January 23 Wednesday – At 5 p.m. at Fifth Ave., N.Y. Sam fell up the front steps and skinned his “starboard shin” [Jan. 26 to Jean].
Isabel Lyon’s journal: More about Aldrich’s coat—label gone.
This afternoon Mr. Clemens went up to Mrs. Nathan’s to see a clever clairvoyant Prof. Bert Rees a big-faced German who read the contents of folded bits of paper in quite a wonderful way. He told the King among other things that he would live to be 98 years ten months & 2 days old—& the King wants to swap off some of those years & months & days.
Today C.C. had another letter from T.B. Aldrich about that coat, & how the complaint is that the London label has been taken out, & how could it have happened—a poet—a man of letters —harassed by the loss of a tiny coat label—it is unthinkable; but again it shows Aldrich as he truly is & not as the finely sensitive creature that strangers believe him to be. The creature whose mentality is of a quality to keep him above the region of coats, let alone a label [TS 18- 19]. Note: Mrs. Nathan may be Maud Nathan (Mrs. Frederick Nathan). See 24 Dec. 1909.
George B. Cortelyou wrote on Postmaster General, Washington DC notepaper to invite Clemens to the annual banquet of the University Club of Washington on Feb. 16 [MTP]. Note: Lyon wrote on the letter: “Shouldn’t be able to come now in old age, but in any case have an engagement for that date.”
John C.G. Cumming wrote from Falkirk, Scotland to Sam, insisting he was not an autograph collector and thanking him for his many books. He also told a tale about corpses being dug up in China and gorgonzola cheese, that “looks like a variation of one of yours, Sir, but it isn’t” [MTP]. Note: see Sam’s reply Feb.2-6 entry. Also IVL’s journal Feb. 4 entry.
George H. Himes wrote on Oregon Historical Society, Portland, Ore. letterhead to Sam. After reading one of the recent Autobiography articles in the NAR, Himes recalled he’d written Sam about “a journeyman printer named [Urban East] Hicks, who worked in the office of your Brother Orion at Hannibal, in he late 40’s; and the fact that I wrote to you about him perhaps 18 years ago, when he was in my employ.” Since Sam had inquired of Hicks, Himes told what became of him and the various places he lived in his declining years; also of his death at age 78 when a train ran over him. He added a page of his history with Hicks that began in the late fall of 1853 [MTP].
George W. Jepsen wrote for The Danish Dramatic Society, NYC to announce that Mrs. Oda Nielsen from Copenhagen, Denmark has arrived in New York and would go on tour in the US. She could “sing in almost any language, and she has a manner of interpreting her songs, which is unknown here, and which has made her famous in Europe.” Sam was invited to be the guest of honor to meet her on Jan. 27, 8 p.m. [MTP].
Clemens A.D. for this day is listed by MTP as “really two dictations.”