Day By Day Dates

February 10 Thursday Albert Bigelow Paine wrote from Redding to Clemens: "Lounsbury thinks this man is going to take the Italian house at 5700.00, He will know in a day or two, and if he can, will close matters up this week or next”. He offered more details of costs and net [MTP]. Note: MT: “ans / approving / Feb. 14”

February 11 Friday — In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam wrote per Helen S. Allen to Albert B. Paine in Redding, Conn.

Dear Mr. Paine, / Mr. Clemens wants me to tell you that he approves of your project and also the terms [in SLC’s hand: suggested. /Helen.

P. S. The plan which would leave me 80 acres strikes me pleasantly.

February 12 Saturday - Sam’s new guestbook:

The Danish-American (Independent Weekly) per Emil Opffer wrote from the Tribune Bldg., NYC:

February 14 Monday — In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam wrote a valentine poem to Helen S, Allen.

February 15 Tuesday — In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam wrote to Thomas Lemuel James.

Dear General,

The parcel of money shipped to me per Wells Fargo, February 4 has not yet arrived. I thought I would mention this in passing. But I mention it mainly to put you on your guard against sending anything to Bermuda or elsewhere by any express company, because the persons connected with those companies have been dead 30 years. This often causes delay, / Yours always / ... [MTP]. Note: see Jan. 30 to James.

February 16 Wednesday — Matthias Hollenbeck Arnot, Elmira financier and friend of Clemens, died at age 78 in Elmira, N.Y, reportedly worth fifty million dollars. He took none of it with him [NY Times, Feb. 16, 1910]. Note: Arnot was a principal backer of Sam’s Paige Typesetter. See Vol. II.

Sam came down with a head cold that lasted four days [Feb. 20 to Leary].

Daughter Clara wrote to Sam. The letter is not extant but replied to in Sam’s Mar, 6 [MTP].

February 17 Thursday  - In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam began a letter to Albert B. Paine in Redding, Conn. that he finished Feb, 18, which was in Helen Allen’s hand.

Dear Paine:

Let us not give up the tobacco forgery lightly. Even if Ashcroft could prove he was my authorized agent, he was still not authorized to use his authority to injure me & to steal £25 from me.

February 18 Friday - In Hamilton, Bermuda, Helen S. Allen finished Sam’s Feb. 17 to Albert B. Paine.

February 20 Sunday — In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam wrote to Katy Leary.

Dear Katie: / I enclose page 1 of a letter just received from Mrs. Ossip. It troubles me because she seems to have gotten the impression (the superstition), that your authority as housekeeper is not supreme. But it is supreme, There is no housekeeper but you. No one but you has anything to do with the housekeeping. No one but you can hire or discharge a house-servant, or give to a house-servant an order not proper for a guest to give.

February 21 Monday — In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam wrote to Julia Langdon Loomis (Mrs. Edward E. Loomis)

Julie dear, bless your heart it was a pleasure to serve Jervis, not a trouble. Think what he & Edward are doing for me & mine, I don’t forget it, & I am very grateful for it.

February 22 Tuesday — In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam added to his Feb. 21 to daughter Clara,

February 23 Wednesday-In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam finished his Feb, 21 and 22 to daughter Clara, 117 W. 69 St. NYC c/o Miss Gordon.

February 24 Thursday - W.T. Mossman, music hall manager, Pittsburg wrote to Sam, “humorously complaining of the quality of printing in the Twain books, while lengthily recounting details of Twain’s life” [MTP: ]. Fricelli Assoc. auction, catalog #7, Brooklyn].

February 25 Friday — In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam wrote to Albert B. Paine in Redding, Conn.

Dear Paine.

Perhaps I have no business to be dictating, and I have refrained all day, because my bronchitis makes it troublecome for me to talk.

I have nothing to say that would not keep over another steamer, but I must bark enough to assure you that I am not in the least degree troubled about those stocks.

February 27 Sunday - Amelia C. Householder wrote from Maple Glen, Penn. to offer condolences and hoped for a reply [MTP].

February 28 Monday — Lauron Clemens Sears wrote from Ada, Okla. “Dear Sir..I am a little boy 9 years old and am named after you. In some way through the Johnson’s we are related. I would like to exchange pictures with you so you would know what I look like. I know your picture wherever I see it. / I hope you will answer this” [MTP].

March 2 Wednesday — In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam wrote to Albert B. Paine in Redding, Conn.

Dear Paine: / We sent you a list of the checks but failed the one we finished with therefore we will rectify this blunder by making a new list & bringing it down to date.

April 3 Sunday — In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam wrote to the Clowns of Barnum & Bailey Circus, who had cabled him this day asking him the following:

THE CLOWNS OF BARNUM AND BAILEYS CIRCUS RECOGNIZING YOU AS THE WORLDS GREATEST LAUGHMAKER WILL CONSIDER IT AN HONOR IF YOU WILL BE THEIR LUNCHEON GUEST AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN SUNDAY AFTERNOON APRIL THIRD AT TWO WILL YOU PLEASE ANSWER COLLECT BARNUM AND BAILEY [MTP].

Sam’s reply by collect cable:

March 4 Friday — In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam wrote to Albert B, Paine in Redding, Conn.

March 6 Sunday — In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam wrote a humorous receipt for Miss Helen S. Allen.

Received of S. L. C. 
Two Dollars and Forty Cents 
in return for my promise to believe everything he says hereafter. 
[signed] Helen S. Allen

[verso] For Sale

March 8 Tuesday — In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam wrote to Dorothy Quick. Text not available [MTP].

Albert B. Paine wrote to Sam. (Only the envelope survives) [MTP].

March 9 Wednesday — David Alexander Munro, age 66, assistant editor of the North American Review under Col. Harvey, died in NYC after a seven-week illness. Munro was also a Greek scholar [NY Times, Mar. 10, 1910, “David A. Munro Dead”]. See entries Vol. III.

March 10 Thursday — Albert Bigelow Paine wrote from Redding to Clemens about his bank statement and thanked Sam for his list of checks sent. He wondered if Jean’s estate should be settled and suggested a “Jean Clemens Memorial Library building on the lot Adams donated. Jean passed there every day on her way to the mail and the farm was her joy. She spent eight of her happiest months here in Redding, & she loved it here, and I would like the people to remember her and love her memory” [MTP].

March 11 Friday — Sam went to the Hamilton Hotel, Bermuda to hear the garrison band play. Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Collier arrived for a two-week stay in the Islands [Mar. !2 to Clara].

March 12 Saturday — In Hamilton, Bermuda Sam wrote to Clara Clemens Gabrilowitsch and Ossip Gabrilowitsch.