Home at Hartford: Day By Day

May 26 Thursday – G.H. Olmstead, Jr., Hartford, billed Sam $8 for “1 16in daisy; [?] by old mower” [MTP].

May 26 Monday – In Boston, Howells responded to Sam’s May 24 letter and called Belton O’Neall Townsend “That incredible wretch” and his poetry “trash.” Howells had printed some good prose articles by Townsend in 1877 and 1878 [MTHL 2: 489].

Arthur B. Deming wrote from Kirtland, Ohio about “discovering” laws of heredity in the Bible [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Rot”

May 26 Tuesday – Joel Chandler Harris’ unsigned review of Huck Finn ran in the Atlanta Constitution (p4, cols 2-3) [Griska 585]. In answering those critics who had followed lockstep with the Concord Library’s indictment of the book as “coarse, crude and inartistic,” Harris pointed out the falseness of that view and the true value of the book:

May 26 Wednesday – In Hartford Sam wrote a longish letter to Edward H. House, relating a supposed conversation with Livy about Koto being unable to visit, and Livy’s supposed anger over a future visit Koto promised to the Goldthwaiths. The conversation was full of swearing, but Sam added this disclaimer:

May 26 Saturday – Cordelia Welsh Foote wrote from Cincinnati to thank Sam for the personal letter he sent she read in her performance. The Cincinnati Enquirer gave it favorable review [MTP].

Webster & Co., per Arthur H. Wright wrote to Sam (balance statement for $5,973.93); “We rec’d the proceeds of a $10,000 note but paid Gen. Sheridan a like amt.” [MTP].

May 26 Monday – H.A.L. Christian wrote to Sam to settle a $40 bet — did Sam serve on the Confederate side? [MTP].

Wesley Washington Pasko (seen also as Pasco) wrote from N.Y. to Sam enclosing articles on various typesetters, which Sam annotated and corrected in six places. Pasko was the recording secretary of the N.Y. Typothetae [MTNJ 3: 555n223]. He wrote:

May 26 Tuesday – Theodore Wilkins wrote from Pomona, Calif. to ask Sam to return a MS sent, as they were in error that he was connected with a publisher! [MTP].

Check # Payee Amount [Notes]

5274 F.W. Kimball 4.00

5275 Mr. Horace Traubel 18.00

May 27 Thursday – Sam purchased one ticket for a local production of the operetta Fatinitza [MTP receipt from Goodrich & Hawley in 1880 financial file] by Camillo Wälzel (1829-1895), Genée Richard Franz, with music by Franz von Suppé. The first American production took place at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on Apr.

May 27 Friday – Haynes & Simmons, “fine boots, shoes & rubbers” billed $8 for goods (illegible); paid [MTP].

Miss E.T. Morgan wrote from Knoxville, Tenn. to thank Sam for the $25 he gave to Mrs. Olmstead for her. (This letter was enclosed in Mrs. J. Olmstead’s June 1; see entry) [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Note: Sam wrote on the env., “From a damn fool in Tennessee —OLMSteads”

May 27 Sunday – The Governor General and Princess Louise went to church, while Sam played billiards with Lord Frederick Hervey. After lunch Sam played “a few games of billiards” with Miss Hervey…

May 27 Tuesday – Sam wrote for Livy to Isabella B. Hooker. “I write in Livy’s place because I am idle for the moment & she is very busy.” Isabella had asked the Clemenses in a May 3 letter to support her suffrage program, and had solicited other Nook Farm support. She wrote:

May 27 Wednesday – From New York City, Sam wrote a letter of introduction for Charles Webster to take with him overseas, in the securing of foreign publishers for the Grant book. Although Grant owned the foreign rights to the memoirs, Sam wanted to establish contracts with foreign publishers to protect copyright. This letter was not to any specific person [MTP].

From Sam’s notebook:

May 27 Friday – In Findlay, Ohio, his old stomping grounds, William Dean Howells wrote Sam all about the recent discovery there of natural gas.

