June 12 Monday – Sam wrote a short note from Hartford to Charles Webster, advising him to send the “Bank Note Certif.,” so he might put it in the safe with his other securities. “I need no more investments, now—bought a lot of Adams Express stock to-day & exhausted our pile” [MTP].

Two copies of The Stolen White Elephant were placed with the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress [Hirst, “A Note on the Text” Oxford edition, 1996].

June 11 Sunday – Sam wrote from Hartford to James R. Osgood:

“I wish you would set a cheap expert to work to collect local histories of Mississippi towns & a lot of other books relating to the river for me.

“Meantime all those people who promised to send such things to us ain’t doing it, dern them” [MTP].

June 10 Saturday – The official issue date of The Stolen White Elephant.

Sam wrote from Hartford to Chatto & Windus, asking for copies of the London periodical Tom Hood’s Comic Annual for 1873, 1874, and 1875. Sam’s article, “How I Escaped Being Killed in a Duel” ran in the 1873 volume; and the 1874 issue ran a version of his sketch “Jim Wolf and the Cats” [MTNJ 2: 485n179].

June 9 Friday – Orion Clemens wrote from Fredonia: “When your dispatch came this afternoon I told Ma I had received a dispatch from you, in which you sent the love of all that family, and wishes to be kept informed. She was much affected”[MTP].

William M. Laffan for Harper & Bros. Wrote: “Dear Clemens: / If it will suit you I can come up on the newspaper train Tuesday a.m. which will give me all day” [MTP].

June 8 Thursday – Clara Clemens’ eighth birthday was celebrated with a party for 67 children at the Farmington Avenue house. In his notebook, Sam entered: “Osgood get a Longfellow for Clara’s birthday” [2: 460]. Longfellow died on Mar. 24; soon after, Houghton, Mifflin & Co. published a volume of his works. Sam believed Jean picked up scarlet fever at the party [MTNJ 2: 487n186].

June 7 Wednesday – Sam telegraphed from Hartford to Charles Webster about mailing a check to buy 80 shares of a stock suggested by Webster, which may have been for American Bank Note Co. (See June 12 letter to Webster) [MTP].

Orion Clemens wrote from Fredonia to Sam. Ma had experienced some sort of “spasms” and he related her care. It was a “terrible fright” [MTP].

June 6 Tuesday – S.J. Ahern, ed. wrote a postcard from St. Paul, Minn. to Sam: “Come back. The circus is in town…” [MTP].

June 5 Monday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Webster about the Bierstadt Artotype business. He wanted Charles to look into it and see if it was worth investment [MTBus 186].

Sam also wrote to William M. Laffan, letter not extant but referred to in Laffan’s June 7 reply.

June 4 Sunday – Clarence E. Buckland wrote from Wash. DC to Sam, convinced that “my break with the Kaolatype Eng. Co. was the result of a conspiracy hatched in the fertile brain of Mr. F.C. Raubs.” He’d apologized to Webster for the way he left the firm and agreed upon a contract to work for $24 a month [MTP]. Note: Frank C. Raubs.

June 3 Saturday – Sam wrote from Hartford to James R. Osgood.

“Have written to ask Spofford [Librarian of Congress] if my copyright is perfect on my several books.”

Sam needed to know if any of his copyrights were faulty, as he considered a Chicago lawsuit against Belford and Clarke on the Sketches, New and Old (1875).