January 8 Thursday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Howells.

Am waiting for Patrick to come with the carriage—Mrs. Clemens & I are starting (without the children!) to stay indefinitely in Elmira. The wear & tear of settling the house broke her down, & she has been growing weaker & weaker for a fortnight. All that time—in fact ever since I saw you—I have been fighting a life-&-death battle with this infernal book & hoping to get done some day. I required 300 pages of MS, & I have written near 600 since I saw you—& tore it all up except 288. This I was about to tear up yesterday & begin again, when Mrs. Perkins came up to the billiard room & said, “You will never get any woman to do the thing necessary to save her life by mere persuasion; you see you have wasted your words for 3 weeks; it is time to use force; she must have a change; take her home & leave the children here” [MTLE 5: 9].

Sam also wrote a short note to Thomas Bailey Aldrich, advising of their removal to Elmira [MTLE 5: 10].

Sam and Livy left Hartford for Elmira. (See Jan. 7 entry).