February 24 Saturday – In Fairhaven, Mass. Sam woke at 8:30 a.m. and breakfasted. Afterward he and H.H. Rogers went down to the Millicent Library.
…it was bitter cold — thermometer 5° below zero. He asked me if I would do him a favor. I said he couldn’t mention anything I wouldn’t attempt. The favor he wanted was that I should write a letter to put under the engraving of me which is to be hung up in the room dedicated to authors, & which is to be the first one hung there.
February 25 Sunday – At 10:30 p.m. in New York at the Players Club, Sam wrote another long bi-weekly letter to Livy, which he added to on Feb. 26 and Feb. 27. He’d had dinner with Mary Mason Fairbanks, her daughter Alice (Mrs. William H. Gaylord) and Alice’s daughter, who were in the city for a few days. Sam remarked on Mary’s “age & infirmity,” having to be supported when she walks. She was 39 on the Quaker City and now was 66.
February 26 Monday – At 12:30 a.m. Sam added a line or two to his Feb. 25 to Livy, that all his letters were written and he was going to bed At 2 p.m. he added another line or two that he’d received her letter and one from daughter Jean “about her dog. It came very near making me cry” [MTP].
February 27 Tuesday – In New York on Players Club stationery, Sam wrote to James B. Pond, who evidently read about Sam’s appearances with James Whitcomb Riley at Madison Square Garden and asked if he’d like to make ten appearances for him.
Oh, I’m just doing this to give Riley an advertisement. I sail for France eight days hence, & I’ve got to go; otherwise I would do the 10 nights for you [MTP].
March – The fourth of seven parts from PW ran in the January issue of Century Magazine. The fifth of six installments of Tom Sawyer Abroad appeared in the Mar. 1894 issue of St. Nicholas Magazine.
March 1 Thursday – In New York Sam wrote to Livy at the Hotel Brighton in Paris, France.
A man said to-day “Puddnhead Wilson is making a big stir. They say, all around, that it’s away up — the best work you’ve ever done except the Prince & Pauper. Don’t you think so yourself?”
March 2 Friday – In New York Sam wrote two letters to Livy. The first was “away after midnight,” and noted a 2:15 a.m. time in the margin. In the second at 3:40 p.m. he related the events of the day so far:
March 3 Saturday – In his first Mar. 2 letter to Livy, Sam outlined this day as “full.”
March 4 Sunday – In New York after 1 a.m., Sam was at the Aldine Club for Story Tellers’ Night. He may have told the “Bluejay” yarn again, as mentioned in his Mar. 2 letter. Sam had a very late night, arriving at this function after 1 a.m.
March 5 Monday – In New York on Players Club stationery, Sam wrote a short note to H.H. Rogers, that Bram Stoker had paid the first installment of $100 on 20 shares of the new Paige Compositor Co.; he’d forgot to receipt Stoker; Also Henry Irving had paid his $500 in full and was receipted [MTP].
March 6 Tuesday – In New York Sam gave power of attorney to H.H. Rogers to act on his behalf during Sam’s absence in Europe, including assigning all of Sam’s property — including typesetter rights and copyright on his books — to Livy. This was done on Mar. 9. Sam also signed two copies of a contract between himself and the Paige Compositor Co. [MTHHR 43n1]. Sam then sent the signed contracts to Urban H.
March 7 Wednesday – Sam sailed on the SS New York for Southampton and Le Havre [MTHHR 23].
March 8 Thursday – At sea on the SS New York, Sam wrote to Henry H. Rogers, outlining a “scheme” whereby William Evarts Benjamin, Frank Bliss, and himself would “join teams on the Uniform Edition” with a third profits to each, Benjamin to furnish the capital, Bliss to do the work. There would be an initial outlay of three or four hundred dollars for the “dummy” book for canvassers (another subscription approach) and when 1,000 subscriptions had been sold, the type could be set and the plates made, costing about $3,600.
March 9 Friday – In New York, Henry H. Rogers using the power-of-attorney Sam gave him on Mar. 6, assigned all of Sam’s property, including typesetter rights and copyright on his books, to Livy [MTHHR 43n1]. Note: this was a necessary preparatory and crucial step in saving the copyrights before Webster & Co. declared bankruptcy in April, and suggests the bankruptcy was planned by this day.
March 10 Saturday – While en route Sam “made scores of notations on the pages” of Sarah Grand’s (Frances Elizabeth MacFall’s) novel, The Heavenly Twins. Gribben: “Much of his marginalia is quoted in A1911.
March 11 Sunday – At sea on the SS New York, Sam wrote to William H. Rideing on the editorial staff of Youth’s Companion and North American Review.
March 12 Monday – Sam was at sea on the SS New York.
March 13 Tuesday – Sam was at sea on the SS New York. Henry H. Rogers wrote to him with business details, saying he had “nothing of special interest to report.” Frederick J. Hall called on Rogers this day and reported progress in Webster & Co. affairs, and would write Sam.
March 14 Wednesday – The S.S. New York reached Southampton, England.
March 15 Thursday – Sam reached Paris, France and Livy. They had been separated longer than any other previous time in their lives [LLMT 297].
March 16 Friday – F. Gerstel, a dentist in Austria, wrote in German to Sam, who wrote on the envelope, Begging letter. This tramp sent me a hatful of ancient, worn, & smutty testimonials, recommendations to people’s charity. He not only paid double postage on the cargo, but paid also to have it registered. He must be rich [MTP].
March 17 Saturday – In the New York Times this date, p.2, “The Social World,” it seems the NYC branch of the Vassar Students’ Aid Society were selling the signatures of Mark Twain, Mary Mapes Dodge, Charles Dudley Warner, William Dean Howells, Brander Matthews, Kate Douglas Wiggin and others. An annual event, the sale began Friday, Mar. 16 and continued this day into the evening.
March 19 Monday – Susy Clemens’ 22nd birthday.
March 20 Tuesday – In New York H.H. Rogers wrote to Sam that “everything seems to be going smoothly in Chicago,” and that on the Webster & Co., situation he was “sure that we settled upon the wise and proper course.” He’d received Sam’s cable (not extant) and was waiting for Sam’s letter regarding the Uniform Edition possibilities with William Evarts Benjamin and Frank Bliss. Henry Irving’s stock had been delivered. Rogers two daughters, Mrs.
March 22 Thursday – At the Hotel Brighton in Paris Sam wrote to H.H. Rogers.
I’ve had a tough time persuading Mrs. Clemens to stay here and allow me to go back. She consents to let me go; but it is on condition that I remain in America only 3 weeks and take ship for France again May 7. She wants to go home with me, but the physician will not hear of it — says she would lose all she has gained — and she is gaining pretty satisfactorily. Susy is a deal better, and has acquired a valuable appetite.