October, early – Thomas and Candace Wheeler returned the visit to the Clemenses in Hartford, who for a “lark” went with the Sages in late August to Onteora near Tannersville, New York [MTNJ 3: 178n2]. Dora Wheeler, daughter, drew a flower in Sam’s notebook during this stay. Sam drew another flower on the opposing page and labeled hers “Marsh-mallow By Dora Wheeler” [MTNJ 3: 221].

October 1 Thursday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Fred Hall, who was acting for Charles Webster during his absence in England. Sam advised Hall to put off some question to General Badeau and Mrs. Grant till Webster came home in a few days [MTP].

October 2 Friday – W.A. Paton for Scribner’s Sons wrote to introduce from England, Joseph Tyler and Philip Bright who would visit Hartford on pleasure [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Telegraph & write Mrs. Wheeler Monday. Write W.R. Plunkett”

October 3 Saturday – Sam’s notebook:

I think I’ve struck a good idea. It is to reduce a series of big maps to mere photographic fly-specks & sell them together with a microscope of ¼ to 1 inch focal distance. By this means I could conveniently examine my synchromatic map which is 36 ft long [MTNJ 3: 196]. (See also note 48.)

October 4 Sunday – Belle C. Greene wrote from Nashua, N.H. to send him her first book (A New England Conscience). She needed “honest, literary criticism of the right sort.” She enclosed clippings, not in file [MTP].

 International Typographical per E.S. McIntosh wrote to Orion, who passed the stats on to Sam [MTP].

October 5 Monday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Fred Hall in New York, directing him to take a $1,000 note to Gerhardt and have him endorse it payable to Webster & Co. Gerhardt had turned the note over to Sam for monies owed. The note was from Goodwin Brothers, Elmwood, Conn., the manufacturers of Gerhardt’s bust of Grant [MTP; MTNJ 3: 202n61].

October 6 Tuesday – Sam added the PS paragraph to his Oct. 5 letter to Sherman. If Sherman wished to disregard Sam’s advice and go ahead and publish, he needed to remember:

Tom, Dick or Harry can reduce the size of his footprint if he wants to, but Hercules can’t. He must leave a No. 19 track behind him all the time [MTP].

October 7 Wednesday – Sam gave his reading, “Mental Telegraphy” for the Wednesday Morning Club for young ladies, in Pittsfield, Mass. [Fatout, MT Speaking 656].

October 8 Thursday – Sam sent a two-liner note from Hartford to Karl Gerhardt. He’d not sent his estimate of monthly expenses, “& time passes.” Had the “Governor been brought to name a date yet” Sam wanted to know [MTP]. Most likely the “date” had to do with Gerhardt’s statue of Grant.

An envelope only survives to Candace Wheeler, 115 East 23d Street, New York City [MTP].

October 9 Friday – William Tecumseh Sherman wrote having rec’d Sam’s of Oct. 5. Sherman agreed with Sam’s judgement—he would not publish his travel notes of 1871-2 [MTP].

October 10 Saturday – Webster & Co. per Frank M. Scott wrote of more drafts honored to Gerhardt, making a total paid to date $1,206. They’d rec’d Sam’s letter of Oct. 9 [MTP].

October 11 Sunday – Clemens wrote to E.S. Cunningham of the Melbourne Argus.

October 12 Monday – Sam wrote from Hartford to William Tecumseh Sherman, who had agreed with Sam not to publish his travel notes. Sam thought he had “decided wisely,” and would return the General’s manuscript. He would see if it violated copyright to send Sherman an early copy of Grant’s Memoirs. Sam also suggested several memoirs the General might benefit from reading [MTP].

October 13 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Charles Webster, repeating his intention to retail commissions as general agents for the New York City district. Sam instructed this to be fifteen per cent and not to “make any other calculation.” Sam and Livy were “glad you & Annie are back again & well.” Sam was “very uncertain” when he would be down next [MTP].

October 14 Wednesday – Moncure Conway and daughter Mildred visited the Clemenses. Moncure’s oldest son was practicing law in New York City [MTNJ 3: 201n57].

October 15 Thursday – Jacob L. Greene for Grover Cleveland wrote thanking Sam for a letter. “I am glad you have voiced to him [President] the satisfaction of the Hartford Mugwumps with him” [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “From the President of the U.S.”

October 16 Friday – In Boston, Howells wrote to Sam of his new agreement with Harper & Bros. Conditions of his employment forbade his name from appearing save over their imprint, so it affected his part in the Library of Humor book. Howells suggested he sell out at a “sacrifice” to Sam, settling for $2,500, or half of the original agreement. He suggested Sam call the work “Mark Twain’s Library of American Humor” [MTHL 2: 537]. (See Oct. 18 entry.)

October 17 Saturday – The New York Times reported under “Personal Intelligence” p.2, that Sam was in New York staying at the Hotel Normandie. If true, Sam may have accompanied the Conways to the city after their Hartford visit, since Moncure’s son was practicing law in New York. Sam was back in Hartford on Oct. 18.

October 18 Sunday ­– Sam wrote from Hartford, answering Howells’ letter of Oct. 16. Howells had rejected Ticknor’s offer to become his publisher, and through Charles Fairchild’s efforts came to an agreement with Harper’s which would pay him a $10,000 per year salary for the serial rights to a yearly 300-page novel, plus other income for articles and a column.

October 19 Monday – A.P. Fulkerson wrote from KC asking if Sam had referred to him in an 1870 sketch, “Yaller Dog” [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Yaller dog”; In HF Sam wrote “It don’t make no difference whether you do right or wrong, a person’s conscience ain’t got no sense, and just goes for him anyway. If I had a yaller dog that didn’t know no more than a person’s conscience does I would pison him. It takes up more room than all the rest of a person’s insides, and yet ain’t no good, nohow.”

October 20 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Charles Webster, advising him to get a new set of plates for the printers. If Sam remembered rightly, 150,000 impressions was the life of the plates. After that, the impressions would not print clearly. [MTP].

October 21 Wednesday – Sam borrowed $100,000 from Samuel G. Dunham, director and treasurer of the Dunham Hosiery Co. of Hartford, a friend of the Clemens family. (Note: this is not Samuel C. Dunham, Hartford atty.) The loan was to cover publishing costs for Grant’s Memoirs, with $15,000 payable Jan. 29, 1886 and $85,000 payable Feb. 27, 1886 at six per cent interest.

October 22 Thursday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Charles Webster with the financial matters of the loan from Dunham, whom he did not name. Sam repeated that since he’d made himself personally liable for the notes, Webster needed to fully insure the books, both finished and unfinished.

“I mean, get all the insurance you can on them” [MTP].

October 23 Friday – Joe Twichell wrote a short note, clipping enclosed “Aerial Navigation”: “Don’t you remember how one of us said, when we last walked to the Tower, speaking of aerial navigation, that the problem was bound to be solved sometime, because it was never given up, but there were always men at work on it. / The sight of the enclosed recalled the remark” [MTP]. Note: Steering a balloon had always been a challenge.

October 24 Saturday – Charles Webster wrote from New York to Sam in Hartford: