May 16 Sunday – In Boston, Howells had expected more details on the compromise. He’d not yet received the scorcher letter from Sam, heaping all the blame on him.

I suppose you got my note of Wednesday [May 12] acknowledging your dispatch. I’ve been expecting a letter giving some details of the way you found out of our hobble. I don’t feel content to let you bear the brunt of the whole thing. Do write [MTHL 2: 563] Note: Sam did write!

Sam responded to a request (now lost) from Joseph B. Gilder in New York for Sam to list the romances and poetry that he felt folks should read. Gilder and sister Jeannette L. Gilder founded Critic magazine in 1881. They were siblings of Richard Watson Gilder of the Century.

If it be a confession, then let me confess — to wit:

1.All the romance which I have read in twenty years would not over-crowd a couple of crown octavo volumes; 2. All the poetry …could be put between the lids of one octavo. I do not read anything but history & biography…my testimony would not be valuable [MTP].

William Graham wrote from Boston to Sam of missing him by three days on his last trip to Beantown. Again he invited Sam to stop by his studio on his next visit. Sam wrote on the envelope, “Graham the Venetian artist” [MTP].