you suppose your jumping frog story is?”
“I know exactly,” replied Mark. “It is fifty-five years old.”
“You are mistaken,” remarked the professor. “It is more than 2,000 years old. It is a Greek story.”
April 16 Monday – In New York Sam wrote with optimism to Livy: