May 15 Friday – John J. Corning, “Commercial Paper 96 Broadway” wrote to Sam offering 150 shares of Goodyear Shoe Machinery stock at $65, Sam wrote on the envelope, “Answer him, Brer” [MTP].
Frederick J. Hall wrote a brief note to Sam, “favor received,” and made a note not to pay O’Neill until July 1. He also noted what Sam said about syndicating the story, and hadn’t heard from Bok regarding an appointment but thought he’d hear during the day [MTP].
May 16 Sunday – Franklin G. Whitmore wrote from Branford, Conn. to explain about a box sent a few days before—some sort of food to be “broiled over a slow fire” [MTP].
May 16 Monday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Charles Webster.
“Yes, if we snatch Sneider up before the court he will weaken & be glad to sign the documents & get out.
May 16 Friday – Sam sent to an unidentified person: “Very Truly Yours / S.L. Clemens / Mark Twain / Hartford May 16/84” [MTP].
Charles E. Wilson wrote to Sam, enclosing a newsletter/flyer and an invitation. Wilson was president of a Boston club, the Amateur Journalist’s Club. He invited Sam to the “Grand Reunion and Ratification Meeting” on May 17. Sam wrote on the envelope:
May 16 Saturday – In Hartford, Sam wrote to Orion that the family would leave for Elmira the fifteenth of June. Marked “private” Sam praised Charles Webster and noted General Grant’s high regard for him.
Charley has tackled the vastest book-enterprise the world has ever seen, with a calm cool head & a capable hand, & is carrying it along in a serene unhalting fashion which is fine to see. All well, —love to all [MTP].
May 16 Sunday – In Boston, Howells had expected more details on the compromise. He’d not yet received the scorcher letter from Sam, heaping all the blame on him.
I suppose you got my note of Wednesday [May 12] acknowledging your dispatch. I’ve been expecting a letter giving some details of the way you found out of our hobble. I don’t feel content to let you bear the brunt of the whole thing. Do write [MTHL 2: 563] Note: Sam did write!
May 16 Monday – Edward H. House and his adopted daughter Koto arrived at the Clemens residence for a visit. House would house-sit the Farmington house while the Clemens family took their annual trek to Quarry Farm, where Sam would continue working on CY while House worked on the dramatization of P&P as encouraged by Sam [A. Hoffman 340].
May 16 Wednesday – John Habberton (1842-1921), for 20 years the literary and dramatic critic for the N.Y. Herald, and author of the Sam-detested Helen’s Babies (1876), wrote to Sam offering a 100,000 word war book, “with scarcely a sign of a battle in it, but full of life and incidents over which the old boys of both armies chat most” [MTNJ 3: 390n308]. Sam, no doubt prejudiced by Habberton’s earlier work, declined.
May 16 Thursday – In Hartford Sam wrote a letter of introduction for his nephew, Samuel Moffett, to Henry M. Alden, of Harper & Brothers. Moffett at this time was an editor on the San Francisco Examiner and was soon to visit. Sam added, “it may be that he can furnish you some magazine of value” [MTP].
May 16 Friday – The Monday Evening Club, Hartford sent Sam an invitation to the May 19 meeting at Frank W. Cheney’s home. Sam wrote on the env., “Brer, say I am gone to New York for a few days & probably will not be back in time / SLC” [MTP].
May 16 Saturday – The Boston Journal Supplement, p.1 published an interview of Sam by Edward W. Bok, “Literary Leaves: ‘Mark Twain’ to Live Abroad for Two Years.”
May 17 Monday – The May 31 bill from Western Union shows a telegram sent to New York on this day, recipient unspecified (see May 31 entry) [MTP].
May 17 Wednesday – Roswell H. Phelps left Hannibal and returned to Hartford. Sam left Hannibal alone aboard the Minneapolis, which stopped at Quincy, Ill. and stopped at Keokuk, Iowa. Sam wrote from Quincy to Livy:
May 17 Thursday – Life on the Mississippi was issued by the James R. Osgood & Co. (Two copies were deposited with the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress). Sales before issue barely reached 30,000, a number that enraged Sam [Powers, MT A Life 469; Hirst, “A Note on the Text” Oxford edition, 1996]. Note: under old subscription models, it was thought 40,000 sales before release was a good result.
May 17 Saturday – Sam telegraphed Charles Langdon: “Can I see you in New York tomorrow evening answer C.L. Clemens [sic]” [MTP]. Note: this found with Langdon’s May 21, 1884 answer in Langdon’s letter of 22 May 1885!
May 17 Sunday – In Hartford, Sam wrote to George W. Cable, who wrote and telegraphed the day before, upset at things he was reading in the papers. Sam assured him that they were the “slanders of a professional newspaper liar,” and that “this thing did not distress” him “for one single half of a half of a hundreth part of a second” [MTP]. The source of Cable’s upset? From Turner’s biography of Cable:
May 17 Monday – In Hartford Sam finished and mailed his scorcher to Howells, begun on May 13 and added to on May 15.
We are the lessees of the theatre for a week, beginning May 24, for that $1000; Frank Mayo has taken it, at half gross receipts. That may reduce the $1000 a trifle, but I don’t expect it [MTHL 2: 562].
May 17 Tuesday – Sam had received word from Frank D. Finlay (1838?-1917), which included the news that Finlay’s sons (Frank D. Finlay Jr. and Russell Finlay) were in the military. Sam met Finlay in Belfast, Ireland in 1873, and the two became fast friends (See MTDBD 1: several entries). Sam responded and wrote about a possible business trip to England next fall.
May 17 Thursday – Frederick J. Hall for Webster & Co. wrote to Sam: “Your favor received, also the watch. We will pay the Burton bill, the bill for composition and electrotyping on the Burton book, and also send you invoice for the watch. We have forwarded a copy of ‘The Library of Humor’.” Other finances were discussed [MTP]. Note: Richard E. Burton.
May 17 Friday – Alfred Waters wrote from Auckland, NZ to Sam seeking an autograph [MTP].
May 17 Saturday – Webster & Co. wrote advising Sam they’d sent out some 600 circular letters lately to various students, though some 60 were returned for more postage, even all were had the same postage [MTP]. The student marketing effort was intended to keep up sales of CY throughout the summer.
May 17 Sunday – H.G. Rector wrote from N.Y. to Sam — a begging letter for a sick daughter [MTP].
May 18 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Howells, enclosing certain bylaws for a club he wanted to start, the “Modest Club,” which only required modesty to be a member. He was the only member so far, and would Howells like to join? He suggested others for members:
May 18 Wednesday – Charles Webster reported to Sam:
“The bubble has burst. Sneider has confessed…that the whole thing was a swindle from the beginning….Sneider says he’s going to commit suicide” [MTNJ 2: 393n120]. Note: Sam’s loss on Kaolatype would eventually be some $50,000 [Powers, MT A Life 452].
May 18 Thursday – The Minneapolis arrived at Muscatine, Iowa. Osgood rejoined Sam at Davenport, Iowa.
“We had not time to go ashore in Muscatine, but had a daylight view of it from the boat. I lived there awhile, many years ago, but the place, now, had a rather unfamiliar look; so I suppose it has clear outgrown the town which I used to know” [Ch 57 LM].