June 22 Monday – In Port Elizabeth Sam wrote to H.H. Rogers, who had not cabled the actual date of his marriage (June 3), though Sam knew of his plans to marry Emilie Hart.

I don’t know yet if the marriage has taken place, but I heartily hope it has; for both of you are lovable people and you could not fail to make each other happy. I was minded to cable my congratulations, but that is a dangerous thing to do when the distance is so great….That reminds me of the time I cabled the words “Hearty Congratulations” from New York to a bride in Berlin — timing the cablegram to hit the wedding-hour but it came within only an hour or two of congratulating her on her father’s sudden death. …

About the time this reaches you we shall be cabling Susy and Jean to come over to England; and so I hope you will let Miss Harrison engage passage for them in an American liner when they or Langdon let you know the date they wish to sail on. Please pay the fares and charge to ac/ of Mrs. Clemens.

I wish to gosh you had cabled the marriage — do you like suspense? Love to both of you…[MTHHR 223-4]. Note: Sam’s estimation of both as “lovable” reveals he had met Emilie Hart.

By yet another coincidence, H.H. Rogers wrote to Sam on the very day Sam wrote to him. Rogers had just received a note from Harper & Brothers and enclosed a copy. Augustin Daly was interested in dramatizing JA, and the note was a preliminary offer of Harper accepting one quarter of the profits from Daly. Rogers wrote, “I assume that Harper & Brothers will take the matter up with Mr. Daly, and that I shall hear further from them again. Yours truly…” [MTHHR 224].

In the evening Sam gave his “At Home” (No. 1) performance to a full house at Town Hall. The Port Elizabeth Advertiser on June 24 reported that Mark Twain was a better writer than talker, and that the audience laughed at the wrong times. The Port Elizabeth Telegraph reported this day that the seat demand was “very large” [Philippon 22].