Day By Day Dates

March 1 Monday — On or about this day Jean Clemens moved from Babylon, Long Island (she hated it) to a cottage named “Wahnfried,” in Montclair, N.J., supervised by Miss Edith Clapp, a nurse. Jean had still not seen Stormfield [Hill 225]. Note: on Mar. 3 Sam replied to a non-extant letter from Jean; allowing a day each way would put Jean’s letter and probably her arrival in Montclair, to this day.

Sam’s new guestbook:

March 2 Tuesday — Andrew Chatto wrote to Sam. “I am sending for your kind acceptance an early copy of a drama on Joan of Arc’ which I hope may be of interest to you. It is written by a young friend of mine and I think it has merit” [MTP].

Miriam Sutro Price for Public Education Assoc., NYC wrote to ask Sam if he would “Join their association and help us in our work for public schools?” [MTP].

March 3 Wednesday — In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Helen Kerr Blackmer (Mrs. Henry Myron Blackmer) in N.Y.C.

Dear Mrs. Blackmer:

March 4 Thursday - In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote a memo to Ralph W. Ashcroft.

Memo. for Mr Ashcroft.

Draw up codicil to will, whereby, at age 55, my daughter Clara may have her 1/2 share of estate, Jean’s share to remain in trust during her (Jean’s) lifetime. If Jean dies before Clara, & Clara is her sole or partial legatee, this property to remain in trust until Clara is 55. If Clara dies before Jean, & Jean is Clara’s sole or partial legatee, this property to remain in trust during Jean’s lifetime.

March 5 Friday — In Redding, Conn. Sam began a postcard to Dorothy Quick, which he lost in his table drawer and which he then found and finished on Mar. 31.

March 6 Saturday — In Redding, Conn. an unidentified person wrote for Clemens to Harry A. Lounsbury.

Dear Mr. Lounsbury : / Mr, Clemens, who is, as you know, very satisfied with the manner in which you have attended to his needs in the past, wishes me, however, to call your attention to the following matters:

March 8 Monday — In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Margery H. Clinton.

March 9 Tuesday— In Redding, Conn. Sam added to and finished his Mar. 8 to Mary B. Rogers:

Next Day—which is to-day, the 9th Letter from H. H., trying hard to say he hasn’t any room, but will refer the matter to Mrs. Rogers, I know what that means: he is going to raise the price. He thinks I can’t help myself—can’t get in elsewhere, But I can: I’ve already arranged it, conditionally.

March 10 Wednesday — Clemens A.D. for this day is listed by MTP. In a note in the L-A MS, Clemens wrote, “About10th (suspicious) Duneka examined securities. Reported 12th.”

March 11 Thursday — In Redding, Conn. Sam began a letter to daughter Clara that he finished Mar. 14, expressing concerns about her suspicions of theft by Isabel Lyon from household accounts. Some time previously, while Lyon was recovering from her breakdown in Hartford, Clara began investigating for irregularities in the household finances. Sam’s reference to losing sleep “again” indicates Clara had voiced her suspicions sometime prior to this day, and Ashcroft had been asked for a reporting of the books.

March 12 Friday — In a note in the L-A MS, Clemens wrote, “About 10th (suspicious) Duneka examined securities. Reported 12th. Note: securities? Hill writes of the Lyon-Ashcroft MS:

Ashcroft was “guilty” of selling Clemens Spiral Pin stock, of having fired Horace Hazen, of having presented a number of legal documents for Clemens’ signature which the forgetful old man could not remember signing, and of having an excessively florid prose style.

March 13 before — Robert J. Collier sent an engraved invitation for Sam to meet Theodore Roosevelt at breakfast on Saturday, Mar. 13 at noon at 752 Park Avenue, NYC [MTP].

March 13 Saturday — In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Mrs. Helen Kerr Blackmer at the Woman’s Club, N.Y.C. (Margaret Blackmer’s, mother).

Dear Mrs. Blackmer:

March 14 Sunday - In Redding, Conn, Sam finished his Mar. 11 to daughter Clara. Note the change in tone and Sam’s resignation derived from the investigation:

PS.

Sunday, Mch 14.

Nothing is as it was. Everything is changed. Sentiment has been wholly eliminated. All things in this house are now upon a strictly business basis. All duties are strictly defined, under several written contracts, signed before a notary. [bottom third of page torn away to cancel]

March 15 Monday — In a note in the Ashcroft-Lyon MS, Clemens wrote, “About 15th took A[shcroft] to vault & removed signatures. He a smile.”

Ruth A. Dorms wrote on notepaper from “The Woman’s Club of Ansonia, Derby, and Shelton” (Conn.) to invite Sam to give an afternoon lecture [MTP].

March 16 Tuesday — Laura Hawkins Frazer wrote from Hannibal, Mo. to Sam that she thought her letter marking their old Hannibal schoolmates and friends had “miscarried.” She offered to send another. She also had heard through Mrs. Paine that Albert and Louisa Paine were enjoying their trip. Would Sam go to Bermuda again this year? She mentioned several clippings enclosed but these are not in the file [MTP].

March 17 Wednesday — Sam recorded the last time he ever saw Ralph W. Ashcroft, and included Horace Hazen’s explanation of his note of “discharge”:

March 18 Thursday - Ralph W. Ashcroft and Isabel V. Lyon married [MTHHR 662n1]. The New York Times ran a squib on the marriage on p. 5:

Mark Twain’s Secretary to Wed.

Miss Isabel Van Kleeck Lyon, private secretary to Mark Twain, will be married tonight to Ralph Ashcroft, manager, of 24 Stone Street. They obtained a license at the City Clerk’s office yesterday. Mr. Ashcroft is a widower.

The Times ran a follow up squib on Mar. 19:

Mark Twain’s Secretary a Bride

March 19 Friday — Von Beck Canfield wrote from Brooklyn to Sam.

Dear Sir:

March 20 Saturday — Sam’s new guestbook:

March 21 Sunday — Louis J. Keller wrote to ask Sam who made the “best bust or statue” of Twain, as he wanted to manufacture one [MTP]. Note: IVL: “There isn’t any ‘best’ bust of Mr. Clemens”

March 22 Monday — In Redding, Conn. Sam replied to the Mar. 19 from John H. Johnston. “Messages like yours can never lose their value” [MTP: Swann Galleries catalog May 2, 1957, No. 468, Item 317]. °

March 23 Tuesday — In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote an advertisement to the public for the Redding Times. Under a photo of Stormfield, Sam wrote, ‘“Mr. Sunderland built my house, & I can recommend him in the strongest terms, as a builder, to any who may need his services. / Mark Twain” [MTP]. Note: see prior entries on the Sunderlands, father & son.

March 24 Wednesday — In Redding, Conn, Sam replied to the Mar. 19 of Von Beck Canfield: “Mar 24— / Don’t think I ever put it on paper, but put it in a lecture years ago. He is the Moncoon—Kingman” [MTP] Note: for some reason the MTP dates this as “after 19 March” though Sam clearly dated it Mar. 24.

From the Mark Twain Library Association minutes, meeting at Stormfield:

March 24

March 25 Thursday — Sam’s new guestbook:

Clemens A.D. for this day is listed by MTP.

March 26 Friday — In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote a postcard (with a picture of Stormfield) to Andrew Carnegie.

Dear St. Andrew:

Many thanks for the whisky. Itgoestotherightplace, & finds a hearty welcome there.

Ever yours

T Mark [MTP].

Earl H. Reed wrote from Chicago to relate a boy’s idea that Cleopatra was the wife of Mark Twain [MTP]. Note: “Appreciation”; “ansd”’