July 25 Wednesday – Sam left Fairhaven, Mass. and arrived back in Dublin, N.H. [July 31 to Teller; IVL journal July 25].
Isabel Lyon’s journal: “Today the King came home. His hair is shorter than I have ever seen it, and he is a rejuvenated [sic] man. Yes—he is in a new world” [MTP TS 100].
Herbert Shearer for Farm, Field & Fireside (“The Great Farm Weekly”), Chicago, wrote to ask Sam if he would confirm a photograph they’d rec’d of his birthplace [MTP].
July 26 Thursday – Jean Clemens’ 26 birthday.
Isabel Lyon’s journal: “This morning Jean called Mr. Clemens an old sinner & he said, ‘Yes, Adam & I go out every Sunday morning with a basket & gather all the apples we can find!’” [MTP TS 100].
Donchian Brothers, Importers of Oriental rugs, NYC wrote to Sam with a quote of $381.50 for repairing the rugs from his Fifth Ave. house [MTP].
July 27 Friday – In Dublin, N.H. Sam wrote to daughter Clara in Norfolk, Conn.
It’s a darling lovely letter, you dear child, & not even Howells can surpass it for charm & grace & expression. I’m having typed copies made for Howells & Joe.
Poor Lewis is dead, & I am so glad he is set free from a world that has certain ungrateful imitation human beings in it.
July 28 Saturday – Isabel Lyon’s journal:
Jean, 10:45, violent. 6:40, long, violent. Petit mal all day.
The King is singing the Marseillaise in lusty tones as he is drawing a bath for himself. When the King sings very hard it means a perturbation of spirit; it means that something is not quite in key, it never stands for happiness.
July 30 Monday – In Dublin, N.H. Sam replied to the June 28 from Charles Orr, librarian, Case Library, Cleveland.
I cannot thank you enough for sending me copies of John Hay’s delicious notes to M . Gunn. In the matter of humor, what an unsurpassable touch John Hay had! I may have known Alexander r Gunn in those ancient days, but the name does not sound familiar to me.
July 31 Tuesday – George B. Harvey of Harpers arrived In Dublin and spent five days with Clemens, choosing 100,000 words from the 250,000 of the Autobiography for publication in the North American Review. Harvey left on Aug. 4 [Aug. 3 to Clara]. Isabel Lyon’s journal: “Col. Harvey arrived late this evening at 9:45” [MTP TS 102].
Sam wrote to Charlotte Teller Johnson.
August – The first of two installments of “The Horse’s Tale” ran in Harper’s Monthly for August. The second ran in Sept. issue; it would be published by Harper’s as a 153 page book on Oct. 24, 1907.
Sam also wrote to H.H. Rogers: “Dear Mr. Rogers: I’m accepting…tell me if you can go & if it will pay you to go. S.L.C.” [MTP: Anderson Galleries catalog, 4-5 April 1934, No. 4098, Item 116].
August 1 Wednesday – William Dean Howells wrote from Kittery Point, Maine to Sam.
August 2 Thursday – Frederick W. Wile wrote from the Berlin Bureau of the Chicago Daily News:
August 3 Friday – In Dublin, N.H. Sam wrote to daughter Clara in Norfolk, Conn.
August 4 Saturday – In Dublin, N.H. Sam wrote to Elizabeth Jordan, editor of Harper’s Bazaar, unable to be inspired to add to her collaborated story, his contribution being the boy character:
August 5 Sunday – In Dublin, N.H. Sam added a few lines to his Aug. 4 to Mary B. Rogers:
Sunday. / P.S.
No, gentle pal, return it to me, in the enclosed envelop. I will go over it again (aloud, this time, which is the only sure test), before I ship it to Harvey. (Don’t let any outsider see it, it is dangersome.) / SLC [MTP].
Sam also wrote to Joe Twichell.
August 6 Monday – In Dublin, N.H. Sam inscribed the first photo of himself in the series “Progress of a Moral Purpose” to daughter Jean: “To Jean Clemens / with the deep love of her / Father / Aug. ’06. / Truly Yours / Mark Twain” [MTP].
