November 27 Friday – Livy’s 46th birthday.

In Berlin Sam wrote a list of answers to an unidentified man, explaining the meanings of “Ground-pea, goober, pea-nut” (all the same; gooseberries are never called ground peas); “Booger” and “bugbear” (originally “Big bear”); “bee-gum” (a bee-hive made from a hollow tree section and a board); “gallus, galluses” (braces, suspenders, hosen-träger, knitted of yarn); and identifying Harris as one of the editors of the Atlanta Constitution [MTP]. Note: Sam’s mention of hosen-träger suggests this letter was to a German, perhaps a Berliner. All of these terms do not appear in any one of Sam’s major works. “Ground-pea,” “bugbear,” “gallus” do appear in Innocents Abroad.

Frederick J. Hall’s Webster & Co. statement arrived in the morning. Sam responded,

That kind of a statement is valuable….This is the first time since the business began that I have had a report that furnished the kind of information I wanted, & was really enlightening & satisfactory. Keep it up. Don’t let it fall into desuetude.

Everything looks so fine & handsome with the business, now, that I feel a great let-up from depression. The rewards of your long & patient industry are on their way, & their arrival safe in port presently seems assured. By George I shall be glad when the ship comes in!

Sam also notified he was mailing the “Marienbad — A Health Factory” letter on Tuesday (Dec. 1) and the “Jungfrau” letter (“Switzerland: The Cradle of Liberty”) next Friday (Dec. 4). These were the fourth and fifth of six letters from Europe.

I shall write the 6th & last letter by & by when I have studied Berlin sufficiently [MTLTP 293-4].

F.W. Mitchell wrote to Sam on US Dept. of Interior, Bureau of Pensions letterhead — another personal reaction to the “Telegraphy” article in Harper’s [MTP].