December 12 Monday – The official date of publication for P&P. Two copies were placed with the Copyright Office, Library of Congress [Hirst, “A Note on the Text” Oxford edition, 1996].

Sam wrote from Hartford to Joel Chandler Harris in Atlanta.

I judge you haven’t received my new book yet—however, you will in a day or two. Meantime you must not take it ill if I drop Osgood a hint about your proposed story of slave life.....

December 11 Sunday – Joe Goodman wrote to Sam, relating a visit to see Denis E. McCarthy, who’d asked him to go to San Francisco, as he had serious medical problems. Turned out that Denis had improved and the causes of his enlarged heart, etc. were from drinking. He wrote of meeting Senator John P. Jones and of his offers of positions he thought he could get Joe until the vineyard paid [MTP].

December 10 Saturday – The New York Times wrote up the Montreal dinner of Dec. 8. Headlines:

MARK TWAIN IN MONTREAL

HIS SPEECH AT THE BANQUET IN HIS HONOR.

AN EXPLANATION HOW HE CAME TO BE IN AN OSTENSIBLY FOREIGN LAND – LOOKING FORWARD TO THE GOOD TIMES COMING WHEN LITERARY PROPERTY WILL BE AS SACRED AT WHISKY

December 9 Friday – Sam left Montreal for Hartford at 8:30 AM [Dec. 8 letter to Osgood]. It was a day-long trip by rail.

December 8 Thursday – Sam wrote from Montreal to James R. Osgood, sending the speech he was to give that evening. Sam would telegraph if for some reason he did not give it, otherwise Osgood was to “insert a portion or all of the speech in the Boston Herald, or elsewhere,—or in the wastebasket.” Sam added that he would leave for Boston at 8.30 the next morning [MTP].

December 7 Wednesday – Sam wrote from Montreal to Livy at midnight. He just finished the speech for the next night but what he’d added that day made it too long, so he went back to what he had the day before and memorized it. He noted that he was “safe because I wind up in French—if one may call it that” [MTP].

December 6 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Montreal to Livy. He was “pegging away” at a speech for Thursday night, but missed the family:

“I would most powerfully like to see you & the rats. I think of Jean sometimes, too; & to-day I happened to think of the dog. I love you, darling” [MTP].

December 4 Sunday – Sam wrote from Quebec to Livy [MTLP 409].

December 3 Saturday – The official U.S. publication date for Prince and the Pauper [Nov 9 letter to David Gray, MTP].

In Canada, from Sam’s notebook: McShane & Stephens were both elected.

Snowing lightly—girls slipping down everywhere, sidewalks so icy. —on their way to school.

This is the foulest hotel in some respects in Am.

December 2 Friday – Sam and James R. Osgood began a three-day excursion a little over a hundred miles to Quebec, arriving at night and staying at the old Russell Hotel (see insert; closed in 1925) [MTNJ 2: 413n181].

Sam wrote from Quebec to Livy at midnight: