June 2 Wednesday – In Hartford the Putnam Phalanx met and elected new members. Sam had previously been voted an Honorary Life Member along with Henry C. Robinson, Gen. Joseph R. Hawley, and 26 others. The Hartford Courant ran “The Putnam Phalanx” p.3, June 3 listing the “Active Committee” and the honoraries. Sam’s letter of May 22 was read aloud. He may have been in attendance.

Sam wrote a short note to Andrew Chatto, referring him to an unnamed, “enclosed applicant” (possibly F. Siemens Von Osterman in Dresden, Germany) who had written regarding translations of Sam’s books in Europe. Sam reminded Chatto that:

All authority over translations of my books in Europe is vested in your firm [MTP].

Sam also wrote to Orion Clemens about the upcoming trip he and the family would make to Keokuk.

To avoid the awful railway journey, we shall try the Lake route. We sail from Buffalo in the “India,” June 22, for Duluth….It is said that the food & accommodations are poor, but I doubt if they are poorer than what we several times endured on the Atlantic ten or twelve years ago.

We go from Duluth to St Paul by rail, & then to Keokuk by steamboat. Altogether it is a 7 or 8-day journey, I suppose.

Sam wrote that Livy insisted on them staying at a boarding house across the street, since there would be six of them (including a governess), but that they would share meals with Orion and Mollie. Sam expected to leave Hartford for Elmira on June 15.

Sam also wrote to Alfred P. Burbank, letter not extant [June 3 from Burbank].

Sam wrote chk # 3252 from Bissell & Co. Bank to Lord’s C&D Office for 1.00 [MTP]