August 5 Sunday – Philip H. Sheridan died. He was only five feet five inches, which gave him the nickname, “Little Phil,” though through high living he did not stay little. Thin as a youth, he blossomed to over 200 lbs. after the war, and suffered from a series of heart attacks, the final one claiming him this day. His burial at Arlington, the ceremony there helped to shape the reputation of Arlington Cemetery as a national place of honor.

August 4 Saturday – In Elmira Sam wrote to Louis Pendleton, a young unknown Georgia writer who had sent him a true story for his opinion.

August 3 Friday – Sam’s notebook:

Webster & Co. wrote to Sam c/o Theo. Crane. The Scribner matter about use of Sheridan’s excerpts was settled; they waived their rights to a second article upon payment of $600 cash [MTP].

Franklin G. Whitmore wrote to Sam that he had this day paid James W. Paige and Charles Davis $2,048.19 for July expenses [MTP].

[Chk #] 4311, Dr. C C Rice, Aug. 3, $100 $105

TW Crane ditto, $100 (4312) [3: 477].

August 2 Thursday – Sylvester Bissell, Hartford builder, wrote to Sam that “Your cows got in my garden last night and made havoc of my early corn.” Whitmore wrote on the note that he’d paid Bissell $3 “on the spot” [MTP].

Arthur H. Wright for Webster & Co. sent Sam bank balances totaling $2,071.38 [MTP].

August 1 Wednesday – “Genius and Talent” ran in Fortnightly Review, p.240-55. Brief reference to Mark Twain as a leader among the Western American humorists, approached only by Artemus Ward, Josh Billings, and Orpheus Kerr [Tenney 16].

H.E. Patten, Dye and Carpet Beating Works, Hartford billed $8.31: June 15, 19, 20 single & double blankets & cleaning; gloves; Paid Aug. 10 [MTP].

August – John J. Astorhouse for Phoenix National Bank sent Sam a draft for “nineteen cents & one mill.” No letter or explanation is in the file [MTP].

July 31 Tuesday – Herbert S. Philbrick, a boy from Liberty, Maine, wrote to “Huck”:

I like your book and you and Tom Sawyer and Jim. I think you are very plucky and know how to get out of scrapes awful well. I should like to know if you have ever heard any thing of the king and the duke since they were riding by (fence) rail…I wish you would write another book and tell us if Aunt Sally ‘civilized’ you. How old are you? I am thirteen [MTP].

July 30 Monday – Sam canceled an order for two phonographs with the North American Phonograph Co., a competitor of Edison; the company was unable to fill the order. It was not until 1891 that Sam would use a phonograph to dictate a book, The American Claimant, though ultimately he was not happy with the results [MTNJ 3: 386n292; MTHL 2: 641].

July 28 Saturday – Carl Schoenhof, Boston book importer, wrote a postcard to Sam that his order of July 25 “has reached me and will be attended to in a few days” [MTNJ 3: 391n313]. Sam wrote on the card, “Hasn’t come yet (Sept. 23)” [MTP]. (See Sept. 23.)

July 27 Friday – Andrew Chatto wrote to Sam, encouraging his “experiment” of dictating CY to a phonograph.

I hope you will soon tell the story of Smith of Camelot to Edisons phonograph & let us have it [MTNJ 3: 386n292].