Sam also replied to the July 31 from Dr. Benjamin E. Smith of the Century Co., N.Y.
August 7 Tuesday – Isabel Lyon’s journal:
“Training is everything” he said, “The Gospel is right” & if he controls himself now, it is due to the training of his age, his old age. Such a sweet old age it is. Of course, he bursts out sometimes into savage blasphemies. It wouldn’t be he if he didn’t. Early this morning, before 7, I heard a big gutteral God damn from his room & then quietness. Later I learned he was mad at the green shade which had stuck & stuck [MTP TS 103-105]. Note: see the rest of the Aug. 7 entry at the end of Aug. 6.
August 8 Wednesday – In N.Y.C. H.H. Rogers replied to the Aug. 5 from Sam, confessing that the letter he was to copy and send to Twichell about the Virgin Mary being 47 and black had been sent along without copying due to the “disordered condition” of his desk on Monday night. Rogers disagreed with Sam on his conclusions about Mary’s age and color; he felt sure he’d get a reply from Twichell, which would be his “duty to send it to your address.” He related that George B.
August 9 Thursday – Sam wrote to Frank N. Doubleday about “What is Man?” and a proposed special binding for ten copies:
If I understand McClure’s tentative offer I know Harvey would not consider it. When he was here the other day he said he had told McC that the price offered must be a very stiff one. Thank you very cordially for the pains you have taken with the matter.
Good. Now if Mr. Bothwell will keep that letter-form “standing” it will come in handy in case of future distributions.
August 10 Friday – Melvin L. Severy wrote from Arlington Heights, Mass. to ask if he might quote from Sam’s “King Leopold’s Soliloquy” for a publication he was preparing [MTP]. Note: The MTP catalogs Sam’s reply as “on or after 10 August.”
Clemens’ A.D. this day included: Clipping from Westminster Gazette, criticizing statement in “Diary of Eve” and calling it irreverent—Clemens replies to this—Calvin Higbie‘s MS— Clemens’s reply to him—Extract from Higbie’s essay [MTP: Autodict2].
August 11 Saturday – Of the selections from Twain’s A.D.’s, DeVoto selected about half of the materials not chosen before by Paine to be included in Mark Twain in Eruption (1940); among DeVoto’s choices, was commentary, dictated this day, on a newspaper clipping this day of a humorous letter Sam had written years before to Andrew Carnegie asking for money to buy a hymnbook [35]. Sam also discussed Rudyard Kipling, his reputation and his first trip to Elmira to meet him in 1889; the segment of A.D. was selected for MTE [309-310].
August 12 Sunday – Isabel Lyon’s journal:
August 13 Monday – Sam’s A.D. of this day (untitled) declared his admiration for the work of Rudyard Kipling, especially Kim; this A.D. segment was selected for MTE [310-12].
Clemens’ A.D. this day included: Rudyard Kipling’s 1889 visit to Elmira continued—Some of his books mentioned [MTP: Autodict2].
Isabel Lyon’s journal:
August 14 Tuesday – In Dublin, N.H. Sam wrote a delightful letter to Mary B. Rogers (Mrs. Harry Rogers, Jr.) in Fairhaven, Mass.
August 15 Wednesday – Frank N. Doubleday wrote from N.Y.C. to Sam [MTP]. Note: Sam had asked Doubleday to “put away ten copies” of “What is Man?” for “special bindings some day” on July 27. Doubleday replied that he’d been out of town and didn’t receive Sam’s letter and telegram until Monday (Aug. 13).
August 16 Thursday – Independent Magazine published a brief, anonymous review of Eve’s Diary, p. 397. It was uncritical [Tenney: “A Reference Guide Sixth Annual Supplement,” American Literary Realism, Spring 1982 p. 10].
August 17 Friday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: “Today came such a drowsy little note from the King to say that the dictating is a burden to him, & so he is flying away down to Fairhaven & pretty Mrs. Harry Rogers, & the yacht, & he is so glad to have the holiday. Dublin is become an impossible place for him to live in” [MTP TS 108].
August 18 Saturday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: