February 3 Sunday – The New York Times, p. SM7 ran “Mark Twain Pays His Respects to Mrs. Eddy and Christian Science,” which announced the publication this week of Christian Science.
February 2-6 Wednesday – At 21 Fifth Ave, N.Y. Sam gave instructions to Isabel Lyon to reply to the Jan. 23 from John C.G. Cumming in Scotland and “Thank him for the cheese letter” [MTP].
February 2 Saturday – Albert Bigelow Paine gave a private luncheon at the Players Club for Clemens and Eugene Fitch Ware, who wrote poetry under the name “Ironquill.” Also at the luncheon were Peter Dunne (“Mr. Dooley”), and Robert J. Collier. Paine notes that Sam had “long been familiar” with Ware’s poetry, which had a “distinctly ‘Western’ feeling….“There was in his work that same spirit of Americanism and humor and humanity that is found in Mark Twain’s writings….” [MTB 1374]. Note: see Dec. 1 incoming from Ware.
Larry Schmidt, a hydrologist whose hobby is the overland emigrant trails, and I have tossed the exact route Sam took for a long time now, while in the process of trying to get the ""Faro Table" rock area named Sam Clemens Cove. Last night, using the USGS map, he made a convincing argument that Sam went up King's Canyon to the point where it joins the Walton road. Walton charged a toll. and Sam would have wanted to avoid it. The shorter mileage and number of mountains "climbed" fits better with Twain's memory. I am left with arguments that lack strength.
This is a route first suggested by Robert Stewart for Sam's first visit to Lake Tahoe (Lake Bigler) in 1861. It follows a road laid out by William Wagner along Clear Creek. According to more recent personal correspondence with Robert Stewart, this route has been discounted in favor of the Kings Canyon route.
Mark Twain writes of the journey to Tahoe:
February 1 Friday – Anticipating the Feb. 2 Players Club luncheon with Eugene Fitch Ware, Sam spent most of the day reading The Rhymes of Ironquill [MTB 1374].
The New York Times, Feb. 2, reported on Sam’s appearance at Police headquarters:
TWAIN VISITS BINGHAM.
Delights Police Headquarters by Wearing His White Flannel Suit.
February – Sometime during the month Sam dined with William James, who wrote to his brother Henry James afterward: “Poor man, only good for monologue, in his old age, or for dialogue at best, but he’s a dear little genius all the same” [J. Kaplan 379].
The first edition of Christian Science, with Notes Containing Corrections to Date was published in February, 1907; two copies were deposited with the Copyright Office on Feb. 7 [Hirst, “A Note on the Text” Afterword materials p.13, Oxford ed. 1996].
January, late (before Feb. 1) – At 21 Fifth Ave, N.Y. Sam replied to the Jan. 2 of Witter Bynner:
Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: It might have been.
Ah say not so! as life grows longer, leaner, thinner
We recognize, O God, it might have Bynner! [MTP].
January 31 Thursday – Life Magazine ran a cartoon of Mark Twain sitting “on a barrel of cigars and smoking, with text praising him in general terms for his good humor and his attacks on folly and vice” [Tenney: “A Reference Guide Sixth Annual Supplement,” American Literary Realism, Spring 1982 p. 10]. Note: compare this to the Dec. 21, 1905 cartoon in Life, celebrating his 70 birthday.
Isabel Lyon’s journal: “Chinatown and the beads. / The King’s watch is gone” [MTP TS 25].