February 7 Friday – Sam gave his revised “Sandwich Islands” lecture at the Academy, Brooklyn, New York [Schmidt].
Bill dated Jan. 4 paid to H.A. Botsford & Co., Hartford dealers in bailed hay and straw, for $15.68 [MTP].
Nearly half an inch of rain & snow fell on NYC [NOAA.gov].
February 6 Thursday – The Brooklyn Eagle ran an unsigned, teasing announcement on page 3 of Sam’s lecture for the following night. It has that Mark Twain ring to it.
MARK TWAIN
February 5 Wednesday – Sam gave his revised “Sandwich Islands” lecture at Steinway Hall, New York City [Schmidt].
A load of hay was delivered by Paul Thompson for a fee of 5 cents [MTP].
February 4 Tuesday – Nearly an inch of rain fell in NYC [NOAA.gov].
February 3 Monday – George Routledge & Sons, London was paid for duties on books shipped (bill in MTP).
In Hartford, M. Nott delivered and certified a load of wood had a certain amount of feet [MTP].
February 2 Sunday – Sam wrote from the St. Nicholas Hotel in New York to Livy on their third wedding anniversary.
I am keeping the great anniversary in the solitude of the hotel; & not boisterously, for last night’s whirlwind of excitement has swept all the spirit out of me & I am as dull & lifeless as if I had just waked out of a long, stupefying sleep.
February 1 Saturday – Sam telegraphed from Hartford to Whitelaw Reid, who was a member of the Lotos Club in N.Y. where Sam had agreed to speak. “Andrews and I will go to the club without first going to the hotel.” The dinner was in Reid’s honor. That evening, Sam gave a speech.
“I make it a rule of life never to miss any chances, especially on occasions like these, where the opportunity for converting the heathen is luxuriously promising” [MTL 5: 292].
January 31 Friday – Sam donated his “Sandwich Islands” lecture at the Benefit for Father Hawley, Allyn Hall in Hartford. All services were donated; the benefit netted $1,500 for “Father” David Hawley in his charity work for the poor [Lorch 137]. Note: See Jan. 28 entry. Clemens gave one other lecture to benefit Hawley’s work, on Mar. 5, 1875. See entry.
January 30 Thursday – Sam wrote to the staff of the New York Tribune asking for copies of his British liberality letter, published on Jan. 27, about the award of the gold medal to Captain John E. Mouland [MTL 5: 291].
A load of hay was delivered by Paul Thompson [MTP].
January 29 Wednesday – In a letter to the Hartford Courant aimed at raising funds for Father Hawley’s efforts, and dated Jan. 28, Sam wrote that charity is: