June 26 Friday – Sam wrote from Elmira to his mother, Jane Clemens, enclosing a letter from his old childhood friend, “Puss” Tabitha Quarles, now Greening. Puss wanted a loan to buy a hotel in Hunnewell, Kansas. Sam had spent many idyllic summers at his uncle Quarles’ farm with Puss.
June 24 Wednesday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Charles Webster. By this time the family may have removed to Quarry Farm. He asked Webster to follow up on a “little water heater” that Livy had purchased in New York “at a small Japanese store between Aitkin’s & Arnold & Constable’s.” The heater was to have been expressed to Elmira but hadn’t come. Livy didn’t know the name or address of the store, Sam confided [MTP].
June 23 Tuesday – Karl Gerhardt wrote from Mt. MacGregor that he’d met Mr. & Mrs. Jesse Grant on the train from Saratoga. “They report the General sadly changed” [MTP].
Daniel Whitford for Alexander & Green wrote, enclosing W.A. Paton’s letter about the Paige typesetter. Paton liked the mechanics but thought the financial scheme unworkable [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Paton retires”
June 21 Sunday – Frederick D. Grant wrote from Mt. MacGregor. “Your very kind letter was received. As I agree with what you say there is no chance of an argument on the matter contained in it. My poor dear father is worse again today. I would like (to try) to write you a snice a letter as you have me; but on account of his feeling so badly I am unable to do so” [MTP].
June 20 Saturday – Waldstein Optician of New York, billed Livy $2.50 for “altering gold E.G.” [MTP].
June 19 Friday – The Clemens family took a special car from New York to Elmira, a ten-hour trip. They stayed at Mrs. Langdon’s home (See June 14 to Gerhardt). Livy wrote in her diary, “On June 19th we arrived in Elmira, we went directly to Mothers spending a little more than a week with her” [MTP].
June 18 Thursday – Sam wrote from New York to James B. Pond thanking him for another jackass that Homer Pond had sent and asking if Pond would pay Homer, then he’d reimburse him once he was in Elmira.
June 17 Wednesday – In Hartford Sam sent a short note to W. Minor.
“I believe if I were you I would continue to sort beans & sand sugar, & not stray out of my God-appointed beat & strain my capacities” [MTP]. Note: This implies the recipient is a grocer, but not much else.
June 16 Tuesday – General Grant left New York City a little after 8 AM and took a five-hour train ride to Saratoga, New York. From there he boarded a smaller-gauge train for the final twelve miles to Mt. McGregor, where a welcoming committee waited. It had been the doctor’s recommendation that Grant spend time in the Adirondacks, where the air was clean and much cooler than New York in the summer.
June 15 Monday – The New York Times ran a short note on page 3 under “Literary Notes” that volume one of Grant’s memoirs would not be out till December and the second volume about March, 1885.
C.L. Webster…will go to Europe to arrange simultaneous issues in several other languages, besides French, German, and Italian.
In Hartford, Sam inscribed a copy of Huck Finn to an unidentified person [MTP].