December 16 Thursday – In Vienna, Austria Sam wrote to Frank Bliss, requesting a copy of his new book for Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, Princess Metternich. He’d ordered one from Chatto but they didn’t put any illustrations in their edition, so he would wait until Bliss could prepare a special copy: “Please bind it in crushed Levant, & make it very neat, & simple, & modest, & bully.” Sam wanted it sent to him without any mention of it in the press. “That is why I say private up there. The Harpers gave me away, which was not right. I think the world of those illustrations” [MTP]. Note: in NB 42 TS 42 Sam disclosed that he rec’d a letter from Princess Metternich this day. It is not extant, nor is the place of origin or date sent known.
Note: Henry W. Fisher, at this time Journalist for Dalziel’s News, London and Galignani’s Messenger, Paris, in his 1922 reminiscences, quoted Twain: “The Princess Pauline Metternich, in particular, is a bully old girl. If she were to write her memoirs, the world would gain a book as bright as Mme. De Sevigne’s Letters.” Fisher told the story of the Princess putting a death warrant before her husband, Prince Metternich, Austrian ambassador in Paris, who was used to signing without reading. The next morning soldiers came into his apartment with his signed death warrant; the Prince fainted [Abroad with Mark Twain 43-4].
Sam also wrote to H.H. Rogers.
We are delighted with your plan. Go on with it, on the lines you propose. Only, don’t leave the Barrows out. Apparently that claim has been inherited by some women—daughters, no doubt. We don’t want to see them lose anything. Barrows is an ass, & disgruntled; but I don’t care for that. I am responsible for the money, & must do the best I can to pay it.
Leaving out Grant & the Mt. Morris [Bank], how much will it take to clear us entirely of debt?
Sam then covered several other topics:
A World’s championship billiards match in Madison Square Garden he wished he could have seen (there were several big matches played: Frank C. Ives v. Maurice Daly, and George Sutton v. George Slosson (Nov. 30); Slosson v. Daly, and Jacob Schaefer v. Sutton (Dec. 1), etc. [NY Times, several articles Dec. 1-5] Sam asked about the new “balk-line” rule and drew a diagram of what he thought it might look like.
He asked that a $171 dividend on Gas stock paid to Charles J. Langdon not be used for creditors. He noted the effect of Orion’s death, and covered other subjects:
Clara & I had started into society, & were dining & lunching & going to operas, & were getting at times cheerful once more; but we are all once more under a cloud, through the death of my brother, & have resumed our former seclusion.
I am glad Rice is to have a new house, & glad he is to be near you. He will be handy when I drop in on you by & by when the debts are cleared off. I am writing hard—writing for the creditors. Has Miss Harrison received my new book? I think I wrote Bliss to send one to Harry & one to Miss Harrison & go down [to] sell one to you. …Blame it, why didn’t Laffan tell me about that Monotype Machine? I could have helped to get up that Company in London, and now I should be out of debt. The cable said a Czech hit me over the head in the Reichsrath, but it suppressed what I did to the Czech. There are orphans in that family now. / Sincerely yours / SLC [MTHHR 307-9].
Note: William Mackay Laffan of the N.Y. Sun was president of the Lanston Monotype Machine Co. Sam was being playfully disingenuous about the hoax of the Czech knocking out his teeth, a false report which appeared in American newspapers.