February 7 Wednesday – In New York Sam wrote to Livy, explaining that he lost a day when sending letters by English steamers, and there was only one French steamer per week from N.Y. Sam told of arranging to sell a big block of his stock in the new type-setter company with J.M. Shoemaker, a representative of the Standard Oil Co. for the Elmira district. Sam had sent for Shoemaker; Rogers couldn’t sell a large block without causing anxiety and being accused of pure speculation, but Sam could. Shoemaker had a satisfactory conference with H.H. Rogers about the fifty cent per share value Sam had placed on the stock.
If I get up a trade with him [Shoemaker] I shall then be in a position to make my next move: I mean to ask Mr. Rogers to let me sell some stock to the other big Standard Oilers — the Rockefellers and Archbold.
Sam listed five matters in his “pretty full” hands: First, terms were being “arranged” for getting him out of Webster & Co. and he’d sign soon. Second, he had also ordered a suit against Daniel Frohman to recover the five or six thousand in royalties (he was glad Edward H. House got no more than this); Third, Frank Mayo wanted to dramatize CY and also PW — he had an appointment to see him at midnight after Mayo’s theatrical work was done. Fourth, some “People with capital and facilities” wanted to publish a magazine under his name. He didn’t want to do any “actual work” on it but wanted the editor under his command. This was a plan of Sam’s for a magazine of reprints to be called The Back Number, and for his nephew Samuel Moffett to help edit; also possibly John Brisben Walker of Cosmopolitan [MTHHR 19; NB 33 TS 39a]. Lastly and fifth, Sam had a magazine article in his head for Youth’s Companion which would pay well.
Every now & then I am seized with an all-powerful desire to rush off to France. But I have to crowd it down. I have made a sufficiency of business mistakes; this time I mean to make none.
Sam added that if Livy still had the cables he’d sent about the typesetter, to keep them and “We’ll frame them, some day, & hang them in our bedroom.” And would the girls please number their letter pages? Lost pages made for difficult reading [MTP].
Sam’s notebook lists an engagement from 4 to 6 p.m. at Charles A. Dana’s [NB 33 TS 54].