Home at Hartford: Day By Day

September 30 Sunday – In Boston, ready to travel to Virginia to see his father, W.D. Howells wrote a short note to Sam, advising he wouldn’t be able to stop in Hartford on the way down, but hoped to stop on the way home [MTHL 1: 443].

September 30 Thursday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Frederick J. Hall, employee of Webster & Co., asking that $6,000 be sent and charged to his account. Hall, who wrote Sept. 29, informed Sam that 418 satisfactory answers had been received from the 1289 circulars sent to daily newspapers asking for compositor rates. P.B.

September 30 Friday – Henry Drummond (1851-1897), Scottish evangelical writer and lecturer, visited Hartford and spent some time at the Clemens home. Drummond assisted Dwight L. Moody in his evangelical crusades, and came to America at Moody’s request in the spring of 1887 for a Conference of Students which sought to continue a religious movement in America’s colleges like that he began in Edinburgh, Scotland. Drummond had some success at Yale.

September 30 Sunday – In Hartford Sam sent a letter with a funny story to Theodore Crane, obviously intended to cheer him up. The story was told to Sam by the Twichells who had just returned form a vacation in the Adirondacks. Seems the village store keeper did not stock the material Harmony Twichell was after called “turkey red,” and not only did he not stock it, he refused to do so because in the past it had sold out too often!

September 30 Monday – William Ernest Henley (1849-1903) inscribed his A Book of Verses to Sam:

To Samuel L. Clemens, in admiration of his happy gift of making his fellow creatures happy. From W.E.H. Glasgow, Sept. 30, ’89 [Gribben 308]. Note: See W.C. Angus’ letter below; he sent Henley’s book which Henley inscribed.

September 30 Tuesday – In New York, Susy Clemens wrote to her sister Clara of their shopping in New York, her excitement at going away to college and of missing her.

Dearest, dear Clara; I am sitting in a bright sunny room just now, and would realy be perfectly happy for the time being if only you were here….

I have been rushing around till now with Mamma; and she has gotten me a lot of beautiful undressed kid gloves.

September 4 Thursday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Dan Slote, asking that a scrapbook be sent to Welch (unknown, perhaps a passenger on the voyage). Sam made no mention of the failure of Slote’s company, but evidently Dan was still handling the scrapbooks as Sam had approved [MTLE 4: 89].

September 4 Sunday – In Elmira Sam wrote two letters to Charles Webster, responding to his letter of Sept. 2. Webster had written that the upper part of the house was finished if the hearths were not changed. Sam responded that yes, the hearths must be changed. “I have written to N.Y. for specimens of tiles to be sent to us here.” Sam had written to the firm of Wm. H.

September 4 Monday – Annie Webster wrote a small card to her uncle Sam, “so glad to feel that every thing is all right again” [MTP].

** James R. Osgood wrote—or someone in his Boston office did, since he was in England, about the trademark issue. (Belford, Clarke & Co to Osgood Sept. 2 enclosed; they agreed to cooperate) [MTP].

September 4 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Orion, enclosing a Aug. 29 request from Return I. Holcombe for information to compile a history of Marion County, Mo. The letter mentioned John Marshall Clemens’ jury service that sent “three Illinois abolitionists” to the penitentiary for twelve years for stealing slaves (see Sept.

September 4 Thursday – William Dean Howells responded to Sam’s letter of Aug. 31 about the candidacies of Blaine and Cleveland. He did not share Sam’s perspective.

      I shall vote for Blaine. I do not believe he is guilty of the things they accuse him of; and I know they are not proved against him.

September 4 Friday – William Hamersley wrote with his usual illegible scrawl about the Paige operators and stock [MTP].

Daniel Whitford for Alexander & Green wrote another couple of large pages in longhand, suggesting that nothing from the Grant book be published ahead of time [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Possibly 250,000 sets sold”

September 4 Saturday – In Elmira Sam wrote to Frederick J. Hall about the George Washington Walling book (see Sept. 3 entry). Sam wanted Webster & Co. To publish the book and suggested a twenty-cents per volume sold royalty, rather than a lump-sum purchase.

