June 23 Friday – Tuckey puts this day as the last work Sam did on “Three Thousand Years Among the Microbes” [135]. Note: also, Starrett, MT Encyc. 736.

Isabel Lyon’s journal: This afternoon Mrs. Dwight called, we were having tea on the porch. Mr. Clemens had just joined us, so Jean told him he mustn’t escape, he must stay and be good. Prosper [Jean’s dog] appeared just then, and that threw the talk into the lovely story of Mr. Clemens’s trip to New York to keep an appointment with Mr. Daly, and how Mr. Daly’s big Irishman wouldn’t admit Mr. Clemens. He hadn’t admitted anyone to that sanctum for 25 years without instructions from Mr. Daly to do so. This day there hadn’t been any instructions. Mr.Clemens had been told how to find the sanctum, go into a court, from a street and go to the first door that you see. There was the door but behind it was the big Irishman. No, Mr. Clemens couldn’t see Mr. Daly, and no one was allowed to smoke there either. So Mr. Clemens put his cigar down. But that morning the New Haven news dealer who boarded the train had only New Haven papers, they were better than nothing, so Mr. Clemens bought one and read it all, advertisements even,—one whole page was given up to a Bench Show, and the only illustration was that of a big prize $10,000 St. Bernard. Mr. Clemens read it all, read the dimensions and weight and name of that dog, go the name of the head man of the Bench Show too. As he stood trying to convince the big Irishman that Mr. Daly wanted to see him, that his business was of interest to Mr. Daly, the Irishman blandly said, “Yes, they all say that”—a big St. Bernard entered the little room. The Irishman’s face changed as the splendid creature walked in. He had just asked Mr. Clemens the nature of that business and Mr. Clemens told us that he couldn’t say he was a lecturer, he wouldn’t stand any show with the Irishman—but he did say he was the bench show man from New Haven. The Irishman flew around, pulled off his vest, hadn’t any coat on, and dusted the only chair for Mr. Clemens, and Mr. Clemens did it all for us, he dusted off the chair, he was the happy worshipful Irishman to a dot, and he told us how he guessed the length and weight of that dog so captivating the Irishman that he showed Mr. Clemens the way up to Mr. Daly’s sanctum to the utter amazement of Mr. Daly [MTP TS 68-69]. Note: Sam shared this same story in a dinner speech on Apr. 13, 1887; see entry, Vol II.

Ralph W. Ashcroft wrote on Koy-Lo Co. letterhead to Sam, enclosing a letter from John T. Lewis, of Elmira. “Shall I tell him to apply direct to the Insole Company for his next pair of Insoles?” [MTP]. Note: written by Miss Lyon on the bottom: “Send bill to Mr. Clemens”

Frederick A. Duneka wrote to Sam, having sent the letter Sam suggested to the Congo Reform Assoc. in Boston. He considered it “good news about the pile of [Sam’s] manuscript growing so rapidly.” He advised that Col. Harvey would sail for home on July 5 [MTP].

Edward Lauterbach wrote a short thank-you note to Sam for his congratulations upon Lauterbach’s elevation to Doctor of Laws [MTP].