Life in Buffalo: Day By Day

December 18 and 19 Sunday – The lecture planned for Lynn, Mass. was also canceled due to Sam’s cold [MTL 3: 485n16]. Sam wrote from Boston to Livy about Joe Goodman coming to Elmira for the wedding and other matters. Sam went with Joseph R. Hawley to a dinner in honor of Francis W.

December – William Dean Howells published a very positive review of IA in the Atlantic Monthly:

“It is no business of ours to fix his rank among the humorists California has given us, but we think he is, in an entirely different way from all the others, quite worthy of the company of the best.”

December – In the Galaxy for this month – MARK TWAIN’S MEMORANDA – Included:

“An Entertaining Article”
“History Repeats Itself”
“Running for Governor”
“The ‘Present’ Nuisance”
“Dogberry in Washington”
“My Watch – An Instructive Little Tale”
“Favors from Correspondents”
Short miscellaneous items – includes items on A Colt, Whitney, Brigham Young, Divorce, Epitaph, the Map, Art [Schmidt].

December 19 Monday – An article attributed to Sam, “Waiting for the Verdict,” was printed in the Buffalo Express [McCullough 276].

Sam wrote from Buffalo to Joseph Twichell.

Tell Harmony (Mrs. T.) that I do hold the baby, & do it pretty handily, too, although with occasional apprehensions that his loose head will fall off. I don’t have to quiet him—he hardly ever utters a cry. He is always thinking about something. He is a patient, good little baby.

December 2 Friday – Sam wrote from Buffalo to Elisha Bliss and offered a compromise royalty on the new book of 8 ½ percent. Bliss drew up a contract based on this letter [MTL 4: 256-7].

December 20 Monday – Sam lectured (“Savages”) in Canton, Mass. [MTL 3: 415]. 

December 20 Tuesday – In Buffalo, Sam telegraphed, then wrote from Buffalo to Elisha Bliss. The telegraph:

“Contract approved signed and mailed to you. / Sam L. Clemens”

The letter:

“Have just read over, approved & signed that contract, [for the S. African book] & it will go to you tonight.

December 21 Tuesday – Sam lectured (“Savages”) in Hudson, Mass. [MTL 3: 415].

Sam wrote from Boston to Livy.

December 22 Wednesday – Sam lectured (“Savages”) in Mercantile Library, Portland, Maine [MTL 3: 415].

Letters Sam wrote to Livy on Dec. 21 and 22 (letter numbers 161-2) are lost [MTL 3: 437-8n1].

December 22 Thursday – Sam wrote from Buffalo to Elisha Bliss acknowledging receipt of the $1,500 for Riley and the S. African book.

December 23 Thursday – Sam lectured (“Savages”) in Town Hall, Rockport, Mass. [MTL 3: 415]. 

December 23 Friday – Sam wrote from Buffalo to Frank Church of the Galaxy about the bad review Sam claimed to have written himself [MTL 4: 283].

December 24 Friday – Sam lectured (“Savages”)  in New Hall, Slatersville, Rhode Island. Sam had been scheduled to lecture in Salem on this Christmas Eve, but changed to Slatersville to fill in for his sick friend, Josh Billings [MTL 3: 438n3].

December 24 Saturday – Sam’s article, “A Sad, Sad Business,” which also appeared in the January 1871 edition of the Galaxy, was printed in the Buffalo Express [McCullough 277].

December 25 Saturday – Christmas – Sam wrote from Boston to Livy wishing her a happy Christmas.

“I shall expect a letter in the loved & familiar hand in New Haven day after tomorrow, though—& a month after that, we shall close our long correspondence, & tell each other what our minds suggest, by word of mouth. Speed the day!” [MTL 3: 435].

December 25 Sunday – Christmas – In Buffalo, Sam wrote a Merry Christmas note to Eunice Ford about her great-grandson, Langdon [MTL 4: 285].

December 26 Monday – In Buffalo, Sam wrote a letter of regret to decline an invitation from Alfred B. Crandell and Other Members of the Farmers’ Club to speak at a Jan. 5, 1871 dinner at the Metropolitan Hotel in New York City [MTL 4: 286].

December 27 Monday – Sam lectured (“Savages”)  in Music Hall, New Haven, Conn. [MTL 3: 416].

Sam wrote from New Haven to Livy just before the lecture.

“I stopped two hours in Hartford today & Twichell & I bummed around together…Twelve thousand copies of the book sold this month. This is perfectly enormous. Nothing like it since Uncle Tom’s Cabin, I guess” [MTL 3: 440].

December 28 Tuesday – Sam wrote from New York to Joseph Twichell sending him a rail ticket he didn’t need. He also wrote to Elisha Bliss, about sending Dan Slote more books at a discount to sell to his friends.

In the evening, Sam lectured (“Savages”) in Taylor Hall, Trenton, New Jersey [MTL 3: 441-3].

December 28 Wednesday – Elisha Bliss wrote to Sam.

December 29 Wednesday – Sam lectured (“Savages”)  in Opera House, Newark, N.J. [MTL 3: 416].

 “An Indignant Rebuke,” an unsigned article attributed to Sam, was printed in the Buffalo Express [McCullough 120].

The Boston Evening Transcript ran a letter by Sam about pretentious Americans, returning from Europe:

December 29 Thursday – Wrote to Sam: Elisha Bliss wrote: “I send the contracts, one a copy of the one you signed, the other a short one for sketch book—comprehensive enough for all purposes. … I mention your altering the old sketches a little to secure a new copyright on them. Would it not be a good plan. You know best, but if you don’t do it some scallawag may run us opposition you know… [MTP].

December 3 Friday – Sam lectured  (“Savages”) in Collingwood’s Opera House, Poughkeepsie, New York.

Sam wrote from Brooklyn, New York to the editor of the Brooklyn Eagle, that a “misunderstanding” had resulted in canceling his second Brooklyn lecture [MTL 3: 417].

“The Richardson Murder,” an unsigned article attributed to Sam, was printed in the Buffalo Express [McCullough 101].

December 3 Saturday – Sam’s article, “An Entertaining Article,” which also appeared in the December edition of the Galaxy, was re-printed in the Buffalo Express [McCullough 262]. The paper also ran a poem titled “Three Aces” over the pseudonym “Carl Byng.” When the poem was called Sam’s “weak imitation of Bret Harte,” it caused Sam some grief. (See Jan. 15, 1871 entry.)

December 30 Thursday – Sam lectured (“Savages”) in Landmesser Hall, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. [MTL 3: 416].

 “The Hyenas,” an unsigned article attributed to Sam, was printed in the Buffalo Express [McCullough 121].