June 7 Tuesday – “The Clemenses, the Charles Dudley Warners, and Grace Elizabeth King boarded a train and traveled to Frederick E. Church’s “Olana,”his imposing mansion near Hudson, New York” [MTNJ 3: 293n227]. (Editorial emphasis.) Church was a painter. Grace King wrote of the trip later that day to May King McDowell, another sister.
June 6 Monday –
Check # Payee Amount [Notes]
3715 Mssrs. Aitken Son & Co. 12.00 Machinist
3716 Mssrs B. Altman & co 43.98
3717 Mssrs Arnold Constable & Co 382.30 Dry Goods
3718 Mr Orion Clemens 175.00
June 5 Sunday – Based on her letter to her sister, this is the day Grace Elizabeth King (1852-1932) met Sam Clemens. King was a budding short story writer from New Orleans, whose aristocratic family had been impoverished by the war. She was visiting the Charles Dudley Warners.
Robert Bush writes of King at this time:
June 4 Saturday – Robert Bush, in “Grace King and Mark Twain” [38], includes a segment from Grace Elizabeth King’s notebook with this date of her first impressions of Sam. This notebook entry date of June 4, however, conflicts with Bush’s conclusion that Sunday, June 5 was the date of their first meeting. Bush does not address this conflict, so we are left to choose.
June 2 Thursday – In Hartford Sam wrote a one-liner to Orion on a pre-printed correspondence card which carried the message “Mr. Clemens (Mark Twain) is away for several months, but will answer when he returns.” Sam wrote that he’d told Webster to send Orion the cyclopedia and also wrote him to do so. Evidently, Orion had not received the book, probably necessary for his research into English Kings [MTP].
June 1 Wednesday – Charles Webster wrote to Sam about W.L. Alden’s offer of a Garibaldi autobiography. He thought it impossible to gain a copyright on such works:
I think we had better let foreign publications alone until we get international copyright [MTLTP 218n1 (top)].
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May 31 Tuesday – Sylvester Baxter for Boston Herald wrote to Sam: “Yours received with enclosure. Thanks for your splendid letter. If all had your spirit there would indeed be no difficulty…The old man was touched. It is pathetic.” Sam wrote on the envelope, “Reply to a contribution to Walt Whitman” [MTP].
Check # Payee Amount [Notes]
May 30 Monday – In Hartford Sam wrote a paragraph to an unidentified woman:
Dear Madam: I could not approve or consent. It has been tried many times; I have tried it myself. Very Truly yours [MTP].
Orion Clemens finished his May 29 letter to Sam.
May 29 Sunday – Orion Clemens wrote to Sam (began letter finished May 30):
Ma fell down the last step or two …with a jar, producing a commotion; but seems not to have veen much hurt. She gets more “off.” / It is nearly midnight. My skin disease forbids sleep. I am utilizing the time by reading Thierey’s Norman Conquest, and making memorandums [MTP].