October 28, 1885 Wednesday

October 28 Wednesday ­– Samuel G. Dunham remitted the proceeds from Clemens’ $100,000 notes to Charles Webster, for the working capital to publish Grant’s Memoirs [MTNJ 3: 204n69].

Sam wrote from Hartford to his niece, Annie Webster, apologizing for not being able to stop for a visit with Livy the day before [MTP].

October 27, 1885 Tuesday

October 27 Tuesday – Livy shopped while Sam tried to finish business but failed to visit his niece, Annie. After stopping at Mrs. Grant’s, he could not see Charles Webster in time to catch his train. Livy was worn out (Sam wrote “she had the cholera morbus lately”). The trip went all wrong, Sam wrote, and he apologized for not calling [MTP].

October 26, 1885 Monday

October 26 Monday – Sam had returned to New York, this time with Livy [see Oct. 28 to Annie Webster]. He made a notebook entry that “Up to date, 320,000 sets of General Grant’s book have been subscribed for—that is to say, 640,000 single volumes” [MTNJ 3: 204]. He also noted seeing a play at the Metropolitan in New York.:

October 23, 1885 Friday

October 23 Friday – Joe Twichell wrote a short note, clipping enclosed “Aerial Navigation”: “Don’t you remember how one of us said, when we last walked to the Tower, speaking of aerial navigation, that the problem was bound to be solved sometime, because it was never given up, but there were always men at work on it. / The sight of the enclosed recalled the remark” [MTP]. Note: Steering a balloon had always been a challenge.

October 22, 1885 Thursday 

October 22 Thursday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Charles Webster with the financial matters of the loan from Dunham, whom he did not name. Sam repeated that since he’d made himself personally liable for the notes, Webster needed to fully insure the books, both finished and unfinished.

“I mean, get all the insurance you can on them” [MTP].

October 21, 1885 Wednesday 

October 21 Wednesday – Sam borrowed $100,000 from Samuel G. Dunham, director and treasurer of the Dunham Hosiery Co. of Hartford, a friend of the Clemens family. (Note: this is not Samuel C. Dunham, Hartford atty.) The loan was to cover publishing costs for Grant’s Memoirs, with $15,000 payable Jan. 29, 1886 and $85,000 payable Feb. 27, 1886 at six per cent interest.

October 20, 1885 Tuesday

October 20 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Charles Webster, advising him to get a new set of plates for the printers. If Sam remembered rightly, 150,000 impressions was the life of the plates. After that, the impressions would not print clearly. [MTP].

October 19, 1885 Monday

October 19 Monday – A.P. Fulkerson wrote from KC asking if Sam had referred to him in an 1870 sketch, “Yaller Dog” [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Yaller dog”; In HF Sam wrote “It don’t make no difference whether you do right or wrong, a person’s conscience ain’t got no sense, and just goes for him anyway. If I had a yaller dog that didn’t know no more than a person’s conscience does I would pison him. It takes up more room than all the rest of a person’s insides, and yet ain’t no good, nohow.”

October 18, 1885 Sunday

October 18 Sunday ­ Sam wrote from Hartford, answering Howells’ letter of Oct. 16. Howells had rejected Ticknor’s offer to become his publisher, and through Charles Fairchild’s efforts came to an agreement with Harper’s which would pay him a $10,000 per year salary for the serial rights to a yearly 300-page novel, plus other income for articles and a column.

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