December 21 Thursday – In London, England Sam wrote to J. Henry Harper.

I return the list of articles for the 2 vols. You will notice that I have made a couple of small transpositions. The arrangement as it now stands, seems to me to be good.

I think it may be well to advertise the fact that the “Peanut Stand” (with original unaffected and unstudied drawings of great merit) and half of the “Xn Science” paper have not been published before [MTP].

Sam also replied to the Dec. 8 of Henry Ferguson, continuing the issue of Sam publishing names and events in his essay involving the tragedy and trial of the Hornet in 1866. Sam suggested, since he didn’t have a copy of the article in front of him, that Ferguson use his to line out and note whatever changes he desired, then to send the edited article to him. “While you are striking out names, I suggest that you insert the mate’s. His wife is still alive, & still waiting for him & expecting him, & it would please her to grace with his name his creditable conduct as mentioned. This request has reached me” [MTP]. Note: Ferguson sent his edits on the article on Jan. 9, 1900. The chief mate on the Hornet was Samuel F. Hardy, of Chatham Mass., who Sam wrote “was an excellent officer…fine all-around man”; the third mate was John S. Thomas, who Sam characterized as “a very intelligent and a very cool and self-possessed young man” who “kept a very accurate log of his remarkable voyage in his head.” Just which mate Sam is referring to in this letter is not clear [AMT 1: 504].

Sam also wrote to an unidentified person. Text not available, but is paraphrased: “A business letter relating apparently to building operations” [MTP: Walpole Galleries catalog, 21 Feb. 1919].

Sam also wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore.

Tell me definitely how much money to provide in Feb. Of course I have no way to guess the amount.

Brer. Robinson’s letter makes the asphalt matter plain and straight—therefore the bill must be paid. Bliss’s statement and check are due by the time this reaches you. Collect it & deposit it, pay the asphalt out of it, and send me a copy of the statement [MTP].

Note: the above relates to the house on Farmington Ave. Sam’s Jan. 16, 1900 to Bliss stated “By Whitmore’s account I owe the city about a thousand dollars (for asphalting).”

Sam also began a letter to Katharine I. Harrison that he added to on Dec. 22.

The “World” wants an article per week—1,000 to 2,000 words—for a year—any subject, serious or otherwise. I declined, of course—no sane man would do that. But I was already engaged, any way—as far as I ever mortage myself—That is, I was engaged to offer all articles first in another quarter—in case I write any.

I’m not going to write any that will be declined in that quarter. I finished a couple lately which I must like— to-wit, “How the Chimney-Sweep got his Message to the Emperor”—& “the Death-Disk.”

Sam complained about the “fogs & the day -long darkness” and that half of their friends were in mourning (due to heavy casualties in the Boer war). He added a PS to say he’d answer J. Henry Harper’s letter about the two additional proposed volumes; he also wrote it was “most kind” of Mr. Lancaster but he wasn’t going to lecture again, he hoped [MTP].

Note: the “Chimney-Sweep” piece and “The Man with a Message for the Director-General” were printed as “Two Little Tales” in Nov. 1901 Century Magazine; “The Death Disk,” was later named “The Death Wafer” and ran in the Christimas issue of Harper’s, 1901. Lancaster was probably Charles Lancaster, an old friend of Rogers’.