February 7 Sunday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Lilian Aldrich for the ailing Livy, declining an invitation to visit. Not only was Livy laid up, but also daughter Clara, who found tobogganing a dangerous sport:
Clara & her toboggan ran into a tree, & the former got the worst sprained ankle in history. It is thought she must keep her bed several weeks.
From Susy Clemens’ diary entry of Mar. 14:
Clara sprained her ankle, a little while ago, by running into a tree, when coasting, and while she was unable to walk with it she played solatair with cards a great deal. While Clara was sick and papa saw her play solatair so much, he got very much interested in the game, and finally began to play it himself a little, then Jean took it up, and at last mamma, even played it occasionally; Jean’s and papa’s love for it isteri increased, and now Jean brings the cards every night to the table and papa and mamma help her play, and before dinner is at an end, papa has gotten a I pack of cards, and is playing alone, with great interest, mamma and Clara next are made subject to the contagious solatair, and there are four solatarians at the table; while you hear nothing but “Fill up the place” etc. It is dreadful! After supper Clara goes into the library, and gets a little red mahogany table, and placing it under the gas fixture seats herself and begins to play again, then papa follows with another table of the same description, and they play solatair till bedtime [Papa 204-5].
Sam and Livy sent their “kindest regards to the aged poet,” Thomas Bailey Aldrich [MTP]. Note: Lilian was not one of Sam’s favorite people, so it’s likely that this reply, written for Livy, signifies she was not doing well. The Clemens children, and no doubt Mildred “Pilla” Howells during her visit for the P&P play, ran toboggans (Sam bought in Canada the winter before) down the steep hill behind their house to the river. The exact date of Clara’s injury is unclear, but probably this first week in February, after the 3rd. [The New York Times, Feb. 3 p.4 reported: increasing cloudiness, with snow or rain, a slight rise, followed by falling temperature, and decidedly colder weather]. The average daily temperature for the State of Conn. in January was 18 degrees [Hartford Courant, Feb. 4 p.2 “Metrological Report for January, 1886”].
From Susy Clemens’ diary:
Feb. 7th 86. Jean who is just five years old, has learned the part of the lady Jane Grey by hearing us rehearse, and she can act it quite well making up for the words she cant get straight, by adding great emphasis to the ones she knows.
Feb 7th I overheard papa telling Jean a story this morning, it amused me very much it was a story of Such great variety, and indeed papa has practise in telling stories of variety as Jean is achild of variety and original ideas, and papa is too, (I mean such a man) so half of the story he devotes to his own fancy, (if Jean allows) the other half to Jeans; I heard only a part of the story this morning, so I asked Jean to tell it to me afterwards so she did…. Here is another story, of papa’s, told to me by Jean.
A Tiger in the Jungle
Once there was a tiger lying in a jungle on a very hot day, he heard a cow in front of him “Moo, — “Moo” Moo” He got up and said and said he would have a real nice breakfast. But he couldn’t catch the cow and he heard a little calf, so he stopped trying to catch the cow and ran after the calf, pretty soon he heard a cat “meaw” — “meau,” still nearer him than the calf, so he chased the cat, then he heard a dog, — “Bow, wow,” so he ran after the dog then he heard a rooster “Cuck-adoodle doo,” — then he ran after the rooster, round, and round, and round, the rooster seemed nearer, and nearer, but still he couldn’t get it, at last he fell down dead, from tiredness. He had been running after his own tail [Papa 183-5].