January 20 Sunday – The New York Press responded to a question whether Sam was “still writing” the “Funny Side” column, that he was “mostly confined to writing on checks” [Budd, Our MT 84].
Elizabeth K. Boyesen wrote to Sam inviting him to dine with them on his next visit to New York [MTP].
January 20 Monday – The Clemens family went to New York for the opening of the P&P play at the Broadway Theatre. This was Abby Sage Richardson’s version, produced by Daniel Frohman and staged by David Belasco. Sam stood hand in hand with the star of the show, little Elsie Leslie, and gave a curtain speech following the third act. Livy wrote to her mother about the evening on Feb. 2:
January 20 Tuesday – In Hartford Sam wrote a long letter on the Paige typesetter to Senator John P. Jones, answering his questions and concerns, laying out the size of the market for rental machines at “12 cents per 1000 ems.” Sam calculated the American business worth $35,000,000; the European $20,000,000. He also tried to build on a suggestion of Jones’:
January 21 Friday – Sam wrote from Hartford to James R. Osgood. Sam had cut the “Whipping-boy’s Story” from P&P and:
January 21 Saturday – Sam may have been influenced by Howells’ comments of Jan. 20, and took Livy’s advice—He directed Charles Webster to examine the New York Tribune for evidence that Reid was persecuting him. Ned House may have also complained of similar treatment to Sam; Charles Dudley Warner certainly did complain [MTHL 1: 390n1].
January 21 Sunday – Sam wrote from Hartford to James R. Osgood. Sam had read all the proofs for LM and Livy had read nearly all of them. Sam related the family’s ills and Susy’s false alarm for scarlet fever. Sam wrote of Stedman being a guest for the following night [MTP].
January 21 Wednesday – Sam wrote from Madison, Wisc. to Livy. He reported that it had been seven days since the thermometer had risen above zero; it was ten below at the time of his letter, but he was in his “bag, in bed, & unspeakably snug & comfortable.
January 21 Thursday – An amendment to the co-partnership agreement for Webster & Co. Was added. It gave Charles Webster the right to withdraw more of his share of the profits (save on Grant’s Memoirs), raised his salary to $3,000, and put the interest rate on Sam’s capital invested down to six percent from eight [MTLTP 170]. Note: the source does not say, but presumably the amended “No. 2” contract was signed this day.
January 21 Friday – Sam went to New York with Livy, (or perhaps the day before), judging from his letter to Batcheller on Jan. 25 that reveals his return on Saturday, Jan. 22.
January 21 Saturday – Sam’s notebook on Webster & Co. Bank balance: Jan 21 — 9,798. Sam also wrote:
Mr. Crane bought four drawing room for 11 a.m. They sold him 4 for 9 a.m. Mr. Halstead redeemed ($1 apiece) C’s 2, but Clara already had hers. She took the 11 am & found her tickets no good. These tickets were sold for a train which was already gone [MTNJ 3: 368].
January 21 Monday – Sam gave a reading at Smith College, Northampton, Mass. that included the segments, “Lucerne Girl,” “Tar Baby,” “Andrea del Sarto,” “German Lesson,” “Interviewer,” “Bluejay,” “Baker’s Cat,” and “Golden Arm.” Fatout writes, “Mark Twain admitted to his notebook that this program was too long by at least a half hour”[658]. This reading was one of several Sam gave to support charitable causes; in this case he raised $200.59 for the school’s gymnasium fund [MTNJ 3: 444n120].
January 21 Tuesday – The Boston Daily Globe, Jan. 22, 1889 p.4 “Howard’s Gossip” and datelined New York, Jan. 21, had a few words to say about P&P.
The “Prince and Pauper” needs pruning.
Elsie Leslie does admirable work as the Prince and fair work as the Pauper.
She certainly is a daisy.
Mark Twain’s speech was in his self-complacent line, and a dead copy of Artemus Ward. Twain could never be a favorite here.
January 21 Wednesday – The N.Y. Times, p.1 reported, “A SERMON HEARD 450 MILES AWAY,” over telephone lines to the Clemens home in Hartford. The article was datelined Elmira, Jan. 11. See that entry for the article.
Frederick J. Hall wrote a short note to Sam of the letter and notice from Hume Nisbet (Jan. 9 encl.), and they’d received notice from the post office that books were waiting; they’d forward them [MTP]. Note: See Jan 9.
January 22 Saturday – Wm. T. Bassett, hairdresser, billed Sam $24.50 for “Dec. 23 up to Jan. 22 for shaving and haircutting, plus 1 lather brush, 1 sponge” [MTP].
January 22 Sunday – Sam wrote from Hartford to Louis Fréchette. There’d been a mix-up on an invitation; a man had invited him to an event honoring Fréchette in Holyoke, Mass., and then told Fréchette that Sam had accepted when he had not. Sam felt honor-bound to go along and so cleared the air. He also wanted to discuss a matter with Fréchette that he could not write about, and asked if Fréchette might be able to stop in Hartford for a day or two before the Holyoke dinner [MTP].
January 22 Monday – Sam hosted the Monday Evening Club at his house at 7:30. Charles Dudley Warner presented an essay about modern fiction. Edmund C. Stedman had accepted Sam’s invitation of Jan. 10 and came to Hartford, staying the night at the Clemens’ home [Jan. 21 to Osgood, MTP].
January 22 Tuesday – In California, Joe Goodman telegraphed, then wrote a long letter to Sam, pleading for a piece for his new publication, The San Franciscan.
January 22 Thursday – Sam and Cable gave a reading in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
Sam wrote from St. Paul, Minn. to Charles Erskine Scott Wood, his old West Point friend, who evidently had asked Sam why he never poked fun at Jews.
January 22 Friday – James B. Pond wrote to Sam; he’d been on the road with Clara Louise Kellogg and was trying unsuccessfully to get a commitment from George W. Cable for a reading in Concord, Mass. Pond confessed that Sam’s “letter could be read both ways, or at least I read it so” [MTP]. See Jan. 20 entry.
January 22 Saturday – Sam and Livy returned to Hartford, Sam playing whist (probably with Irving Bacheller and others) while Livy rested in the “palace car” [Jan. 25 to Bacheller].
January 22 Sunday – Sam responded to Orion Clemens’ letter of Jan. 19-20:
It is an infinite pity that poor old Ma must drag her tired life out in so much needless suffering. Give her our love.
Sam also advised his brother not to write for newspapers, as it was “mere bother” and “does not pay.” He saw a false light ahead for the Paige typesetter, which he thought would,
January 22 Tuesday – Webster & Co. wrote Sam two letters; the first typed covering several subjects, which Sam noted on the envelope, “Beecher terms all right, Root compromise ditto, Don’t want that book,” referring to a diary of Lt. Long of the Greeley expedition sent by Richard E. Burton. The second missive from Webster: “We hasten to return the $5,000 note to you. Our Gen’l Agts responded well; this morning’s mail contained nearly $7,000” [MTP]
January 22 Wednesday – J.L. Dawkins, secretary of the Toronto Anti-Poverty Society, wrote to Sam commenting on the libertarian principles of P&P and asking if Sam might lecture for the society sometime in the spring [MTP]. This was one of a probable hundreds of such requests during these years.
January 22 Thursday – S. New England Tel. Co per W.H. Babcock notified Sam with a form letter of interruption of service due to icy weather. Sam wrote on the envelope, “Rebate for telephone” [MTP].
January 23 Sunday – Andrew Goodrich Hammond wrote to Sam (“Cadet Hammond”) to fix certain the date of his visit at Feb. 21 [MTP].