January 4 Monday – Frank B. Darby, Sam’s Elmira dentist, wrote and sent Sam some artwork. He answered Darby’s letter on Jan. 10. Note: Extracts of Darby’s reminiscences of the 1840s to 1895 in Elmira can be found online: http://www.rootsweb.com/~nychenan/raft-rr2.htm and also in some modern reprints of Mildred Cochrane’s A History of the Town of Greene, Chenango County, New York.
January 3 Sunday – In Hartford Sam sent a short note to Charles Hopkins Clark of the Hartford Courant, and an ally on the “Library of Humor” project, wishing him “Happy New Year’s!” and observing about past communications on the “Library” book:
You perceive that nothing — in Howells’s opinion — is necessary but a selection from his own humor; then the book will be finished [MTP].
January 2 Saturday – Jervis Langdon, Jr. wrote to Sam and Livy, thanking them both for The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, which he thought “a very beautiful book….The story seems as interesting and funny as the pictures” [MTP].
William J. Hamersley wrote that they “had better decide pretty soon – whether or not we want to see a type setter charter…” he also wished a happy New Year [MTP].
January 1 Friday – In Hartford Sam sent a note to Anna Abrams, “With the compliments of the season” [MTP].
January – Sam began serious work on Connecticut Yankee during the month, reading excerpts to his family in February.
December 31 Thursday – Sam noted:
I’m out of the woods. On the last day of the year I had paid out $182,000 on the Grant book and it was totally free from debt [Salsbury 216 from Harpers].
William C. Prime wrote from NYC. “I heartily appreciate your great kindness. I would much rather call on you at your convenienc, than to give you the trouble of fulfilling an appointment at meine [MTP].
December 30 Wednesday – In Auburndale, Mass., Howells wrote to Sam that the “Library of Humor” was complete “except about 10 or 20 short biographical notes that” he could “readily attend to; that Clark’s work was done, and well done….” Howells repeated that he and his daughter would be there on Jan. 13 for the P&P play [MTHL 2: 549]. Note: it’s likely this letter reached Sam on the last day of the year.
December 29 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Mr. Handy, declining an offer of some sort.
“What with business & idleness unsystematically mixed, I seem to have to keep humping myself all the time” [MTP]. Note: Handy is not further identified. The famous songwriter by that name would have only been 12 years old.
December 28 Monday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Jervis II, Julia O., and Ida Langdon, his nephew and nieces, thanking them for the “Spain” book, which Sam,
“…more wanted than any other book that could be named. It gives me nightly peace, now, & I think of you when I read it. / We have all been skating on the river today; no, Susy hasn’t; she has a sore throat; but the other three of us had a good time” [MTP].
December 27 Sunday – Charles J. Langdon wrote to Sam & Livy, “hard to sit down and write an acknowledgment of those xmas gifts you and the dear children sent me…I was deeply touched” [MTP].