November 4 Wednesday – Sam wrote from New York to his mother of his visit to the Wiley home the day before, and on a visit this day to another Hannibal family acquaintance, Mrs. Garth in Brooklyn, mother of John H. Garth (1837-1899), whose pretty wife, Helen Kercheval (1838-1923), had been a schoolmate of Sam’s. Sam had hoped to see John and Helen but they had moved to Baltimore [MTL 2: 279; Sanborn 408-9].
November 7 or 8 Sunday – Sam again called on the Wiley family, since George Wiley had not been able to spend more than a few minutes with him the prior Tuesday. Sam confessed his love for Livy, who was “quite an invalid” and “unfortunately very rich.” Sam told George he had proposed at least a dozen times. George asked Sam if he was crazy.
November 7 Saturday – Sam’s article “Private Habits of Horace Greeley” was printed in Spirit of the Times [Camfield, bibliog.]. This was a weekly newspaper published in New York City, which aimed for an upper-class readership made up largely of sportsmen. The Spirit also contained humorous articles, much of it based on frontier folklore. Theatre news was also a major component. Emerson calls the Greeley article “one of the funniest pieces yet written,” and “good-natured fun” [56].
November 9-12 Thursday ca. – Sam left New York and arrived in Cleveland, Ohio early to work on his first lecture with Mary Fairbanks. A great deal was riding on Sam’s success as a lecturer in the East—Jervis Langdon’s approval, for one.
November 15 Sunday – Sam’s LETTER FROM “MARK TWAIN” dated Hartford, Oct. 22, ran in the San Francisco Alta California. Subtitles: International Boat Race; The “Wickedest Man”; At Large; Legend; Personal [Schmidt].
November 16 Monday – Sam’s article, “A Mystery” ran in the Cleveland Herald [Camfield, bibliog.].
November 17 Tuesday – Case Hall, Cleveland, Ohio: Sam gave the “Vandals” lecture to an enthusiastic and responsive audience.
November 18 Wednesday – Sam wrote from Cleveland, Ohio to his mother and family.
“Made a splendid hit last night & am the ‘lion’ to-day. Awful rainy, sloppy night, but there were 1,200 people present, anyhow—house full. I captured them, if I do say it myself. I go hence to Pittsburgh—thence to Elmira, N.Y.” [MTL 2: 280].
November 19 Thursday – Sam gave his “Vandals” lecture at the Academy of Music in Pittsburgh, Pa.
November 20 Friday – Sam wrote from Cleveland to his mother and family:
November 21 Saturday – Sam arrived in Elmira and went to the Langdons during the breakfast hour. Paine reports Sam announced himself: “The calf has returned; may the prodigal have some breakfast?” [MTB 375].
November 22 Sunday – Sam’s LETTER FROM “MARK TWAIN” dated Hartford, Oct. 28, ran in the San Francisco Alta California. Subtitles: E. Pluribus Unim; Indigent Nomenclature Legend; A Relic: Where is McGrorty? [Schmidt].
November 23 Monday – Opera House, Elmira, New York: Sam gave the “American Vandal” lecture for the third time, this time for the benefit of the local volunteer fire company, since Charles Langdon was an active member.
November 26 Thursday – Thanksgiving – Olivia Louise Langdon accepted Sam’s proposal, subject to her father’s approval. Sam accepted Jervis Langdon’s suggestion that official parental sanction be given after credentials of Sam’s character might be obtained. Sam offered names for Jervis to solicit [MTB 376].
November 26-27 Friday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Mary Mason Fairbanks:
November 28 Saturday – Sam wrote from Everett House in New York to Livy, his first love-letter since their engagement.
November 29? Sunday – Sam wrote from New York to his sister, Pamela Moffett:
November 30 Monday – Sam’s 33rd birthday.
December 1 Tuesday – Mary Mason Fairbanks wrote from Cleveland, replying to Sam’s of Nov. 26-27. It survives in part in Sam’s letter to Livy of Dec. 4. He quotes: “Of course you must live in Cleveland. That is what I want to do. Don’t you? Now say you do, Livy, there’s a dear good girl” [MTP].
December 2 Wednesday – Sam wrote from New York to Jervis Langdon, including between pleasantries his progress at buying an interest in a newspaper [MTL 2: 297-9]. Sam left New York on the 11:30 AM Hudson River Railroad express To Albany and Troy, where he crossed the river to Rondout, New York. Sam gave his “Vandals” lecture in the evening [MTL 2: 300n5].
December 3 Thursday – Sam probably used this day as a travel day, and returned to New York.
December 4 Friday – Sam wrote from Metropolitan Hotel in New York to Livy, again professing his undying love, the necessity for love from the brain and the heart, and listing those he confided the provisional engagement to: Dan Slote, the Twichell’s, his sister Pamela, and Mrs. Fairbanks—and tells of their responses.
December 5 and 7 Monday – Sam wrote from New York to Livy of misgivings about being a Christian—about understanding that he needed Christ for his own sake, not to win Livy’s heart and approval.
“Bless me, I am so tied hand & foot with these lecture appointments that I don’t know whether I am standing on my head or my heels” [MTL 2: 312-18].
December 8 Tuesday – Sam made a “little journey to Hartford” to bare his soul to Twichell about his struggles with prayer and his desire for success. According to Sam’s letter to Livy of Dec. 9, he and Twichell sat up from 10 PM to 1 AM talking about Livy and religion. It had been bothering Sam that he’d been praying with “selfish motives” instead of seeking Jesus “for himself alone” [MTL 2: 318].
December 9 Wednesday – Sam returned to New York on the 1:20 AM train.
Opera House, Newark, New Jersey: Sam gave his “Vandals” lecture, sponsored here by the Clayonian Society. Back in his room, Sam wrote Livy about his talk with Twichell, and the successful lecture in Newark.