December 3 Sunday – Sam spent the day in Homer, New York. He wrote a laundry list of concerns to Livy, including loans to his Express partner, Josephus Larned; money to his mother; bills for shirts; directing that Margaret (the maid) should be given “the nightly care of the cubbie”; and another lecturer from Virginia City days, C.B.
December 2 Saturday – Sam gave the “Artemus Ward” lecture in Barber Hall, Homer, New York to a “large assemblage.”
Clemens gave a humorous autograph to an unidentified person. Cue: “It isn’t egotism that makes me choose a leaf so…” Not found at MTP but in catalog [MTP].
December 1 Friday – Sam gave the “Artemus Ward” lecture in Doolittle Hall, Oswego, NY [MTPO].
December – Sam’s article “My First Lecture” ran in American Publishing Co.’s in-house promotional monthly, American Publisher [Camfield, bibliog.]. Similar to Roughing It, Ch. 78.
November 30 Thursday – Sam’s 36th birthday.
November 29 Wednesday – Sam lectured in Opera House, Newark, New Jersey – “Artemus Ward.”
On this day or the next, Sam wrote from Newark, N.J. to Redpath & Fall. “Well, Troy had telegraphed for Feb. 8. We telegraphed you. You answered with a ‘word with a bark to it—No’ ” [MTL 4: 503; paraphrased]. Note: see source n1 for a full explanation.
November 28 Tuesday – Sam lectured in Tweddle Hall, Albany, New York – “Artemus Ward.” Sam wrote from Albany to George L. Fall, scheduler for the Boston Lyceum Bureau.
November 27 Monday – Livy’s 26th birthday.
Sam lectured in Bennington, Vermont – “Artemus Ward.” Afterward, Sam wrote to Livy:
November 25 Saturday – The London Leisure Hour ran reprints from the St. Louis Republican and a story of how Sam took the name Mark Twain—this one relates him writing a sketch about Captain Isaiah Sellers, then asking “John Morris, now steward of the Belle Memphis,” what name he should sign to it. When the leadsman called out “Mark Twain,” it supposedly decided the issue [Tenney 4].
November 24 Friday – Sam lectured in Reading, Penn. – “Artemus Ward.” The theater of Keystone Opera House, as reported by the Berks and Schuylkill Journal of Nov. 25:
Mark Twain, author of “Innocents Abroad,” delivered a lecture on the “Uncommon-place Characters he has met with” at the Keystone Opera House last evening to a full house.”