August 9 Sunday – Sam had arranged “business…with Hartford people” on Tuesday (Aug. 11), but moved it up to Sunday so he might return to Elmira the next day [Aug. 15 to Johnson]. The nature of his business with Hartford people is unknown. It is possible that the Hartford people referred to came to New York.
August 10 Monday – Sam left New York in the morning for the long train ride to Elmira. He telegraphed from Portland, Penn. to Theodore W. Crane: “Shall arrive at the usual / S L Clemens” [MTP]. Portland was en route to Elmira.
August 11 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Richard S. Tuthill, at this time District Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago). Tuthill had sent an invitation for Sam to come and break bread with some of his old Midwest friends.
“I would give anything in the world if I could go; for that is true which you have said: the boys are growing old & passing away—did not we deliver to the rest & peace of the grave the greatest, noblest, the chiefest of them all, three days ago?”
August 12 or 19 or 26 Wednesday – On one of these days, Sam wrote to Webster & Co. (Charles Webster was sailing to Europe). He hadn’t received a letter referred to in a telegraph from someone at the company. There were “bogus Grant books” being canvassed and Sam suggested “Mr. Hall employ detectives or trustworthy friends to write” a solicitation to canvass to be sent to “several fraudulent publishers” [MTP].
August 13 Thursday – W.H.H. Daggett, Hartford awning dealer, charged Sam $2 for “putting up awnings” [MTP].
Orion Clemens wrote of checks rec’d and of work completed on the history game; Ma went to a picnic [MTP].
August 14 Friday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Daniel Whitford, his attorney, asking if he knew the “President of the Balt & Ohio Tel Co, or parties connected with the new Co.” Sam was touting Paige’s telegraph invention. “Any idiot can operate it. No experts required” [MTP].
Daniel Whitford for Alexander & Green wrote that the Century people had given up all claim to the picture of Gen. Grant [MTP].
August 15 Saturday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Robert Underwood Johnson, of the Century Magazine. He began a draft of this letter in his notebook [MTNJ 3: 172]. Webster & Co. intended to use what was purported to be the last photograph of Grant for the deluxe edition of the Memoirs, but Webster wrote Sam on Aug.
August 16 Sunday – Hjalmar Boyesen wrote to ask if Sam thought an illustrated history of Norway would pay as a subscription book [MTP].
August 17 Monday – Henrietta B. Babcock wrote from Cleveland to ask Sam’s help with producing her play [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Answer — Don’t [know] anything aboutg dramatic literature”
J.E. Buerk wrote from Boston to sell a German translation of TS to Sam made by his late brother [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “No—don’t want it”
August 18 Tuesday – Sam was granted his third and last patent, number 324,535, for a “Game Apparatus,” the board version of the history game [The Twainian, Nov-Dec 1957 p3; Aug. 27, 1965 letter from GSA on file at MTP]. See filing date and card info made by Patent Engraving Co., New York Oct. 9, 1884 entry.
August 19 Wednesday – Livy’s mother, Olivia Lewis Langdon, celebrated her 75th birthday. The Clemens family all went to town for the celebration [Salsbury 209]. Susy and Clara Clemens performed the second part of The Merry Wives of Windsor as part of the birthday fun [Gribben 629]. From Livy’s diary:
August 20 Thursday – The New York Times printed on page 5 “GENERAL GRANT’S BOOK / A LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHERS,” Dated Aug. 18, with a note from the late General dated July 4. The letter addressed rumors of the Grant contract, that Mrs.
August 21 Friday – J.E. Larkin photographer, Elmira, billed Sam $8 for “1 ½ doz Cab[inet] cards 3 negatives”, paid Aug. 24 [MTP].
Chatto & Windus wrote with royalties of £979.11 in 3 drafts [MTP].
Daniel Whitford for Alexander & Green wrote more about recent legal matters [MTP].
August 22 Saturday – Karl Gerhardt wrote “another chapter in the Nathan Hale farce” [MTP]. Note: Gerhardt was bidding on doing a statue of Nathan Hale, now at the Conn. capitol in Hartford.
William N. Woodruff wrote [MTP]. Only the env. survives; Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Containing Judge [George] Turner’s suicide”
August 23 Sunday – Orion Clemens wrote to warn Sam about an unworthy woman being given the book agency in that county [MTP].
August 24 Monday – Sam and Livy left the children with the Cranes at Quarry Farm and took a trip to Albany, where they stayed at the home of Dean Sage [MTNJ 3: 179n5; The Twainian, Sept-Oct. 1956, p4].
Livy’s diary entry:
August 25 Tuesday – Sam, Livy, and the Sages traveled to Mt. Onteora, New York in the Catskills near Tannersville to visit Candace Wheeler (Mrs. Thomas M. Wheeler), mother of Dora Wheeler Keith, the artist. “Mrs Wheeler specialized in the design of tapestries and fabrics for Louis C.
August 26 Wednesday – Webster & Co. per Frederick J. Hall wrote “pleasure to report that in round numbers the reported sales up to date are 151,000 sets” [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Immense news”
August 27 Thursday –Sam wrote from Mt. Onteora, New York to Miss Nettie (last name not given).
“Dear Miss Nettie— /Anybody can tell the bare truth: let us study to adorn it./ Truly Yours / Mark Twain” [MTP].
August 28 Friday – In a Aug. 31 letter to Sarah A. Sage, Sam refers to his “finished business in New York in about three hours and a half,” so it would seem he and Livy traveled from Onteora back to New York City, and then on to Quarry Farm the next day. (See Aug.
August 29 Saturday – Sam and Livy returned to Quarry Farm [The Twainian Sept-Oct 1956, p4; Susan Crane’s letters to Paine]. They arrived “before supper” [Aug. 31 to Sage]. Livy’s diary entry:
“Quarry Farm Aug 29th / Here we are back again after our pleasant trip away. We enjoyed our stay in the Catskills exceedingly….We found the children all well and glad to get us back”[MTP].
August 30 Sunday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Orion, who was anxious about agents taking books from Webster & Co., and not paying for them.
August 31 Monday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Sarah A. Sage (Mrs. Dean Sage).
I find my youth renewed by that lark in the mountains, whereas it is to be hoped that Dean Sage is just as old as he was before, for throwing away his opportunity. I believe he would have profited by staying and letting business run it’s [sic] self for a while. Come to think of it, Joe ought to have been there, that was just the place for Joe [Twichell] [MTP].
September 1 Tuesday – Jesse R. Grant wrote giving Henry A. Taylor’s NYC address and saying he’d advise Taylor that Sam would call on him regarding the Turkish railroad scheme [MTP].
Frank C. Raubs wrote from City Prison, NYC to beg for a loan of $50 for bail [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “From the scoundrel Raubs” who had stolen from Webster & Co.
September 2 Wednesday – Susan E. Dickinson wrote: “I sent Miss Bond off to school 24 hours before your letter came. Now I send her your check; and she will send it back to me to draw from bank here…”” [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Anna Dickinson’s sister”; Sade E. Bond.