May 27 Sunday – Joe Twichell’s 50th birthday was brightened by the presentation of the deed to his house by the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, which had collected some $10,000 for the purchase and improvement of the house [Strong 94]. The following night a reception was held that Sam attended.

May 27 Monday – This was the date planned for Samuel Moffett’s visit (see May 16 to Moffett). It was also the day that Dora and Candace Wheeler and their friend Mr. Keith were to end their stay at the Clemens house.

Kingsland Smith of the St. Paul Roller Mill Co. wrote to ask Sam for his autograph for his sister [MTP].

May 27 Wednesday – Mary Mason Fairbanks had heard of the Clemens family’s departure to Europe and wrote from Omaha asking for news and addresses:

May 28 Friday – Sam attended the operetta Fatinitza at the Hartford Opera House, put on by the Boston Ideal Opera Company. It was a one-night performance unconnected with the New York production cited by Gribben above, as the tickets were not sold until May 27 (the day Sam purchased one), and no further performance is mentioned [Hartford Courant, May 25, 1880 p.2]. From a short review of May 29, page 1, the same paper:

May 28 Saturday – Orion Clemens wrote to Sam, still trying to figure out how to make a living. His arm had swollen painfully so could not go to Chicago to set type. Could Sam “risk $200” for him to go to Colorado to check out that mining possibility? [MTP]. Note: begs the question: if he couldn’t set type how could he mine?

May 28 Sunday – In Lexington, Mass., William Dean Howells wrote to Sam.

I hope you are safely and triumphantly at home again, and that you are bulging at the new book. I have heard from Osgood what a glorious time you had.—I suppose you got my letter at St. Louis [not extant]. We have been here for a month, and we expect to spend June at Belmont; then we go to see my father at Toronto, and we sail from Quebec July 22d….I’m going to write your life for The Century. When and why were you born? [MTHL 1: 403-4].

May 28 Monday – Sam wrote two letters from Ottawa to Livy: His plans to leave had been repeatedly delayed since Saturday. A raft trip down some rapids planned for three or four o’clock that day were scrapped due to a storm; Sam expected to leave at 4:30.

May 28 Wednesday – In Boston, Howells wrote to Sam, sending paper dolls and “a few colored pictures” for the Clemens girls made by his daughter Mildred (Pilla) Howells (1872-1966) [MTHL 2: 490].

Bissell & Co. wrote to Clemens advised of purchase 200 shs of Union Pacific @ 39 ¼ [MTP].

May 28 Thursday – In Hartford, Sam also wrote to Karl Gerhardt, answering a letter of May 27. Paraphrase: “Answered him with ‘No’—with thanks” [MTP]. From Sam’s notebook:

“May 28—At Western Union building was introduced to Jay Gould & lunched with his son. Damned insignificant looking people” [MTNJ 3: 155-6].

May 28 Friday – Orion Clemens wrote acknowledging a draft from Webster & Co. For $155 — $5 for “Puss” Quarles, $50 for Ma, and $100 for himself. “Ma is going 3 blocks to the opera-house to-night to a home-children’s performance. Prefers walking; saves hack-hire” [MTP].

Frederick J. Hall wrote thanking Sam for the advancement in position and salary [MTP].

May 28 Saturday – In Hartford Sam responded to a request from Sylvester Baxter of the Boston Herald and chipped in $50 to a fund to help Walt Whitman build a summer cottage. Sam gave to a similar collection taken in Aug. 1885 to buy Whitman a horse and buggy (see Aug. 6, 1885 entry) [MTNJ 3: 269n140].

May 28 Monday – Sam attended a reception honoring Joseph Hopkins Twichell’s 50th birthday. After Mr. Allen (possibly Frederick B. Allen, Joe’s Boston friend) spoke of the world’s progress during Joe’s 50 years, Sam spoke. The Hartford Courant covered the event in an article of May 29:

MR. TWICHELL’S BIRTHDAY