December 25 Sunday – Christmas – The New York Times, ran “Hearst’s Borrowed Shirt,” a story about Sam Clemens loaning George Hearst a “biled shirt” back in Virginia City days. Hearst, unable to find a shirt to wear to a wedding, borrowed one of Sam’s, something greatly frowned on in those days, but was exposed after a fight. Just why the Times ran this story on Christmas is anyone’s guess. Roughing It, p. 416 (Chapter LVII): “For those people hated aristocrats.
December 24 Saturday – Sam related this family’s evening to William Dean Howells in his Dec. 30:
December 23 Friday – H.H. Rogers wrote to Sam, letter not extant but referred to in Jan. 3, 1899 to Rogers.
December 19 Monday – At the Hotel Krantz in Vienna, Austria, Sam wrote to Poultney Bigelow.
I was astonished at the handwriting & took it to mean extreme age until I referred to the signature; then I judged it meant rheumatism and would presently disappear, you being young, as yet, and no proper subject for permanent infirmities of that nature.
….
December 17 Saturday – Joe Twichell wrote to Sam and Livy:
Yours of the 2nd inst. about Ned Bunce came this morning, and found me on the point of mailing you the enclosed. Yes, as you say, the old fellowship is now at the dissolving stage and we are writing one another’s obituaries. How could life ever have seemed anything but the stuff that dreams are made of. Only to hope andto grief it is long.
December 15 Thursday – Sam also wrote to an unidentified man (the recipient’s name has been mostly erased – “Nash”?) on Hotel Krantz stationery: “It is too late. I am sorry, but this article went out of my hands a couple of months ago / Sincerely Yours / SL Clemens” [Weekes Autographs; eBay 180520623000, June 15, 2010]. Note: the sender likely was inquiring about an article for submission to some publication, so was likely an editor. Jodee Benussi caught this one.
December 13 Tuesday – At the Hotel Krantz in Vienna, Austria, Sam finished his Dec. 8 and 11 letter to H.H. Rogers.
Mrs. Clemens wouldn’t let me charge the Harpers a fair price, so I cabled them that ther offer “lacks $500.” I would have made it double that. And she says the cablegram was from you, not the Harpers. Women are full of superstitions, & don’t know anything.
Did the Harpers pay you the $500 they “allowed” me for the Jew article? They didn’t send it here.
December 12 Monday – At the Hotel Krantz in Vienna, Austria, Sam added to his Dec. 8 and 11 to Rogers. Sam made only a date entry for this day in the letter, as if interrupted [MTHHR 380].
Sam also cabled Harper & Brothers: “LACKS 500” [MTP]. Note: See Dec. 10 entry.
December 11 Sunday – At the Hotel Krantz in Vienna, Austria, Sam added to his Dec. 8 to H.H. Rogers.
I worked yesterday & day before, & am in trim this morning to continue.
December 10 Saturday – At the Hotel Krantz in Vienna, Austria, Sam wrote to an Frank Bliss.
I must give you my side of the McClure matter. You were dead opposed to having any part of the book [FE] into print before publication-day. I was of your mind—it could do no possible good, & would do very serious harm (to a subscription book) without the slightest doubt in the world. Your McClure publication cost you & me ten times the McClure check.