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].

June 5 Saturday – Sam acted as auctioneer for the Grand Bazar for Union for Home Work, Hartford. The Hartford Daily Courant of June 7, 1880, p2, in a story titled “The Bazar,” reported:

June 4 Friday – Sam paid a $4.37 bill to Solomon & DeLeeuw, Hartford tobacco dealers for two dozen corn cob pipes and tobacco [MTP]. Was Sam really smoking this many corn cob pipes? They do burn out after a time; he may have been passing them to friends at such gatherings as his Friday Evening Club.

June 3 Thursday – G.S. Whiting, Hartford hardware, cutlery, guns, billed $6.50 for one wringer [MTP].

June 2 Wednesday – Fred. Kingsley, Hartford dealer in “meat, poultry, game, fish & vegetables” billed a monthly statement for $62.56; paid June 4 [MTP].

June 1 Tuesday – Sam wrote to Orion in Keokuk. Only the envelope survives [MTLE 5: 118].