May 4 Monday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Frederick J. Hall about possible buyers for The American Claimant, which Sam had drafted in a very short time at a 70-75,000-word length.
I don’t think very much of [Edward W.] Bok’s offer. He has engaged a short story of Mr. Howells at $5,000 & Howells has sold the use of a long story to the N.Y. Sun for $10,000.
May 3 Sunday – The Clemenses hosted William Milligan Sloane and wife on an overnight stay. †
Sam T. Kinney wrote on mourning-bordered pages thanking Sam for sympathy extended [MTP].
May 2 Saturday – In Hartford Franklin G. Whitmore wrote for Sam to Henry S. Alden, responding to his May 1 letter. Sam desired Whitmore to say that Frederick J. Hall handled such matters, and Alden’s letter was forwarded to him [MTP].
Sam’s notebook: May 2. Finished the book which I began to write on Feb. 20. 71 days [3: 621]. Note: The American Claimant. (Editorial emphasis.)
May 1 Friday – Henry M. Alden for Harper & Brothers sent Sam $500 for the “Mental Telegraphy” article, which was published in the December issue of Harper’s. Sam had allowed Alden to set the price for the article [MTNJ 3: 620n168].
Katherine Jones for Elmira College Alumnae Assoc. sent Sam an invitation to lunch at Clark’s in N.Y.C. May 9. Sam wrote on the envelope, “Brer, decline it” [MTP].
May – Sam inscribed a photograph of himself to Sergei Mikhailovich Kravchinsky [MTP]. In his notebook he inserted a literary notion: “Remember Bayard Taylor in the Holsatia” [NB 30, TS 36]. Note: see entries for Taylor and the Holsatia in Vol. I.
Sometime during the month from Hartford, Sam sent a one-liner to “J.H.” not further identified.
By the test of double-postage he shall be tried! [MTP].
April 30 Thursday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Orion Clemens. Text lost.
Mollie Clemens wrote to Sam and Livy, in the aftermath of Sam’s refusal to go to Charles Webster’s funeral in Fredonia.
April 29 Wednesday – Henry Alden for Harper & Brothers wrote to Sam that he had not fixed a price on his MS “Mental Telegraphy” — how much compensation did Sam expect? Alden liked it, “of course” but didn’t feel it had the value that a humorous story from Mark Twain would have [MTP].
April 28 Tuesday – In Hartford Sam wrote to William Smith to “annul all our guest-engagements,” due to sickness in the family, “one member…in the doctor’s hands & no better” [MTP].
April 27 Monday – Sam wrote through Franklin G. Whitmore to Matthias Hollenback Arnot, Elmira financier and neighbor of the Langdons, asking for return of royalties sold on the Paige typesetter. He offered to reimburse Arnot for the $5,000 with interest at six percent.
April 26 Sunday – In Fredonia, N.Y., Charles Luther Webster died at 3 a.m. He was only 39 years old. In Hartford Sam wrote condolences to his niece, Annie Moffett Webster.