October 20 Friday – At 4:50 p.m. in New York, on Players Club letterhead, Sam wrote to Livy. He mentioned a change in plans about his skeleton novelette idea, and would evaluate his “old translation of Struwelpeter & see if it is worth publishing.” He felt a new color printing invention by Cosmopolitan would be “just the thing” with the story. Charles and Julia Langdon had been in the city “a couple of days,” and had complained that Clara spent all her Elmira time at Miss Katherine Willard’s (daughter of Berlin schoolteacher Mary B. Willard) and Quarry Farm.
Charley seems to have a very warm place in his heart for Clara & it hurt me to see him so wounded. Julie’s feeling, in the matter, did not greatly concern me, for there’s nothing to Julie. She’s really only a bundle of envy & jealousy & transparent generalities. [Note: Julia was Charles’ and Ida’ s daughter].
Sam noted that Underhill’s son (Irving S. Underhill) never paid him the second $500 on his “Adam’s Diary” sketch that ran in the Niagara book, and in fact had been pushed out by “his rich backer,” so Sam notified the backer (Nichols) that he must pay or face a lawsuit. (See June 3, Oct 14 entries). He’d not heard any more about Prof. William D. Cabell going to Richmond. Cabell hosted several gatherings when Sam was in Washington, D.C in 1889. See Feb. 2, 1889. Suggesting a break in the Cabell marriage and Sam’s disdain for Mrs. Isa Carrington Cabell, he wrote:
If there was a breach I’m afraid it is healed — a thing which was to have been expected, I suppose. I reckon she’ll still be there when we go to Hartford — consound it!
Sam was glad that Susy was “better & coming along!” and was “to be substantial enough to take her singing lessons.” He finished with the reassurance that he was getting all of Livy’s letters, though his replies were but “hurried snatches” [MTP].
Sam also wrote to Murat Halstead.
That’s the kind of report I like to read. I have sent it to Mrs. Clemens.
I hold myself under weighty obligations to you for that delightful night. A body couldn’t ever have a better time than I had. Please offer my very best compliments to Mr. Berri — a man who knows how to be chairman at a banquet — a most rare gift in this world, as you have found out long before this [Note: Sam referred to the Oxford Club banquet on Oct. 17].
He also passed information on an unnamed job applicant who Halstead might be able to help [MTP].
Clara Clemens arrived in New York from Elmira with Miss Katherine Willard [Oct. 21 to Livy].