June 28 Thursday – In Elmira Sam walked to the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corp. (Charles Langdon’s new firm name) and wrote a letter to Joe Twichell on their letterhead.

Dear Joe: How they waste their privileges — the women. That is a thought which swam through my mind as I was walking down here a moment ago. It was born of a perplexity: how in the nation to excuse myself from a blow-out in New York with something better than the tiresome old “circumstances-over-which-I have-no-control” sort — something with a whang of actuality about it, something which nobody could absolutely know was an invention. They — the women — why, their noble chance is wholly wasted on them; they never in any case use it. But land! Suppose we had it. We would play it 31 days in the month & 365 in the year….

“January 1. Gentlemen: I am sorry to be obliged to say that my monthlies having come upon me last night, etc.” …. Jan. 4. Mr. Chairman — Dear Sir: I am expecting to be unwell upon the date named, etc.” Jan. 5 Mrs. President — Dear Madam: I should have been quite able to accept, ordinarily, & would of course do so with pleasure, but unhappily I have gone over my time, & so am obliged to decline since I cannot now foretell when I shall be taken unwell,” etc — Jan. 6 Gentlemen: I regret to say that I have been a little irregular for some time, & my monthly period having now come upon me before due, I find myself obliged to telegraph this withdrawal…Jan. 7. My Dear Young Ladies: to my inexpressible regret I am flowing again…. [paragraph breaks omitted].

Sam also thanked Joe and enjoyed “greatly…being a Master of Arts.” He ended the letter with:

I send my love to you all. But I shall not tell Livy I have written, because she would want to know what it was I wrote [MTP].

Webster & Co. per Frederick J. Hall wrote to Sam:

We enclose herewith two notices with reference to the Sheridan book, which appeared in the “Times” and “Tribune”, also a little notice with reference to yourself which is in most of the morning papers. The Scribner matter is going to go through all right. Mr. Burlingame has to come to the office and look over the manuscript and make several selections, out of which we shall say what we can let him have [MTP].