December 15 Friday – Stewart L. Woodford wrote: “Thanks for card just received. I sent it to Judge Russell, who will secure your rooms at the Brunswick and wait upon you at 545 sharp, Friday afternoon to bring you to Delmonico’s” [MTP].
Karl & Hattie J. Gerhardt (to Sam and Livy) wrote enclosing the bill of lading for the box sent (baby bust). He mentioned making a sketch for the Paul Revere statue contest [MTP].
December 16 Saturday – Sam typed a short note from Hartford to John Brown Jr. thanking him for the picture sent “of a room whose aspect was so familiar to us and with which we have so many loving associations.” Sam sent another picture of little Jean, saying “two pictures of Jean Clemens” were much better “than none at all” [MTP].
December 18 Monday – Grace Meyer wrote from New Paris, Indiana to Sam, with a pathetic story of her life. A fan, but she didn’t seem to ask for anything except that the letter not be made public [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Poor devil!”
December 21 Thursday – Sam went to New York in the evening [Dec. 14 letter to Woodford, MTP]. He stayed at the Hotel Brunswick [N.Y. Times, PERSONAL INTELLIGENCE, p.5 Dec. 23, 1882].
December 22 Friday – Sam had a list of errands to attend to during the day, probably meeting with Webster among other things [Dec.
December 23 Saturday – The New York Times reported on p.1 the banquet and Sam’s speech of the previous night:
[Mark Twain delivered] an address which kept the tables in a roar for a quarter of an hour. The speaker brought his words out in an indescribable drawl, and puffed a cloud of smoke from his cigar between every two sentences [MTNJ 2: 505n240].
This day or shortly after, Sam returned home to Hartford.
December 25 Monday – Christmas – Sam gave Livy a copy of Robert Herrick’s (1591-1674) Selections from the Poetry of Robert Herrick (1882) and inscribed it: “Livy L. Clemens / from / S. L. Clemens / Xmas 1882” [Gribben 311].
December 26 Tuesday – Hattie J. Gerhardt wrote to Sam and Livy, photo enclosed marked “Karl 6 years old” on the back. She related Christmas and gifts [MTP]. Note: this photo in file.
December 28 Thursday – Sam shipped all but the “8th batch” of LM manuscript to Osgood [MTLTP 160].
Sam signed a power of attorney allowing Charles Webster to transact business in his name [ViU].
Arthur Von Rapp wrote from Painesville, Ohio asking for a loan of $200, which would “be barely sufficient to pull us out of the mire at present” [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Begging letter”
December 29 Friday – In he morning Sam went to his copyist’s house to obtain the missing batch of his manuscript for LM. He discovered she’d had scarlet fever, and they’d had to disinfect the pages. Sam wrote from Hartford to James R.
December 30 Saturday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Charles Webster. Sam sent a bill for Portfolio, a magazine he’d subscribed to that wouldn’t stop arriving. He also sent deeds and papers from the Archer County Texas land that Livy owned.
1883 – Sometime during the year Sam inscribed Historical View of the Literature of the South of Europe by Sismondi (1881) to Livy L. Clemens / from SLC / Hartford 1883 [MTP]. Sam inscribed in a Rollo Book for Jean “Little-girl-left-the-gate-open-book” Jean 1883-4 [MTP]. Sam sent a copy of Punch, Brothers, Punch! And other Sketches (1878) with ALS to James R. Osgood asking for “50 or 100 heliotypes like those of the Howell children” [MTP].
January – Sam bought 200 shares on margin of Oregon & Transcontinental Co. stock, worth about $15,000 [MTNJ 3: 29n50]. Sometime during the first three months of the year, Sam declined an invitation of some sort offered by George Willard Benson, Christian author. “I have a house full of sick people,” Sam explained [MTP].
January 1 Monday – In Hartford, Sam inscribed a copy of The Stolen White Elephant for Miss Laura Taft: “To/ Miss Laura Taft / With the kindest regards of / The Author. / Hartford, New Year’s 1883” [McBride 83].
January 3 Wednesday – James R. Osgood wrote from Boston asking about “premiums offered” for canvassers of LM [MTP].
Dean Sage wrote from NYC with a plan to sell two stocks; he also asked for an autograph for “an interesting young lady. “Can you send it to me appended to some ambiguous (not too much so) sentiment” [MTP].
January 4 Thursday – George W. Waters wrote from Elmira: “The sketches reached me safely— / Your suggestion of the ‘burning Ship in mid ocean’ appeals to me at once—because I am charmed by the ocean, and exceedingly fond of Color…Should I be fortunate and produce a picture which would be as ‘painted Music’ to you I should be most happy indeed” [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Dank but Keitven [?] / Longfellow’s Calendar / Waters artist”
January 5 Friday – Sam wrote from Hartford to an unidentified person:
“If you would be kindly spoken of, die. There is no other way. / But don’t hurry” [MTP].
January 6 Saturday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Osgood & Co., with directions for sets of plates, dies and printed copies of LM. Sam was anxious for success:
“We must sell 100,000 copies of the book in 12 months, and shan’t want him complaining that we are the parties in fault if the sale falls short of it.”
Sam also relied heavily on Livy’s editorial and censorship eye:
January 8 Monday – A short article ran in the New York Times on Jan. 9 about Sam losing a Chicago lawsuit (Circuit Court, N.D. Illinois) on this day, based on trademark infringement. Sam was represented by Thomas W. Clark, while Belford & Clarke by Hutchinson & Partridge.
MARK TWAIN LOSES A SUIT.
January 9 Tuesday – George W. Cable wrote a postcard from N. Orleans asking if there was a 2nd volume by a man named Stuart in the books he’d sent. “Made a speech last night—50 minutes—audience made no complaint” [MTP].
January 10 Wednesday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Edmund C. Stedman (1833-1908) American poet, critic, and essayist, Hartford born. He studied two years at Yale; became a New York journalist on the Tribune and World, as Civil War field correspondent. He later studied law and was for a time private secretary to Attorney General Bates at Washington. He was also a member of the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street from 1865-1900.
January 11 Thursday – Charles J. Langdon wrote on the bottom of a stockholders meeting result for the Susquehanna and S.W. R.R. Co. and calls for stock subscriptions: “Dear Saml / I will pay these calls as they fall due from your funds here if you will authorize me to do so…$3000 is due. Please advise” [MTP]. Sam wrote on the note: “You are hereby authorized to take the $3,000 from my funds in J. Langdon & Co’s hand”
January 12 Friday – With others named below, Sam signed a menu at Young’s Hotel, Boston. This gathering, not formerly reported, was likely a celebration of James R. Osgood’s publishing of P&P and The Stolen White Elephant. The names on the back of the menu are: James R. Osgood, SL Clemens, Wm. S. Draper, Chas. Fairchild, C.H. Colburn (publisher), G. Osgood, Eben Sumner Draper (1858-1914) Governor of Mass., A.V.S.
January 14 Sunday – In Hartford, Sam wrote a long letter to Karl & Hattie Gerhardt about art that Karl was working on; about ideas on the movement of a planned statue of Paul Revere; and of Susan Warner’s desire for Karl’s bas-relief portrait of her husband which Sam wanted to give her but Livy would not.
January 15 Monday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Charles Webster about being overcharged on a bill for work on the alarm system at the Farmington Ave. house. Sam added that he liked Webster’s “circular,” which was probably for LM, scheduled to be published in May [MTBus 208].
Sam also wrote to George W. Cable: