January 27 Friday – Sam wrote from Buffalo to Thomas Bailey Aldrich concerning the Bret Harte plagiarism claim and Sam’s subsequent denial that the Carl Byng verses were his.

“No, indeed, don’t take back the apology! Hang it, I don’t want to abuse a man’s civility merely because he gives me the chance.”

Sam also gave credit to Harte for changing him:

“…from an awkward utterer of coarse grotesquenesses to a writer of paragraphs and chapters that have found a certain flavor in the eyes of even some of the very decentest people in the land…” [MTL 4: 316].

Sam also wrote to Elisha Bliss:

“I have to go to Washington next Tuesday & stay a week, but will send you 150 MS pages before going, if you say so. It seems to me that I would much rather do this. Telegraph me now, right away—don’t wait to write. Next Wednesday I’ll meet you in N.Y.—& if you can’t come there I’ll run up & see you” [MTL 4: 319].

Sam also wrote to Isaac E. Sheldon, protesting prices over 25 cents for the proposed pamphlet, which Sheldon eventually published in both paper and cloth bindings, priced at 40 and 75 cents respectively. Bliss was upset that cloth bindings would translate as a “book” and thus violate his contract with Sam. Agreement was made to limit the number of cloth bindings issued, but Sheldon did not honor the agreement [MTL 4: 320-1]. Years later, Sam was still trying to collect from Sheldon (see Sept. 24, 1882 entry).