June 16 Wednesday – After spending the night in New York City, the Clemens family left in their special “sleeping-car” for Elmira. It was a ten-hour trip. Sam’s letter of the previous day gave planned departure and arrival times of 9:15 AM and 6:30 PM [MTLE 5: 127]. They initially stayed at the Langdon home, as was their custom [131].
The family finally left for Elmira and Quarry Farm on June 15, 1880, and railed to New York, where they overnighted at the Gilsey House.
June 15 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Franklin Whitmore in Branford, Conn.
June 14 Monday – Howells wrote from Boston to Sam about Orion’s autobiographical manuscript.
June 12 Saturday – Howells wrote from Boston to Sam about Sylvester Baxter’s interview of Sam. He acknowledged receipt of Orion’s manuscript, as well as Sam’s sketch, “Edward Mills and George Benton: A Tale,” which Howells thought “wunderbar” [MTHL 1: 314].
Sam met with the young ladies of the Saturday Morning Club.
June 11 Friday – Sam wrote two pages from Hartford to Mary M. Booth (Mrs. Edwin Booth) in response to her request for his autograph:
June 10 Thursday – Sam wrote from Hartford to his old editor friend in Buffalo, David Gray. Sam feared negative newspaper reviews of A Tramp Abroad might limit sales, as he had his other books. So, he sent Tramp to only Gray and Howells, knowing that if they didn’t care for it he would receive kind silence. Instead they praised it, so Sam was thankful. Sales were now at 50,000—more, Sam claimed, than any previous book sales for the same length of time.
June 9 Wednesday – Sam wrote two letters from Hartford to William Dean Howells. The first was about the visit of Sylvester Baxter (“Mr. B.”) who stayed at Sam’s a day or two (Sam wrote “during 24 hours”) to gather information for an interview (see June 8 entry).
June 8 Tuesday – Clara Clemens’ sixth birthday.
Sam wrote from Hartford to Moses S. Beach, who had sent Sam an unnamed “text” and an invitation to visit. Sam thanked him and “Miss Emma” (Emma Beach) but since they were about to start to Elmira for “a long summer vacation” they couldn’t accept [MTLE 5: 120].
June 7 Monday – Orion Clemens wrote to Sam. “It will remind you of the fable of the mountain and the mouse, when I tell you I have worked hard all week on my book. Edgar A. Poe said he wrote the last verse of the Raven first, and that books should be written backwards…Tell me what you think? This doesn’t look like writing for money, does it? / Love to all” [MTP].