April 1 Saturday – Bambino, the cat which owned Mark Twain (no one owns a cat) was lost but later in the day came back. Sam had written an ad offering a reward, but canceled before it went into the paper. Still, the NY Herald ran this article on p.9 the following day, Apr. 2:

MARK TWAIN’S CAT CAME BACK.

——

Black Pet Mourned by the Humorist Again Brightens his Home.

Mark Twain lost his cat yesterday [Apr. 1]—a peculiar cat, which had to be seen in certain lights to have its beauties properly displayed. It was a cat even more to be admired than the jumping frog of Calaveras, for it was intensely black—Stygian, Egyptian, sable, even—but with a faint white line across its breast, discernible only under the most favorable conditions. Late last night the cat came back, and the advertisements sent to the morning papers offering alluring rewards for the return of Tom were hastily cancelled. This was the “ad”— from the pen of the great humorist himself:

A CAT LOST — FIVE DOLLARS REWARD for his restoration to Mark Twain, No. 21 Fifth avenue.: large and intensely black; thick, velvety fur; has a faint fringe of white hair across his chest; not easy to find in ordinary lights.

Isabel Lyon’s journal: Bambino is gone.

Mr. and Mrs. Twichell came for over Sunday.

Mr. Clemens advertised Bambino in the Journal and The Tribune.

I went to the station to meet Mother. We had supper together and we found Bambino. We chased him back and forth across 9th street and finally I caught him in the yard of 25 5th Avenue. When I brought Bambino in this evening I gave him to Mr. Clemens’s care. He was pacing the library, smoking with his head held high. (He never paces the length of the room with his eyes on the floor—but always with his head thrown back, and usually with a clipping or sheaf of ms. or an open book in his hand). He took Bambino and held him on outstretched hands (cats like that position when Mr. Clemens holds them) and as he paced he talked to him in a low voice, guessing at his adventures and telling him he was quite right to take advantage of all his privileges and he wondered how many harlots he had enjoyed. It must have been more than one for he had been away a long time and seemed tired. Bambino blinked up at him with his great yellow eyes and replied in his tender purry notes.

Tonight Mr. Clemens read the Postman chapter of the Admiral story. Down into the deeps of the human heart he goes and he touches the tragedies of each one that he probes, with an unerring hand [MTP: TS 49].

Isabel Lyon’s journal # 2: Bambino wandered away at midnight.

advertised in “American” & “Tribune”.

found after a chase on 9 St. & Fifth Ave. 9:30 PM.

Mr. & Mrs. Twichell arrived for a day or so.

Mr. Clemens read the Postman chapter in the Admiral Story [MTP TS 10-11].

Seymour Eaton wrote on The Tabard Inn Corp. letterhead (Phila.) to Sam.

“I do not believe that under existing conditions it is either possible or wise to sell your shares but at the same time I wish to say that the circumstances of the last few days have cleared the air very much and I am sure that the outcome will be largely in the best interest of shareholders…” [MTP]. Note: this Company owned the Booklovers Magazine, in which Sam had invested. This may be the letter that Lyon refers to in her Apr. 3 journal #2 entry.

Luis Jackson wrote a fan letter on Hotel Carlton letterhead (NYC) to Sam, complimenting him on his NAR article on the Russian Czar, “The Czar’s Soliloquy.” Jackson recalled a conversation on the Boston train with Sam, “just before you left for Australia” [MTP].

Miss Marion Thurston Tibbits a high school girl in Denver, Colo. wrote an adoring fan letter [MTP].

Jean Clemens’ letter dated Mar. 10 to Harper’s Weekly editor ran in this day’s edition. See Mar. 10 entry.

Saturday Review ran an anonymous review of A Dog’s Tale p. 525. Tenney: “The ‘very tedious and pointless jocularity at the outset’ damages the book, and ‘we get very tired of the canine autobiographer.’ The ‘illustrations show more understanding of dogs than is to be found in the text, which will appeal only to confirmed sentimentalists.’” [Tenney: “A Reference Guide Second Annual Supplement,” American Literary Realism, Autumn 1978 p. 173].