January 25 Wednesday – “—Same as above” [MTNJ 1: 76].
From Sam’s notebook, a brush with death:
Narrow Escape.—Dark rainy night—walked to extreme edge of a cut in solid rock 30 feet deep—& while standing upon the extreme verge for half a dozen seconds, meditating whether to proceed or not, heard a stream of water falling into the cut, & then, my eyes becoming more accustomed to the darkness, saw that if the last step taken had been a hand breath longer, must have plunged in to the abyss & lost my life. One of my feet projected over the edge as I stood [MTNJ 1:74].

January 24 Tuesday – “—Rained all day—meals as before” [MTNJ 1: 76].

January 3 Tuesday – From Sam’s notebook:
“…returned with Jim Gillis, by way of Angel’s & Robinson’s Ferry, to Jackass Hill” [MTNJ 1: 70].

January and February – Sam’s fourth known notebook, and the first that might be called a “writer’s notebook,” was written during these months. The notebook contained a great amount of literary material that would be immediately useful in the Jumping Frog story, but also material that would later appear in Roughing It, and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and others [MTNJ 1: 66-7].

November 30 Wednesday – Sam’s 29 th birthday.

November 26 Saturday – Sam’s article, “The Pioneers’ Ball,” was re-printed in the Golden Era [Walker 41].

November 12 Saturday – Sam’s article, “The Killing of Julius Caesar, ‘Localized’” was published in the Californian [ET&S 2: 108].

November 11 Friday – Sam wrote from San Francisco to his brother Orion of financial need, Orion’s possible nomination for Nevada senator and the Hale & Norcross mining stock.

November 5 Saturday – Sam’s article, “Daniel in the Lion’s Den—And Out Again All Right.” Was published in the Californian. “Now for several days I have been visiting the Board of Brokers, and associating with brokers, and drinking with them, and swapping lies with them…” [MTNJ 1: 69; ET&S 2: 100].

October 15 Saturday – Sam’s review of a romantic comic opera, The Crown Diamonds, “Still further Concerning That Conundrum” was published in the Californian [ET&S 2: 79]. Sam’s focus was on the prop-man who moved furniture between scenes [Gribben 31].