July 26 Friday – Sam and Orion leave St. Joseph for Nevada on the Overland Stage.

By eight o’clock [a.m.] everything was ready, and we were on the other side of the river. We jumped into the stage, the driver cracked his whip, and we bowled away and left “the States” behind us. It was a superb summer morning, and all the landscape was brilliant with sunshine [Ch 2, RI].

Left St. Joseph. Started on the plains about ten miles out. The plains here are simply prairie [Orion 769].

August 22 Wednesday – The Arago left for St. Louis.

Sanctimonious Cheapskate – Huck Finn Took Off – 1,000 Investment Opportunities
Grant’s Memoirs – Path Worn to N.Y. – Banned in Concord – Black Bunting
Fantastic Sales & Royalties – Why Not the Pope? – Paige Quicksand
Sam Honored at 50 – Susy Starts a Biography

Chasing after Stage Plays – Cable & Mumps – Lobbying for International Copyright Canvassing
Huck – Duncan’s Lawsuit – April Fools! – Poor Doc Taft
Tuscaloosa Pirates – Rah for Cleveland!
Twins of Genius Hit the Road – The Children’s P&P Play

1884 – An interesting inscription by Sam made sometime during the year, place unknown:

“Some people can smoke to excess. Let them beware. There are others who cannot smoke to excess because there isn’t time enough in a day which contains 24 hours” [MTP].

1883 – Sometime during the year Sam inscribed Historical View of the Literature of the South of Europe by Sismondi (1881) to Livy L. Clemens / from SLC / Hartford 1883 [MTP]. Sam inscribed in a Rollo Book for Jean “Little-girl-left-the-gate-open-book” Jean 1883-4 [MTP]. Sam sent a copy of Punch, Brothers, Punch! And other Sketches (1878) with ALS to James R. Osgood asking for “50 or 100 heliotypes like those of the Howell children” [MTP].

1882 – Sam drew up a list of his investments and domicile expenses since Jan. 1, 1881.

1881 – “Etiquette” was written sometime during the year but remained unpublished during Sam’s lifetime

Hartford & Elmira – Investments: Kaolatype, Paige – Tile Club – A Tramp Abroad - Jane Lampton Clemens (Jean) born – “Wattie” – Boston Getaway - Frederick Douglass Speech – Grant Speaks in Hartford - Elisha Bliss Dead – Political Speeches for Garfield – Slote & Sneider - Grant Saves Chinese Mission – 1880 Income $250,000

1880 – Sam began using more facsimile correspondence cards of his handwriting to decline lecture invitations [MTLE 5: 6]

Paris Balloon Ride, Horse Races, French Morality & Fires All Summer - Onanism At The Stomach Club – Crowded By Visitors -  Dirty Brussells, Antwerp & Dinner On The Admiral’s Flagship -  Rotterdam, Amsterdam & London – Orion Excommunicated -  Spurgeon Preaches, Great Darwin Seen – Gallia For Home – Howells Sleepeth -  Writing Tramp – Grant “Fetched Up”– Patriotic Frenzy – Ingersoll, Freethinker -  Lavish Colt “Blowout” – Holmes’ 70 Th Redemption

Aftermath of Disgrace – Orion Apes Jules Verne – Bliss Contract for Europe Travel Book Quick Jaunts to Fredonia & Elmira – Family Sails for Europe - Frankfort, Hamburg to Heidelberg – Mannheim Operas – Speech at Heidelberg University - Twichell Joined in Baden Baden – Excursions by Foot, Boat, Rail, and Cart – The Alps - Twichell Departs – Italy – Munich for the Winter