February 2 Thursday – At the Hotel Krantz in Vienna, Austria, Sam wrote to Frank Bliss.

Yes, I like the photogravure of our house; I have never seen a finer and more vivid piece of work. There’s as much as 100,000 words for the volume of Sketches—say half as much more as Huck Finn or

Tom Sawyer contains. Half of it has not yet been in print, & half of that half is especially good, & ought to be put into a magazine, but I don’t much care…provided you publish the book. New is important to you, but not to the Harpers.

Sam felt he was too far away to “conduct the scheme with the Harpers” for the proposed sketches book, but felt Bliss and Rogers could “manage it,” involving Brander Matthews to “do the rearranging.” Also, he directed that “Beriah” and not “Eschol” be used for Colonel Sellers’ first name. He asked that the $5,500 owed him be sent to Rogers [MTP: MS facsimile: Wilson, Willard. Mark Twain Returns to Hawaii. 1969].

Note: two volumes of sketches were printed in 1900: The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg and Other Stories and Essays by Harper & Bros., and How to Tell a Story and Other Essays which became Volume XXII of various uniform editions by the American Publishing Co. [MTHHR 388n2].

Sam also wrote to Chauncey M. Depew to recommend Prince Lichnowsky, who was vacationing around the world and would be in New York in the spring. The Prince was First Secretary of the German Embassy of high character; Sam felt he would “be an Ambassador by & by” [MTP]. Note: Karl Max, Prince Lichnowsky (1860-1928) became German Ambassador to Austria-Hungary in 1902.

Sam also wrote similar notes recommending Prince Lichnowsky to John H. Hay and to Wayne MacVeagh [MTP].

Sam also wrote to Richard Watson Gilder with the same basic information on Prince Lichnowsky. Additionally, he added opinion that the Prince should meet Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. Sam then complimented Gilder on the current issue of the Century:

Say—that fish-liar tale in the Century which arrived this morning [Feb. issue] is mighty well done. And is it the Booth-Memorial poet that did “The Orator?” It’s good; & contains a nut which will break the teeth of any religion that tries to crack it. And the Nile pictures!—it is just a delight to study their graces & charms & delicacies. Continue! You are editing very well.

Please tell Scott the magazine still goes to Kaltenleutgeben. There is no such place now; I burnt it down when I was done with it [MTP].

Note: Gribben supplies Ellis Parker Butler (1869-1937) as the author of “The Reformation of Uncle Billy” in the Century for Feb. 1899: “In Butler’s story the members of the First Church of a small village who gather in front of a grocery store every day resolve to break seventy-eight-year-old Billy Matison’s habit of lying about the fish he never catches. Led by the ‘deacon,’ they confront Billy when he returns from fishing and gradually comple him to reduce the weight of the fish he allegedly hooked until he finally agrees that he didn’t catch one at all. But (little did they know!) he really did have a bass that weighed ‘four pound, two ounces’ (p. 541). He doesn’t tell them about it since they seem intent on ‘reforming’ him, but simply weighs it after they leave. Today Butler’s dialect sketch of rural characters seems clumsy and silly” [120].

Sam also wrote to H.H. Rogers that $5,500 more was on the way from Frank E. Bliss.

Now that I am prospering at such a rate, thanks to you, I am feeling pretty young & very comfortable. I wish I were there, to sit in the office & see you bet, & watch the hen perform; it would give life a new zest. Maybe that can happen, by & by; I hope it may.

….

Charlie Langdon already has Mrs. Clemens’s securities in his hands ($75,000) which pay $4,000 a year, & I would rather have mine where you can exploit it. You see, the more things you have to attend to, the robuster you will be & the more advantageous it will be, because health is a great thing & it is my duty to keep yours up to the mark.

Livy added to her Jan. 31 to Susan L. Crane: Hip rheumatism had cost her sleep for the past week. “Feb 2 Our Wedding day. It is useless to try & write. I am going to send this note to tell you that we are well & I will write to you in a day or two. With my back it is very difficult to write letters. / In deepest love…” [MTP].

Sam noted: “This is our wedding-day; 29 years married! / Live long & prosper!” [MTHHR 387-8].