Home at Hartford: Day By Day

February 14 Saturday – General William Tecumseh Sherman died in Boston. The NY Times, Feb. 15, 1891, p.2 reported:

A NATION MOURNS HIS LOSS.

TRIBUTES OF RESPECT AND LOVE FROM OTHER CITIES.

February 15 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Howells, who wrote on Feb. 13. He was through dealing with George Gebbie, since the man had not shown for his Feb. 11 appointment; Sam would only deal with him through Osgood.

February 15 Wednesday – Worden & Co. wrote advising 200 shs of Wabash bought @ 30 ½ [MTP].

February 15 Thursday – Sam telegraphed from Hartford to James B. Pond informing him that George W. Cable was leaving for New York within the half-hour [MTP].

Andrew Chatto wrote but the letter is illegible. Made out one reference to publishing LM [MTP].

February 15 Friday – George W. Cable and Sam went to New York City [Turner, MT & GWC 33; MTNJ 3: 47n107].

In Boston, Howells wrote to Sam, saying he’d received Sam’s two letters about Nat Goodwin, who was being considered for the new Sellers play:

February 15 Sunday – While Sam most likely slept in, Cable attended morning service at a Toronto Methodist church, and again at a 3 PM Sunday school [Roberts 22].

February 15 Monday – The Revue des Deux Mondes ran a review of LM by Eugène Forgues. LM was summarized and quoted at length. Sam Clemens was discussed as a writer and defended against accusations of poor taste and vulgarity. The article acknowledged that Sam’s works had not been too successful in France [Tenney 16].

February 15 Tuesday – In Hartford Sam wrote to John W. Chapman. In his letter of Feb. 12, Sam asked Chapman to tell him what he knew about Jesse Leathers.  Chapman answered on Feb. 14.

February 15 Wednesday – Franklin G. Whitmore wrote to Sam at the Murray Hill Hotel in N.Y. that he’d “just returned from your house, no letters of any importance.” The bulk of the letter deals with Paige matters. [MTP]. Note: Sam was in Hartford on Feb. 14, and so may have gone to N.Y. since.

February 15 Friday – Sam and Livy were still in New York at the Murray Hill Hotel [Feb. 14 to Whitmore].

Orion Clemens wrote to Sam (two Feb. 11 Jean Clemens letters enclosed) on his new “Attorney at Law” letterhead. He wrote about going to Tennessee on the land matter — he thought there was an effort to have the land “put up at a sheriff’s auction… and thus cut us out.” Also, more delusions of Ma’s [MTP].

February 15 Saturday – Sam and Livy were still at the Murray Hill Hotel in New York, waiting for Livy to recover.

Franklin G. Whitmore wrote from Hartford to Sam, advising on the status of the typesetter. He’d expected to see Sam on Friday so hadn’t written before. “Mr. Goodman is still at your home & expects to see you tomorrow evening.” He was sorry about Livy’s illness in N.Y. and trusted that she would “entirely recover” [MTP].

February 15 Sunday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Frederick J. Hall enclosing a note (not extant) from Grace King about publishing a book from a widow.

February 15–18 Friday – Sometime between these dates, Sam and Livy spent a “couple of days” in New York City, but were back in Hartford by Feb. 19. (See Feb. 15 or 16 entry, & Feb. 19).

T.W. Alexander billed Sam $28.05 for 1,870 lbs of hay @ 30 per ton; paid [MTP].

February 16 Wednesday – Joe Twichell wrote to Sam:

February 16 Thursday – William Dowson wrote from Chloride, N.M. to praise RI [MTP].

David M. Drury wrote from Brooklyn to follow up a request for an autograph [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “No answer”

February 16 Friday – George MacDonald wrote from Bordighera, Italy: “I am ashamed of my delay in answering your welcome letter, and acknowledging the excellent portrait which I am very pleased to have. But it is so difficult to write letters when one can only by a strain get through the days work of writing other kinds of things.” He asked if Sam would collaborate on a book he was writing by adding “a little bit here & there” [MTP].

February 16 Saturday – Sam and George W. Cable dined at the Union League Club with Clarence C. Buel, assistant editor of Century Magazine. They then took a carriage to see General Grant, who was asleep and did not see them. Sam intended to return to Grant’s on Monday, Feb. 18, about a show for relief of the Ohio River floods.

February 16 Monday – In a Feb. 17 letter to Livy, Sam explained why he did not write on Feb. 16. On the train all day, Cable asked to borrow Sam’s writing pad. Though it was “pretty thin,” Sam thought there’d be enough. Cable wrote eight letters and used up the pad.

February 16 Tuesday – In Hartford Sam wrote to the Portland Oregonian editor, George H. Himes, about his old Hannibal printer co-worker, Urban E. Hicks, who evidently had moved around quite a lot and was living in the Portland area.

February 16 Thursday – Sam’s notebook entry on Webster’s “forced” retirement (see Feb. 13 entry).

Eugene Meyer , N.Y., receipted $30 piano lessons from Jan 19th until Feb 16th [MTP].

February 16 Saturday – The Clemenses attended a matinee performance of Wagner’s opera, Tannhäuser at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York [MTNJ 3: 449n138]. Sam may have attended a Yale alumni dinner at Delmonico’s in the evening [Feb. 14 to Whitmore].

February 16 Sunday – In New York Sam wrote to Susan Crane:

February 16 Monday – In Hartford Sam wrote through Franklin G. Whitmore to Frederick J. Hall asking him “to come to Hartford as soon as convenient…He wishes to talk with you in relation to his ‘Historical Game’ and it’s [sic] publication.” Note: with the bursting of the “Jones bubble” dashing hopes for large scale financing of the typesetter, Sam turned to every possible asset, literary and miscellaneous, to raise money.

February 17 Tuesday – Jesse Madison Leathers wrote from NYC to Sam, unable to visit before the 21st. “This is all the better, as we shall have the pleasure of celebrating the anniversary of the Father of our country together on Monday, the 23d inst” [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “From the Earl”.

February 17 Thursday – Western Union bill of Feb. 28 shows a message sent to New York, recipient unspecified.

Bissell & Co. wrote to Sam, receipting him for 500 shares of Am. Exchange in Europe, enclosing the certificate [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Receipt for paid-up stock in American Exchange Europe. $5,000”