Day By Day Dates

February 10 Saturday – The New York Times, p. BR1, an anonymous squib: “Topics of the Week.”

February 12 Monday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam replied to Samuel G. Blythe (incoming letter not extant).

Objections? Indeed no. On the contrary I shall be glad.

February 13 Tuesday – Sir Gilbert Parker (1862 -1932) wrote from London to Sam. “We have been so sorry to miss you this afternoon, a regret that owing to our electric bells having gone wrong your ring was evidently not heard.” Parker found Sam’s card after he’d left [MTP].

February 14 Wednesday – Henry C. Robinson, longtime friend of the Clemenses, and ex-mayor of Hartford, died at his home at 6 a.m. [Hartford Courant “Death of Mr. Robinson” Feb. 15, 1900 p.9]. Note: See Feb. 16 to Lucius Robinson; Mar. 30 to Whitmore.

Lucius Robinson cabled news of his father’s death. Cable not extant; referred to in Sam’s Feb. 16 reply.

John M. Hay wrote on State Department note paper to Sam.

February 15 Thursday – Sam’s notebook: “In my father’s house are many flats” [NB 43 TS 5].

Jonas Henrick Kellgren Osteopath, billed £21.0.0 for the last half of February, Feb. 15, 1900 included, for Jean’s treatments [1900 Financial file MTP].

Patrascan wrote a long fan letter (in French) from Bacau, Romania to Sam [MTP].

February 16 Friday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam wrote to Lucius Robinson.

Your cablegram gave me another stab in the heart—& there have been so many in these four disastrous years! Susy Clemens, Ned Bunce, Libby Hammersley, the Cheney children, others and still others—& now Henry Robinson, friend, wise adviser & beloved comrade from the day we first met till now.

February 17 Saturday – Sam looked in on Henry M. Stanley, who had been treated by Dr. Henrick Kellgren from Sam’s recommendation. Stanley had improved greatly since his first treatment on Feb. 15; he had bacon and eggs and spoke with Sam for an hour and a half [Feb. 27 to Rogers]. See also Feb. 15 letter from Mrs. Stanley.

February 18 Sunday – Sam’s notebook: “There are no wild animals until man makes them wild” [NB 43 TS 6].

February 20 Tuesday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam sent an aphorism to Alfred E. Ann (b.1851) in Finsbury, a borough of London. “We ought never to do wrong when people are looking” [MTP]. Note: Ann is listed as a mine owner and owner of Mining and Scientific Press, a journal of mining, popular science and General news. See Feb. 23 to and from Ann.

February 22 Thursday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam wrote to Frank Bliss.

I suppose that when Whitmore called on you for asphalt money he did as before—brought you a written order from me. In that case it is all right & regular, but I have no recollection of sending him any such order. Did he bring you such an order? Please tell me; my memory may be at fault….

February 23 Friday – Sam’s notebook: “To the pure all things are impure” [NB 43 TS 6].

At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam wrote to Alfred E. Ann, having second thoughts about another letter [not extant] he had sent.

February 24 Saturday – Sam’s notebook: “Unposted Letters. The letter as finally sent” [NB 43 TS 6].

February 26 Monday – In London Sam wrote to Francis Henry Skrine, thanking him for the opportunity to meet Sir William Wilson Hunter on Jan. 24 (see entry). Letter not extant but quoted by Skrine “he was grateful for the opportunity to shake the hand and look into the kind eyes of that great and gifted and noble man” [Life of Sir William Wilson Hunter, etc. by Francis Henry Skrine (1901) p. 477].

February 27 Tuesday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam replied to John M. Hay’s Feb. 14. Hay had been concerned he’d been mischaracterized as resenting Sam’s allusion to him in the McClure’s article, “My Boyhood Dreams.”

February 28 Wednesday – Samuel S. McClure wrote to Sam, having reconsidered his Jan. 11 offer to Sam to be editor-in-absentia for his new magazine.

March – The March issue of The Critic ran a full -length, double -page color portrait frontispiece of Mark Twain, from a pastel drawing by Everett Shinn (1876-1953). It was so noted by the New York Times, Mar. 3, p. BR9, which included a two-sentence squib that the caricature gave the impression that Twain was a very tall man. Perlman writes:

March 1 Thursday

March 1-15? 1900 – Sam wrote to the Secretary of the London Anti-Vivisection Society secretary, to acknowledge his election as an honorary member: “I am glad of the honor, since I have no friendly feeling toward either ‘sport’ or vivisection” [MTP: NY Times Mar. 18, 1900 p.14, “‘Mark Twain’ on Sport and Vivisection”].

March 2 Friday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam and Clara Clemens wrote to Mildred (Pilla) Howells, sending their approval and pride at her poem “The Particular Princess: An up to date Fairy Story,” which appeared in Feb. 17 issue p.144-5 of Harper’s Bazaar—Sam “choking up…& just damming away with a father pride…” and Clara “dammingly chokingly chucklingly sparkingly add my signature to the above”[MTP].

March 3 Saturday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam gave a reading of a paper before the Copyright Committee of the House of Lords, arguing that perpetual copyright be given to authors.

He then wrote to C.F. Moberly Bell, editor of the London Times, asking for a copy of the reading for the Associated Press to cable to America [MTP].

March 4 Sunday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam wrote to Joe Twichell.

March 5 Monday

March 6 Tuesday – Jonas Henrick Kellgren Osteopath, billed £12.12.0 for Mar. 1 through Mar. 6 for Jean’s treatments [1900 Financial file MTP].

March 7 Wednesday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam wrote to John Y. MacAlister . The four paragraphs deal with prospective buying and selling Plasmon at a profit, and mixing it with Bovril. Samuel Bergheim is mentioned [MTP]. Note: Bovril is a trade name for a salty meat extract developed in 1870. Samuel Bergheim (d.1904) is identified as the managing director of the Plasmon Co., London [ MTHHR 442n2]. On Jan.

March 8 Thursday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam wrote and declined an invitation to a festival by the City Liberal Club Chairman and Committee, London. Sam repeated the reason given to others during this period that his work could not presently be interrupted [MTP: Christie’s East Catalog, 14 May 1997, Item 89].

March 9 Friday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam replied to Chester Sanders Lord (1850-1933), a founder of Lotos Club and managing editor of the N.Y. Sun since 1880. Evidently Lord invited him upon his return to America a banquet (Lord’s not extant).

I accept that Lotos complimentary dinner with loud & long-continued applause.