October 17 Tuesday – In New York, Sam began a story/letter to Livy that he laid aside forgotten until he moved into new quarters at The Players on Dec. 16, 1893. Sam titled the tale, based on a young girl he’d seen at Dora Keith’s, “TALE OF THE DIME-NOVEL MAIDEN”. Sam finished the tale on Dec. 16 and then put it in a letter to Livy on Dec. 17.

Sam conferred with Henry H. Rogers, who had a plan for the Paige typesetter. (See Oct. 18 to Livy).

Sam gave a dinner speech in Brooklyn at the Oxford Club. The talk included “the watermelon story,” and was reported the next day by the Brooklyn Eagle, October 18, 1893, p.5, “MARK TWAIN THE GUEST:

The Oxford club opened its season of social entertainment last night with a dinner to Mr. Samuel L. Clemens. (Mark Twain.) The diningroom was handsomely decorated. A zither quartet furnished music. Dinner was served at 7 o’clock and was in the best style of the steward, Adam Kiefer. To the right and left of President Berri, as guests of the evening, sat Mr. Samuel L. Clemens, Colonel John A. Cockerill, John Brisbin [sic] Walker of the Cosmopolitan; Murat Halstead, William Cullen Bryant, General A. C. Barnes. There were also present [a long list].

When the coffee and cigar stage arrived Mr. Berri, in introducing the guest, said that before he had met Mr. Clemens he had formed quite an opinion of him, through his contact with young ladies who called on him with portraits of Mark Twain taken in various poses of a more or less thoughtful character. These portraits gave him the idea that if brains were concentrated in any one place they must be in the head of Mark Twain ….He welcomed Mr. Clemens in the name of the club and trusted that the remaining years of his life would be lightened by the pleasure he had afforded others.

Mr Clemens spoke in part as follows:

I thank you, Mr. Chairman, very sincerely for the closing sentence, which was very complimentary. Some men deserve compliments, but the only one that is welcome to a modest man is the one that is undeserved. In writing “Tom Sawyer” I had no idea of laying down rules for the bringing up of small families, but merely to throw out hints as to how they might bring themselves up, and the boys seemed to have caught the idea nicely. It is difficult to talk with out a text, and very trying to a modest man to talk on a compliment to himself. I might appear vain. On that point I would immediately convene this gathering into a lodge of sorrow. I read a story the other day which I shall use as my text. It recited how the governor of this state confessed that he had stolen a dollar back from a boy who had stolen it from him, and that he proceeded to draw a moral from the confession of his own mendacity. There is an old maxim that says “All men are liars.” I forget who wrote it, whether it was King Solomon or little George Washington. But, who ever it was, perhaps he himself was the one he meant when he wrote it. I have a new maxim to suggest: “All men are thieves and liars.” They don’t all remain thieves, but they do remain liars. Some men reform in the first class. Now, in the matter of theft, as between the governor and me — I say it with all modesty — yet I could beat him out in moral conscience. He speaks of how he stole the bill and shows no sign of making restitution. When I was a boy in Missouri the farmers carted their watermelons to market for sale. One day I climbed up on one of the wagons to look at the melons, and wondering in my mind what providence had in store for me and whether it was anything favorable. I would be there, however, and would not lose the benefit. It turned out that providence had me in mind, for the farmer went away and I stole a watermelon. I felt as good as the governor did with his dollar. When I had taken the melon to a place of safety I concluded that it was my duty to see whether the melon was good or whether I had been imposed upon, so I plugged it. It was green. I concluded that one could not eat a melon in that state and that it was wrong and criminal to bring such fruit to market. On due consideration I took it back and delivered it up to that farmer. The governor didn’t do that and that’s where we differ. I had a moral sense of duty. I took the melon back and showed the farmer that it was green and told him that he should not peddle green fruit. He very properly apologized and gave me a ripe one. We parted good friends, with the assurance on my part that he would always have my custom. That was the reward of honesty and where the governor and I differ. I could very readily see the criminality of the farmer in peddling green fruit, and while it was not necessary for me to confess my part and repent, my fine sense of moral right enabled me to effect a compromise. I must ask you all to confess your thefts, what was the date of the last one, its nature and whether you intend to continue in your career.