November 29 Thursday – Thanksgiving – In Hartford Sam answered the Nov. 26 from Orion, somewhat upset to discover no attendant had been hired for their mother.

Jesus Christ! — It is perilous to write such a man. You can go crazy on less material than anybody that ever lived. What in hell has produced all these maniacal imaginings? You told me you had hired an attendant for ma. Now hire one instantly, & stop this nonsense of wearing Mollie & yourself out trying to do that nursing yourselves.

Sam directed his brother to let him know the cost so he might add it to the monthly checks sent from Webster & Co.

And don’t write me any more damned rot about “storms,” & inability to pay trivial sums of money and — & — hell & damnation! You see I’ve read only the first page of your letter; I wouldn’t read the rest for a million dollars.

Sam added after his signature that he hadn’t lost his temper; not to imagine he was on the way to the poorhouse; or that he was uneasy; or uncomfortable or unhappy, for he never was and at this late day he wasn’t going to learn how to be [MTP]. Note: Orion had the talent of evoking such letters from Sam.

In the evening, the Clemenses and the Cranes had a “good and jolly time,” with Theodore in good spirits [Livy to King Dec. 4]. Livy wrote of the evening:

We had an unusually good and gay Thanksgiving…. Theodore laughed so heartily that I really felt afraid he would overdo himself — but he feels no worse this morning and says he wishes he could have such a gay time every evening [Salsbury 255].

Carl Edler von der Planitz (Mikado) wrote from Dresden, Germany to Sam — in German. Planitz wrote a fan letter in which he mentions that he read Twain’s stories in translation; he also identified himself as a “colleague” who was in the business of writing humorous pieces and was unable to get “Punch, brothers Punch!” out of his head after reading it. He was associated with Simplicissimus, a famous German humor magazine, but he did not seem to have held a prominent position there. He sent two of his “humorous booklets” published under his pen name, “Mikado”: Die Mopsiade (a satire on a military man named “Hans Mops”), and Regiment für die Verheirathung der Offizere (Marriage Rules for Military Officers).  [MTP]. Note: Planitz is not in Gribben. Many thanks to Holger Kersten for the translation/summary.