November 25 Friday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Elinor Howells, who evidently wrote that her husband was ill and confined to bed:
“Dear Mrs. Howells— / How you startle me! Can a man so near by, fall sick, & linger along, & approach death, & a body never hear of it?…I supposed Howells went to Toronto the 20th, & that he would fetch around & join Osgood & me in Montreal three or four days from now” [MTHL 1: 379].
November 24 Thursday – Thanksgiving – Sam wrote from Hartford to Charles Webster. He didn’t doubt Charley’s energy or dedication, but did require continual reports on things, including the “daily prospects for brass” in order to keep up the English patent. Not long reports, Sam insisted, but ones to the point. If brass wouldn’t work, try copper.
November 23 Wednesday – Tiffany & Co. wrote acknowledging the thousand dollars sent [MTP].
November 22 Tuesday – Now clearly impatient for success at the Kaolatype-brass casting process, Sam telegraphed from Hartford to Webster.
“PERFECT THE ENGLISH PATENT. MY BRASS PATIENCE IS RUNNING LOW. PUT A HUNDRED MEN ON IT AND TELEGRAPH ME A RESULT OF SOME SORT OR OTHER IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS—S.L. CLEMENS” [MTBus 177].
Sam could demand the impossible. Webster’s answer:
“SO IS MINE. IT’S JUST AS HARD TO REPORT RESULTS YOU CAN’T GET AS TO GET 100 SKILLED MEN IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS” [177].
November 21 Monday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Orion, who evidently had caught a grammar error in one of Sam’s letters. “It is not my instinct to care whether I am or not in a private letter,” he answered [MTBus 177].
November 19 Saturday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Charles Webster, enclosing $500.
“I leave for Canada Nov. 25, & shall be back about Dec. 7. If you should need more money meantime, write your aunt Livy. She will send it.”
Sam needed to go to Canada, so as to claim residency when P&P was released. This would secure copyright there [MTBus 176].
November 18 Friday – Charles J. Langdon wrote to advise Sam had a balance of $2,218.76 and Livy had a balance of $20,642.26. “I told George Robinson who called this morning that you were not situated so that you could make the loan—am very sorry that Jean & Susy are under the weather. Mother has improved and is on the road to comfortable health again. We have had three weeks of the most disagreeable weather I ever experienced— In haste…” [MTP].
November 17 Thursday – Sam gave an introductory speech for Archibald Forbes (1838-1900), Allyn House, Hartford. Forbes was a British war correspondent who wrote several novels after this time. The Courant reported, “Mr. Clemens’s introductory was received with much applause. He said:— ”
November 16 Wednesday – Sam wrote from Hartford to David “Wattie” Bowser thanking him for “the photographs & the pretty pictures.” Sam promised to reciprocate with a copy of P&P when it issued in December [MTP].
November 15 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Charles Webster. “If the brass experiments fail, try copper.” Sam thought that copper or some alloy of copper would “cast perfectly” [MTP].