December 2 Saturday – Sam gave the “Artemus Ward” lecture in Barber Hall, Homer, New York to a “large assemblage.”
Clemens gave a humorous autograph to an unidentified person. Cue: “It isn’t egotism that makes me choose a leaf so…” Not found at MTP but in catalog [MTP].
December 3 Sunday – Sam spent the day in Homer, New York. He wrote a laundry list of concerns to Livy, including loans to his Express partner, Josephus Larned; money to his mother; bills for shirts; directing that Margaret (the maid) should be given “the nightly care of the cubbie”; and another lecturer from Virginia City days, C.B.
December 4 Monday – Sam gave the “Artemus Ward” lecture in Linden Hall, Geneva, New York. He wrote from Geneva to Livy, telling of being approached by “two-little-girl friends” of his “early boyhood,” Mary E. Bacon and Mildred Catherine (Kitty) Shoot.
December 5 Tuesday – Sam gave the “Artemus Ward” lecture in Academy of Music, Auburn, New York [MTPO].
Sam wrote from Auburn to Livy. He met again with Dr. Merrill in the morning:
Old Darling, I thank you very very much for so loving me & so missing & me & remembering my birthday & wishing for me there—& I do reciprocate—I love you with all my heart & long to be with you again.
December 6 Wednesday – Sam telegraphed the American Publishing Company:
“Why have you not answered my telegram I particularly want proofs of the California part of the book expressed immediately to Reeds Hotel Erie Pa shall use some extracts in Public reading in place of a lecture if you have shipped none already maybe you better send duplicates to Toledo also answer. / Mark Twain”[MTPO].
December 7 Thursday – Sam gave the “Roughing It” lecture in Sprague’s Hall, Warsaw, New York. One version of this speech is published in Mark Twain Speaking, pp. 48-63. Sam experienced mixed results with the Artemus Ward lecture, and even faced charges of plagiarism for retelling some of Ward’s old jokes. He was ready to try a new lecture.
December 8 Friday – Sam lectured in Union Hall, Fredonia, New York – “Roughing It.” Sam telegraphed from Buffalo to Redpath & Fall. “Notify all hands that from this date I shall talk nothing but selections from my forth-coming book Roughing It, tried it last night suits me tip top” Sam sent the telegraph while traveling from Warsaw [MTL 4: 511].
December 9 Saturday – Sam lectured in Farrar Hall, Erie, Pennsylvania – “Artemus Ward.”
December 10 Sunday – Sam wrote from Erie, Penn. to Mary Mason Fairbanks, apologizing for not being able to spend time with the Fairbanks family.
December 11 Monday – Sam lectured in White’s Hall, Toledo, Ohio – “Artemus Ward.” Sam wrote from Toledo to James Redpath, claiming that his new lecture was “perfectly bully, now.” He wrote that he’d given it “at Warsaw & made a spectacular success—& at Fredonia & made a splendid failure.” So, Sam rewrote the “Roughing It” lecture again.
December 12 Tuesday – Sam lectured in University Hall, Ann Arbor, Michigan – “Artemus Ward.” “–a continuous roar of laughter” [MTL 4: 515].
December 13 Wednesday – Sam lectured in Union Hall, Jackson, Michigan – “Artemus Ward” this time was said to be “rather monotonous and tiresome.” Either Sam was inconsistent with this material, probably looking past it to his perfected new lecture, or regional/local differences applied.
December 14 Thursday – Sam gave the revamped “Roughing It” lecture in Mead’s Hall, Lansing, Michigan. Samuel H. Row introduced Clemens. See Nov. 14, 1905 from Row.
December 15 Friday – Sam lectured in Luce’s Hall, Grand Rapids, Michigan – “Roughing It” was a moderate success.
December 16 Saturday – Sam lectured in Union Hall, Kalamazoo, Michigan – “Roughing It” drew a sharply divided reaction in the newspapers, the Kalamazoo Telegraph hated the performance, while the Gazette claimed Sam “enchanted” and “convulsed” the audience. Sam must have wondered what he had to do to win over the press. Sam spent the night in Kalamazoo.
December 17 Sunday – Sam started at 4 AM for Chicago, about 140 miles away.
December 18 Monday – Sam arrived in Chicago at 3 PM, some 11 hours for a 2-hour trip. He gave the “Roughing It.” lecture south of the area devastated by the Oct. 8 fire, in Michigan Avenue Baptist Church, Chicago.
December 19 Tuesday – In Chicago, Sam stayed with Dr. Abraham Reeves Jackson, the “doctor” of Innocents Abroad. Sam performed the “Roughing It” lecture at the Union Park Congregational Church, Chicago, Ill. Reporters praised both of Sam’s Chicago lectures.
December 20 Wednesday – Sam lectured (topic unknown) in Sandwich, Illinois (why not the Sandwich Islands lecture for Sandwich?) The Chicago Tribune printed a long synopsis of Sam’s “Roughing It” lecture, so he returned to the “Artemus Ward” lecture, at least in Princeton and perhaps here as well [MTL 4: 519].
December 21 Thursday – Sam lectured in City Hall, Aurora, Illinois – Topic was probably “Artemus Ward.” The Chicago Evening Post ran an interview on page 4 with Sam on some comments on King Edward VII [Scharnhorst, Interviews 1].
December 22 Friday – Sam lectured in Patterson Hall, Princeton, Illinois – “Artemus Ward.”
December 24 Sunday – Charles Langdon sent a small preface to a book: “Practical Suggestions on the Sale of Patents,” 1871 by Wm. Edgar Simonds, atty. Hartford. No letter enclosed [MTP].
December 25 Monday – Christmas – Sam wrote from Chicago to Livy at 2 AM. “Joy, & peace be with you & about you, & the benediction of God rest upon you this day!” Sam was still working over his lecture. There had been a smallpox scare in Chicago with fines levied against anyone not vaccinated. Sam urged Livy to get vaccinated, at least once a year [MTL 4: 521].
December 26 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Champaign, Illinois to Livy, then gave the “Artemus Ward” lecture there in Barrett Hall. Sam was memorizing his new lecture and wanted to:
“…get out of the range of the cursed Chicago Tribune that printed my new lecture & so made it impossible for me to talk it with any spirit in Illinois” [MTL 4: 522].
December 27 Wednesday – Sam lectured in Tuscola, Illinois – “Artemus Ward.” He was still not out of “Chicago Tribune territory,” he wrote Livy from Tuscola, but he’d memorized all of the new “Roughing It in Nevada” lecture [MTL 4: 525].