Home at Hartford: Day By Day

August – Sam’s sketch, “Edward Mills and George Benton: A Tale” ran in the August issue of the Atlantic Monthly [Wells 23]. Wilson calls this “a humorless moral tale that satirizes several aspects of nineteenth-century American culture” [68]. $50 check from Houghton, Mifflin & Co. dated Aug. 2 and deposited Aug. 6 for this article is in the MTP, 1880 financial file.

August – Sam followed with interest the debate in the August issue of North American Review between Jeremiah S. Black and Robert Green Ingersoll, titled “The Christian Religion.” Ingersoll held views Sam admired privately, but was unable to proclaim publicly. Sam wrote to Ingersoll:

“I have been well entertained by your theological article in the magazine, and Judge Black’s ludicrous ‘reply’ to it” [Schwartz 185]

August – Sometime during the month, Orion wrote Sam with accusations that Charles Webster had defrauded people with the Watch Co.

August – Sometime during August, Sam wrote a one-liner from Elmira to Charles Webster about someone holding a fifth interest at thirty thousand dollars—“That’s a more valuable game than I realized,” he wrote [MTP]. (Unidentified game.)

August – Sam’s history game was patented, but no attempt was made to market it until Feb.

August – English author William Smith sent Sam an inscribed copy of Morley: Ancient and Modern, London (1886): To S.L. Clemens, Esq./with the Author’s kind regards/Morley, Aug. 1866 [Gribben 650]. (See Oct. 18 to Smith).

August – Sam’s notebook entries for this month carries a list of cryptic calculations for these books to be issued by Webster & Co. With columns of sales numbers and total projected sales as below (years of publication added here):

Reminiscences of Winfield Scott Hancock, by Almira Hancock (1887); 18,000

Tenting on the Plains; or, General Custer in Kansas and Texas, by Elizabeth Custer (1887); 25,000

August – John J. Astorhouse for Phoenix National Bank sent Sam a draft for “nineteen cents & one mill.” No letter or explanation is in the file [MTP].

August – Sometime during the month Sam wrote Franklin G. Whitmore, “I can have no stoppage upon any pretext,” which most likely had to do with the Paige typesetter [MTP].

“Mark Twain’s Story” ran in Frank Leslie’s Popular Monthly. Sam wrote a list of his favorite songs in his notebook, not dated but within August notes. These may not be the full or correct titles, but they were good enough for Sam:

August – Webster & Co. sent Sam a “Books sent out during July, 1890” report on the usual ledger page paper, with a total of 3,651 including 1,049 CY sales [MTP]. Note: the MTP catalogues this as a July incoming entry.

August 19 Thursday – Sam wrote a letter from Elmira for baby Jean Clemens to Olivia Lewis Langdon for grandma’s birthday. He attached a lock of the baby’s hair.

August 19 Friday – Charles Eliot Norton wrote to Clemens, hoping they would see him before Wednesday, and asking what day he might expect him for the festival [MTP].

John Esten Cooke wrote from Boyce, Va. to thank Clemens for info on Hartford publishing houses, but there wasn’t much to encourage publishing there. Cooke was likely a book agent for he stated that they would do well with Sam’s latest book [MTP].

August 19 Saturday – Charles Webster wrote that Sam’s picture in the Century “is splendid”. He told of meeting Abbott H. Thayer while in Providence; a burglary at his home and the stolen items; “a terrible fire” on their block; both of Slote’s notes were paid; a spelter cast for White Elephant; and other misc. business details [MTP].

August 19 Sunday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Olivia Lewis Langdon on her birthday, thanking her for the hospitality of the previous evening and for her gift, the rauchen-geschirr (ashtray?) [MTP].

George E. Waring wrote, “Swear at me, if you will. I deserve it. But I can’t help it.” He had to be in Buffalo and couldn’t leave before the next night. He had wanted to visit him in Elmira [MTP].

August 19 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Charles Webster, asking for a copy of the Sellers as a Scientist play. Ask Howells or look in the:

“…safe in the billiards room. There must be a copy somewhere. I’m going to elaborate it into a novel. /Gerhardt is completing a most excellent bust of me.”

August 19 Wednesday – Livy’s mother, Olivia Lewis Langdon, celebrated her 75th birthday. The Clemens family all went to town for the celebration [Salsbury 209]. Susy and Clara Clemens performed the second part of The Merry Wives of Windsor as part of the birthday fun [Gribben 629]. From Livy’s diary:

August 19 Thursday – In Elmira Sam wrote to Frederick J. Hall. He was still analyzing newspapers and em counts; he asked Hall to send him “the name and address of every daily newspaper in the U.S. and Canada that contains fully 2 pages of new matter daily.” Sam also wanted a list of compositor’s unions in the U.S. — where located and number of members. He suggested Hall put the job in “the hands of some advertising agency — Rockwell’s or some other” [MTLTP 203-4].

August 19 Friday – Filed with the US Patent office: patent # 547,860 to James W. Paige: Machine for Distributing, Setting, and Justifying Type [MTHHR 64n1].

August 19 Sunday – Olivia Lewis Langdon’s 78th birthday. Sam and Livy left a calling card (probably with their gift), and Jean Clemens inscribed Mark Twain’s Library of Humor: To / Grandmamma / with the love / of / Jean Clemens / 19th August 1888. [MTP]. Likely other gifts from Clara and Susy did not involve writing or were lost.

August 19 Monday – In Elmira Sam wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore asking him to check with the tax office to determine the value of the James Goodwin, Newton Case, James G. Batterson and Samuel Colt mansions, as he wanted to compare the worth of his Hartford home with theirs. He also asked for another dozen checks as he’d lost the others [MTP].

Sam’s notebook: [chk#] 4387. Twichell —  $140. Aug. 19. [3: 491].

August 19 Tuesday – Olivia Lewis Langdon’s 80th birthday. Mrs. Langdon’s health was failing and Livy was now with her in Elmira. A small gift card in Livy’s hand with this date “from her loving children Samuel & Livy” has been preserved [MTP].

Franklin G. Whitmore wrote to Sam, concerned about the new contract with Paige. Frank thought Sam was “deceived with promises,” and unprotected by the agreement, which called for $250,000 payment to Paige within six months. Increasingly, Sam would rely on the backing of Senator John P. Jones [MTHL 3: 571].

August 2 Monday – Jane Clemens wrote from Van Buren to baby Jean.

August 2 Tuesday – Sam wrote to Herbert M. Laurence in Venice, letter not extant but referred to in Laurence’s Aug. 26 reply

August 2 Wednesday – Sam wrote from Elmira to John L. RoBards:

Dear John— / What promise? I hardly ever make one—and never make one that is any trouble to keep. Tell me about this one (for I have forgotten it utterly) & if it isn’t any trouble to keep it, I’ll keep it, as sure as you live—otherwise, I’ll add it, without a twinge of conscience, to the million of the same kind that went before it [MTP].

August 2 Saturday – Charles Eliot Norton wrote from Ashfield to invite Sam to their annual dinner, between the 17th and 26th of this month, whatever suited him; bring the wife, the children, his home was “elastic” [MTP].