Submitted by scott on
August 19 Saturday – In Norfolk, Conn. Sam finished his Aug. 17 to Joe Twichell:

P.S. 19th. Your letter arrived from Dublin yesterday evening. It gave me great pleasure, although it was a breach of the prohibition.

I am still in bed—it is the sixth day, but seems the 40th—& there is no immediate prospect of my getting on my feet. However, “prospects” go for nothing in gout, I may be on my feet in three days.

Clara brought in various reverberations of your thunders at that luncheon—no, I mean cordial compliments evoked by those thunders. I am dreadfully obliged to you for filling that breach so compactly & effectively; it leaves me barren of any sense of guilt or shame—& I should certainly have felt both guilt & shame, otherwise, as knowing that those people would blame me. Other things are forgiven, but the failure of chief guest is never forgiven, except he be dead. With lots of love to both…[MTP: Cummings file].

Sam also wrote to daughter Jean, the letter not extant but mentioned in Miss Lyon’s journal below:

Isabel Lyon’s journal: Mr. Clemens writing to Jean says that he has “everything necessary for a prolonged stay—including the gout.” Jean and I went to hear Mr. Franklin MacVeagh speak on Labor Unions. It was very interesting to watch Mr. Brush’s face as he listened with avid intentness to Mr. MacVeagh. It is a face so living, so keen, so sensitive , quivering with intelligence and artistic feeling [MTP TS 88].

Trombley writes of a conversation Isabel Lyon had with Thomas Wentworth Higginson about her working on a biography of Mark Twain: Clearly Twain’s own story was a highly marketable commodity, and Isabel recognized its value when she repeated a comment that the author and abolitionist Thomas Wentworth Higginson made to her in August 1905, “that really if publishers had any sense they would be approaching me on the subject of ‘writing up’ Mr. Clemens.” Isabel had modestly declined. “How terrible. And just because I know Mr. Clemens in his strongest best silent beautiful self. That is the very reason why it would be an impossible thing for me to do. It wouldn’t be possible for me to do him justice in any one of his characteristics” [MTOW 61]. Note: Trombley had access to many uncataloged items of diary, journal, workbook, etc. of Miss Lyon. Trombley puts this excerpt to: “Aug. 19, 1905, loose page, 1903-05, Box, VC [Vassar College].”

The New York Times, Aug. 20, p.7 ran a special datelined Aug. 19:
MARK TWAIN ILL OF GOUT.
———
Humorist Now Is Recovering Rapidly at Norfolk, Conn.
Special to The New York Times.

WINSTED, Conn., Aug. 19.—Samuel Clemens, known throughout the world as Mark Twain, humorist and novelist, is recovering from a severe attack of gout at Edgewood, a cottage in Norfolk, rented for the season by Miss Clara Clemens, daughter of Mr. Clemens.

Mr. Clemens was attacked one week ago today. He is still confined to his bed, but his speedy recovery is anticipated. Dr. Ward Quintard of New York, a Summer resident of Norfolk, is attending Mr. Clemens, who hoped to be able to leave Norfolk next week. Mr. Clemens was obliged to send his regrets on Tuesday to Mr. and Mrs. Bridgeman, who had arranged a dinner at their home, Foxhill, in his honor. Mr. Clemens is past seventy years of age.

William Hill in London wrote to Sam with the news that he was starting a new paper, the London Tribune, on January 15, 1906, “intended to be a Liberal Organ of the highest class.” Would he write “a series of articles”? [MTP]. Note: Hill signed he was a member of the Whitefriar’s Club.

Day By Day Acknowledgment

Mark Twain Day By Day was originally a print reference, meticulously created by David Fears, who has generously made this work available, via the Center for Mark Twain Studies, as a digital edition.