December 12 Monday – In Florence Sam wrote to Frederick J. Hall, having received the November check . He advised of his loaning “The Californian’s Tale” to Arthur G. Stedman, and wrote he’d finished “Those Extraordinary Twins” (PW) some 60 or 80,000 words — he hadn’t yet counted. Still he had to do a bit of revision:
December 11 Sunday – In Florence Sam wrote to Dr. William Wilberforce Baldwin about a possible pulpit vacancy in the St. James American Church, which may have been the Clemens’ church of choice in Florence.
December 10 Saturday – Sam finished drafting Pudd’nhead Wilson [Dec. 12 to Hall]. Note: revisions were to come.
Anthony E. Abel for Burham Industrial Farm, N.Y. sent a form letter soliciting funds [MTP].
William M.F. Round wrote on the bottom of the above form letter (Abel, Dec. 10): I have given my young private secretary, Mr. Abel, my cordial assent to have his scheme for raising money for the Gymnasium building [MTP].
December 8 Thursday – In Florence Sam wrote to Arthur G. Stedman, son of Edmund C. Stedman, employee of Webster & Co. and the general editor of the “Fiction, Fact, and Fancy Series,” which included Merry Tales, and also editor of Walt Whitman’s Autobiography.
December 7 Wednesday – In Florence Sam wrote to Frederick J. Hall that the $500 draft for the month was twelve days overdue — he wanted that amount forwarded regularly until the royalty account was exhausted. He ended with a comment on receiving election articles:
December 6 Tuesday – Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Auchingcloss Sprague sent the Clemenses a wedding invitation for her sister, Miss Ottilia Carlotta Muller on this date at Grace Church, Brooklyn [MTP].
December 2 Friday – In Florence Sam wrote to Frederick J. Hall, giving his “cable address” and addressing a list of items.
Your statement does indeed show up handsomely. It looks as if we’re about out of the woods at last. So mote it be!
Sam also liked a catalogue sent and noted receiving a “very pleasant letter” from Mary Mapes Dodge. He felt $4,000 was enough, he guessed, for Part I of Tom Sawyer Abroad, giving that it only took him “3 weeks to write it.” He also asked about an old article:
December 1 Thursday – Sam worked on several chapters in his new novel, PW, writing 6,000 words in 13 hours of work. Sam considered 2,000 words “an honest day’s work” [Dec. 2 to Whitmore].
December – Gribben writes, “In Florence in December 1892 Clemens made a series of notes which seem to indicate that he had purchased an unspecified book by William James (NB 32, TS pp.51, 53).” Gribben lists this under James’ The Principles of Psychology (1890) [351]. Gribben also notes Sam referred to “Milton Sonnet” in his notebook this month [476-7].
November 30 Wednesday – Sam’s 57th Birthday. From his notebook in Florence:
Nov. 30, 1892 — 57 years old. I wish it were either 17 or 97 [NB 32 TS 47].