April 28 Saturday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam wrote to Grace Reuter, mother of child prodigy on the violin, Florizel Reuter (or von Reuter; 1890-1985) and protégé of Lyman J. Gage (see Apr. 30 to Gage in which this letter was enclosed). Evidently Sam had heard the young fiddler at his parlor some time before this letter, and had been duly impressed.
April 27 Friday – Sam’s notebook: “11.30 a.m. Plasmon 56 Duke st” [NB 43 TS 9].
Patrascan, a Mark Twain fan, wrote again in French, from Bacau, Roumania [MTP]. Note: Holger Kersten kindly provides the English translation.
1900 Avril 27
Bacau
Roumanie
Illustre Monsieur,
April 26 Thursday – Sam’s notebook: “Bigelow—dinner, 7.30” [NB 43 TS 8].
April 25 Wednesday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam wrote to Frank Bliss.
Col. Harvey has been here, & I arranged with him that the Harpers are to issue no cheap editions of the old books….That is all stopped.
If you were going to issue a cheap “Library of Humor” it is just as well that the plates were melted, for we don’t want any cheap editions, I think. They don’t pay. / Sincerely… [MTP].
April 24 Tuesday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam wrote to an unidentified man from an unidentified committee to decline an invitation to respond to a given toast, also unidentified. Sam could not do so, and would have to prepare a speech, but afterward “should never be able to remember it.”
April 23 Monday – Sam’s notebook: “also Shakespeare’s day. / Wrote the letters to Sam Moffett & Lilly & Daisy Warner about Dr. Helmer” [NB 43 TS 8]. Note: Sam’s notebook had printed “St. George’s Day”.
April 20 Friday – Sam’s notebook: “Garrick Theatre—Zaza. / Wrote Mr. Rogers we sail June 16. / ‘Lost Child’! Heard it only in Hannibal. Was it never in England or elsewhere?” [NB 43 TS 8].
April 19 Thursday In London, England Sam wrote an aphorism to Miss Bessie S. Bowker, Peckham, S.E., London: “There isn’t a Parallel of Latitude but thinks it would have been the Equator if it had had its rights. / Truly Yours / Mark Twain / Miss Bessie S. Bowker. / Apl. 19, 1900” [MTP].
April 18 Wednesday – Christian B. Tauchnitz wrote from Maxen, Germany to Sam, the letter not extant but referred to in Tauchnitz’s May 12 [MTP].
Chatto & Windus’ Jan. 1, 1904 statement to Clemens shows 1,000 2s.0d. copies of P&P were printed, for a total printed to date of 14,250 [1904 Financials file MTP].
April 17 Tuesday – Sam’s notebook: “Letter from Lyman Gage, Secretary of the Treasury. Answered it one or 2 days later & asked for a note to Custom House” [NB 43 TS 8]. Note: see other entries for Lyman J. Gage, who was evidently the Treasurer of the Plasmon Syndicate. See Apr. 19 NB entry.
At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam replied to William James (sadly, James’ letter is not extant).