June 7, 1881: Sam returns to Hartford.
June 8, 1881: Sam gave a speech at the Army of the Potomac Banquet, Allyn House, Hartford:
June 9, 1881: Sam went with a party by train to West Point for graduation festivities. He returns to Hartford June 11th.
June 4 Saturday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Orion that “Everything is packed & the house is ready for the decorators.” They would leave in an hour for Branford, planning to stay through July, then to Elmira till mid-September. Sam used a West Point invitation envelope which had just arrived to send Orion a picture of baby Jean [MTP].
June 3 Friday – Sam wrote from Hartford to the A.V.S. Anthony, asking him to buy “100 of the choicest cigars in Boston, for [Osgood] to fight the Atlantic voyage with….” [MTP]. Osgood was taking a trip abroad.
June 2 Thursday – Charles Webster wrote to Sam, a summary of business activities: the Independent Watch Co. stock, Kaolatype, and the Scrap Book and how to recover what Slote had taken [MTP].
June 1 Wednesday – Sam wrote from Hartford to J.S. Wood replying to a request for some unidentified materials. “…my slips will arrive ‘the day after the Fair’ ” [MTP]. This may possibly be John Seymour Wood (1853-1934), Author.
Orion Clemens wrote to his brother that he now had 1776 MS. pages on his autobiography [MTP].
Mrs. John Olmstead wrote from Boston to Clemens:
June – Sam wrote from Hartford to Charles Webster advising him that Woodman, Dan Slote’s former partner, might be someone valuable to consult on scrapbook matters [MTP].
Sam inscribed: “S.L. Clemens, Hartford, June, 1881” on the flyleaf of Charles Anthon’s (1797-1867) Classical Dictionary (1880), which treated Greek and Roman literature and history [Gribben 25].
May 31 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Webster advising him on the stock price of American Bank Note Co. Howells had informed Sam that a broker named Shepard could get the stock cheaper than Bissell, the Hartford broker Sam usually dealt with. Sam authorized Webster to buy $1000 worth.
May 30 Monday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Charles Webster. Sam forwarded notes he’d made a week or two before, one of which suggested Slote had used his money to pay Kaolatype debts incurred before Sam purchased stock [MTBus 158].
May 28 Saturday – Orion Clemens wrote to Sam, still trying to figure out how to make a living. His arm had swollen painfully so could not go to Chicago to set type. Could Sam “risk $200” for him to go to Colorado to check out that mining possibility? [MTP]. Note: begs the question: if he couldn’t set type how could he mine?
May 27 Friday – Haynes & Simmons, “fine boots, shoes & rubbers” billed $8 for goods (illegible); paid [MTP].
Miss E.T. Morgan wrote from Knoxville, Tenn. to thank Sam for the $25 he gave to Mrs. Olmstead for her. (This letter was enclosed in Mrs. J. Olmstead’s June 1; see entry) [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Note: Sam wrote on the env., “From a damn fool in Tennessee —OLMSteads”