March – † Sometime during the month an unidentified person wrote asking where Mark Twain got his material from for his books. The following has been taken from Paine, corrections to the original TS in the MTP have been added or made, including the phrase “& superficially” attributed to Bret Harte’s knowledge of mines, which Paine removed to sanitize Twain’s persona. This piece affords a remarkable view into Sam’s taking stock right after the dreams of monumental wealth were dashed.

February 28 Saturday – In Hartford Sam wrote to William Dean Howells asking a favor. Sam was interested in using a phonograph to dictate his new book, The American Claimant.

February 27 Friday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Frederick J. Hall displaying an urgency caused by his distressed financial state. He wrote of the pending Sherman book:

What is the very quickest you can issue it? Its market is best for the next 30 days, I think; then nearly as good for 30 more; then comes the fading quickly out.

February 26 Thursday – Frederick J. Hall sent a note for renewal for Sam to endorse. He also wrote of the Sherman book; that they didn’t own the plates nor the copyrights and that he’d told the Shermans that “if we went into the expense of getting out a large cheap edition, as they want, we would have to have them advance the money for it…” [MTP]. Note: At the bottom Hall wrote: “Later. P.S. The Shermans have given us a check for $3500.00 on account of expense of cheap edition.”

February 25 Wednesday – Frederick J. Hall wrote to Sam about having a mock-up of the memory game made:

I have just found a man who is the one we want to make up a dummy…I will hurry him along as fast as possible. As soon as it is completed I shall come up with it as you suggest…[MTP].

Sam also wrote to his brother, Orion Clemens, that he’d “shook the machine”:

..when the pig-headed lunatic, its inventor dies, it will instantly be capitalized & make the Clemens children rich.

February 24 Tuesday – In Hartford Sam wrote to William Dean Howells. Livy had been “sick abed for near two weeks” (which would put her return from Philadelphia at about Feb. 12). Sam looked forward to a visit by the Howellses in March. Sam then asked if his new novel stirred an interest in Howells: “Colonel Mulberry Sellers, American Claimant of the Great Earldom of Rossmore in the Peerage of Great Britain,” which would become, simply, The American Claimant [MTHL 2: 636-7].

February 23 Monday – Mary Mapes Dodge invited Sam and Livy to dinner at her New York City home. Since Livy was ill and in bed, the invitation was likely declined [MTNJ 3: 603n100; Feb 24 to Howells].

Arthur Duffuer in Furtwangen, Black Forest, Germany wrote a short note to Sam — in German, writing he would be “fortunate to own a few lines written by your hand” [MTP]. Note: Thanks to Holger Kersten for the translation.

February 22 Sunday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Frederick J. Hall about the mock-up of Mark Twain’s Memory Builder and his new book that would become The American Claimant:

When you get the dummy finished, steal a few hours from work & bring it up yourself & we will make some plans concerning the new Col. Sellers book which I am writing [MTP].

Sam also wrote to Joe Goodman about Senator John P. Jones:

February 21 Saturday – In Hartford Sam wrote a short note of thanks to Thomas Bailey Aldrich for sending an inscribed book of his poems, The Sisters’ Tragedy, with Other Poems, Lyrical and Dramatic (1891) [MTP]. See Feb. entry.

February 20 Friday – In Hartford Sam was immersed in work. On this day he began again what would become The American Claimant (in his Feb. 10 to Howells Sam disclosed he’d begun on Feb. 8, so he may have started over on this day.) He would write the book in only 71 days, finishing on May 2. He also was hard at work resurrecting the game that would become Mark Twain’s Memory Builder.