December 26 Friday – Sam wrote from Hartford to his nephew, Samuel Moffett, who was in Atlanta and had sent his uncle “the very book” he had “been wanting & intending to buy, ever since it was published.” (The title of the book is unknown.)

Livy was “by no means well,” Sam wrote [MTLE 4: 185]. Livy, not a strong woman, had been worn down by the travels, supervising every detail of the redecorating, and by her usual festooning of the house with Christmas décor.

December 26-31, 1879 addition – In Hartford Sam replied to the Dec. 21 from Robert S. Critchell:

      Dear Sir: / Here’s fun & more of it. I received your letter of Dec. 21. It got here after the chickens did, & as our mutual friend, Robert Law, had been in the habit of sending me a Christmas present of prairie chickens for a great many years I jumped to the conclusion he had done it again, & so I went to the telegraph office & wired him my thanks for your chickens. I want you to see Law & tell him I don’t take back any of the thanks I wired. I want him to add those to the old account, but I want to say to you that those chickens were fine & came just in time for Christmas dinner, & I am glad you got that agency [MTPO: “Recent Changes,” Jan. 20, 2009: Chicago Tribune, May 11, 1902].