September 4 Tuesday – Chatto & Windus wrote to Sam enclosing account of sales for the year ending July 1. The Library of American Humor had not sold well; drafts enclosed for “6 and 7 months for £300 and £270” [MTP].

Henry Dalby for Montreal Daily & Weekly Star wrote to Sam asking for a short or a long contribution for their Christmas issue, “of course at your own price” [MTP].

September 4 Wednesday – In Elmira Sam wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore about the family’s plans to return to Hartford:

We leave here the morning of the 10th. We stop at the Murray Hill from the evening of the 10th to noon the 12th. / Mail no letters for me here later than afternoon of 7th. Send them to Murray Hills, marked “to be kept till called for” [MTP]. Note: Sam’s plans went awry, for the family did not leave Quarry Farm until Sept. 16.

September 4 Thursday – In Onteora Park near Tannersville, N.Y. Sam wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore, now back in Hartford, asking if he would send three or four photographs of himself to give to friends at the park/club [MTP].

Webster & Co. sent Sam the “Books sent out during August, 1890” postmarked this day, and totaling 6,802 books including 1,096 CY [MTP].

September 5 Monday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Josiah G. Holland of Scribner’s, inquiring if he might “simultane” an article he’d sold them to an Australian magazine in Melbourne [MTP]. Note: Holland died on Oct. 12, just five weeks after Sam’s letter.

September 5 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Orion, commenting on the family upset and taking a sideways slap against Orion’s intelligence:

Dear Bro & the Rest— / I am glad to hear you got through so well. It was much better than I was expecting—especially in Ma’s case. Old as she is, I guess she has more “sand” than any of you.

September 5 Friday – Sam wrote a short note from Elmira to Charles Webster about the furnace bill. He also directed Webster not to go away “without first completing my contract with Pond” [MTP].

Sam then wrote a longer letter to Webster about stock sales, and not being able to re-write the new Sellers play even though Raymond’s suggestions were good [MTP].

September 5 Saturday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Karl Gerhardt. Sam did not want a connection between the Webster Co. and Gerhardt’s bust and statue of Grant. He did not want either of the two works by Gerhardt to be see as his attempt to profit from Grant’s death.

September 5 Monday – Sam may have gone to Hartford for a few days because letters of this date and Sept. 7 are marked as such. His last trip back to Hartford included a meeting with Paige and Hamersley and Whitmore, probably on typesetter progress and strategy. He also probably conferred with Charles H.

September 5 Wednesday – Robert Underwood Johnson of Century Magazine wrote Sam: “We accept your proposition and I will write details to-morrow” [MTNJ 3: 387n296]. See Aug 24 to Johnson.

In Elmira Sam wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore. Some stocks, evidently, he wrote, were not salable but he was expecting to see what he might get from a sale of Clear Creek securities.

September 5 Thursday – In Elmira Sam wrote to Frederick J. Hall, directing him to send revision proofs of CY to Howells and also to Andrew Chatto. Sam liked the Canadian contract and was obliged to Samuel E. Dawson of Dawson & Brothers, his Canadian printer. Other details filled out the letter:

September 5 Friday – Orion Clemens began a letter to Sam he finished Sept. 6: “We are delighted you are so much relieved from your terrible suspense…./I will write to Sherrard Clemens, though I cannot answer his questions” [MTP]. See Sept. 1 entry.

Wm. B. Smith & Son, Flour, Grain, Feed, Baled and Loose Hay and Straw, Hartford, billed $28.45 for Aug 1, 4, 18 oats, meal; Paid Sept.12 [MTP].

September 6 Saturday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Frank Bliss. Sam sent the manuscript of A Tramp Abroad and asked when Bliss would be done with it as he was planning to visit his mother, and sister in Fredonia and wanted to know if he should wait to go or go soon. He asked that Frank telegraph him [MTLE 4: 90].