June 19 Sunday – On or just after this date, In Hartford, Sam answered James W. See’s June 17 inquiry. There was no Western manufacturer and See should work with Slote & Co. On scrapbook matters, as Sam was bound by his contract [MTP].

Sam also wrote to Edward H. House, who had been staying with the Clemenses and would look after the house when the Clemens family removed to Elmira. (House may have returned first to New York for a brief time.) Sam sent thanks,

…with all my heart. If you have forgiven me, it is all that I desire & that which happened is as dead & buried as if it had never occurred…[MTP paraphrase Swann Galleries, 11 Oct. 1990 item 296]. Note: House would later insult some of Sam’s neighbors, and relations between the two men would become strained.

In the evening, the Clemenses gave a grand dinner for Grace King. Unfortunately, another guest was invited without considering King’s Southern sentiments — General Lucius Fairchild, a Union war hero who had lost the use of one arm. He’d once been Governor of Wisconsin (see listings in MTDBD vol. I). Fairchild had recently denounced President Cleveland’s gesture to return Confederate battle flags to the South. Bush writes of the evening and of King’s reactions in a letter to her sister Nan:

“It was this sensitive subject that he [Fairchild] chose to discuss at the dinner for Grace King. She wore her sister’s best blue silk on that cold, rainy Sunday evening. Protected by the waterproofs and umbrellas, she had been escorted to the Clemenses by their neighbor, Charles Dudley Warner” [36].

…abomination and detestation, the man I’ve been railing at like everything for a week — Gen. Fairchild. He is a very good looking, sleek faced one arm rascal. Hypocrite is written all over his face and drops from his tongue whenever he opens his mouth. — The table was beautiful — round with an exquisite cut glass bowl in the centre filled with daisies, ferns and grasses — a bunch of white roses was at each one’s plate. Of course Clemens took me in, [to] Mrs Clemens Gen. Fairchild. The candelabra were of twisted silver, with yellow candles and shades. Olives, salted almonds, and bonbons in curious dishes were on the table and decanters of quaint shape and color held the wine. The soup was “Claire” — the Clairest you ever saw, delicious flavor — sherry. Then fresh salmon, white wine sauce — Apollinaris water — Sweet breads in cream served I vow, in what looked like pomatum pots — with covers…

After coffee — Mr Clark [Charles Hopkins Clark] and Karl Gerhardt the sculptor came in and we had a very gay time. Mr Clemens repeated two of Joe Twichell’s jokes…The guests were all thanking me for “my dinner”…. [36-7].

Caroline E. Coit wrote from Thurville, Ohio asking Sam to settle “a family discussion” — were the particulars of “English As She Is Taught” “bona fide or not?” Sam wrote on the envelope, “Logic — if I lied in the article (to this fool) I may since be expected to tell her the truth privately. There is nothing so subtly ignorant so silly & ignorant & vulgar in ‘Eng’ as in this letter” [MTP].

Caroline B. Le Row wrote from Brooklyn a melodramatic letter full of isteri to Sam about her letter which appeared in this day’s World . “How enthusiastic Prof. Loisette is over the little book! I lunched with him yesterday and enjoyed a long talk with him. ‘It will do as much for education as “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” did for slavery,’ was one of his opinions….I realize that all of its success so far is due to your unexampled generosity. I am grateful” [MTP].