Home at Hartford: Day By Day

July 1 Tuesday – Frank E. Bliss of American Publishing Co. wrote to Sam enclosing a check for $263.29 to settle all royalties from sales of his books to this date. [MTP].

John M. Knight for Manning Collegiate Institute wrote to thank Sam for gift copies of CY and HF for their library [MTP].

James B. Pond wrote to Sam: “Your kind letter is received. Many thanks. I know you will live until Nov. 18th & go to Boston with our crowd. I have sent your letter to Stanley. I know he will appreciate it” [MTP].

July 10 Saturday – Sam ordered 100 Cortina Mora R. Chic cigars from James Lidgerwood & Co., fine groceries, New York; bill paid Aug. 11 [MTP].

July 10 Sunday – Sam wrote a short note from Branford to Charles Webster possibly about Kaolatype castings. Sam thought they looked good, and suggested having prints made from them in “two colors, & if the thing turns out a success, show the result to Koch’s people” [MTP]. Note: refers to Peter Koch of Koch & Co., New York printers referred to in Mar. 31 letter to Daniel Slote and Apr.

July 10 Monday – Atlantic & Pacific Telegraph Co. bill of July 31 shows a telegram sent this day to Hoboken, N.J., recipient not specified (see entry for others) [MTP].

Karl Gerhardt wrote to Sam and Livy that they’d seen Twichell and daughter Julia “and what a cordial heartfelt greeting we had from them” [MTP]. Note: Twichell and daughter were in Europe.

July 10 Tuesday – Aboard the S.S. Parisian on his way home, Howells wrote to Sam, reporting on their visit to the Gerhardts in Paris. He described their living quarters as “primitive and simple as all Chicopee, and virtuous poverty spoke from every appointment of the place.” Howells observed that Karl Gerhardt seemed “a little worn with overwork,” suggesting he might learn while resting in Italy [MTHL 1: 434].

July 10 Thursday – Sam wrote a one-liner from Elmira to James B. Pond:

“Yes, offer Cable $450 a week & expenses—but be sure & let me know the result by the 16th” [MTP].

July 10 Saturday – The Clemens party arrived back in Elmira (See July 12 to Whitmore), the return trip all by rail taking two days, far less than the meandering by steamer across the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi on the outbound legs.

July 10 Sunday – In Elmira and evidently past his bout with dyspepsia, Sam wrote to Mollie Clemens about a perfect day on the idyllic hilltop in his octagonal study at Quarry Farm.

July 10 Wednesday – W.P. Hanna wrote from Auckland, NZ to Sam, enclosing a clipping (not extant) which told of a reading in the Wellington Parliament of Sam’s description of the Chamois in TA [MTP].

July 10 Thursday – In Onteora Park, Tannersville, N.Y., Sam wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore. The text is lost [MTP].

July 11 Monday – From Twichell’s journal:

“Another trip with our three oldest, — this time to Branford, on the invitation of our most kind friends, M.T. and wife with whom we had a charming visit (at their expense) at the Montowese House” [Yale, copy at MTP]. Note: see Twichell’s July 13 for some of the activities on this visit.

July 11 Tuesday – Sam wrote (typed) from Hartford to Charles Webster about a bill on the remodeling work for the Farmington Avenue house. The Clemens family would leave for New York “Thursday [July 13] evening, and leave for Elmira after a very early breakfast” [MTBus 190]. 

July 11 Wednesday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Samuel E. Dawson, his Canadian publisher, thanking him again for his visit to Rideau Hall and apologizing for being “miraculously, dull, stupid, silent, & unentertaining…” He praised his hosts and confided that “When anybody wants Canadian-copyright information,” he never wasted ink and paper on him but “cut him off with a curt ‘Go to Mr. Dawson’” [MTP].

July 11 Friday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Charles Webster, acknowledging receipt of a check from American Publishing Co., but still waiting for one from Slote & Co. Keeping Webster hopping on a plethora of details and projects, Sam added:

As you have a couple of dull months, now, suppose you tackle my soon-to-be portable calendar, & heave your surplus energies into it [MTP].

July 11 Saturday – Sam wrote a short note from Elmira to Orion. Evidently Mollie had suggested a pension for Puss Quarles Greening, rather than a thousand dollar investment in a Kansas hotel. Sam offered to have Webster set one up and send money to her monthly. “I hate complications,” Sam wrote [MTP]. (See June 26 entry.)

July 11 Monday – Sam must have been advised of Webster’s return, for he took the ten-hour trip to New York City, where he wrote Franklin G. Whitmore in Hartford. Sam sent Grant’s Memoirs for James Scrugham Quinn (RR agent) and wanted them given to him “right away before he can buy.” He wrote he was returning to Elmira the next day [MTP] Note: J.

July 11 Wednesday – Franklin G. Whitmore wrote Sam:

I ordered 12 Memorandum books of the Plimpton Cy. for you at a cost of $11. This is about as cheap as they can be gotten up & made first class as per your own as sample [MTNJ 3: 390]. Note: Sam’s style of notebook was one he developed. Here the maker was the Plimpton Manufacturing Co., Hartford.

July 11 Thursday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Edmund C. Stedman, referring to his critical read of CY. Paraphrased from Henkels catalogs, Apr. 19, 1912, item 118:

July 11 Friday – In Onteora Park, Tannersville, N.Y., Sam wrote to William J. Hamersley, who Sam said had not lived up to advancing one-fifth of monies needed to continue work on the Paige typesetter. He calculated Hamersley was thus in debt to him of about $30,000. Continuing on, Sam felt:

I cannot carry the whole burden of expense any longer, but must look to you for a fifth of it henceforth. I make this mention at the time because another heavy bill from Pratt & Whitney will soon be due & I wish to look to you for your proper share of it [MTP].

July 12 Tuesday – The visit with Joe and Harmony Twichell and their three oldest children continued for a second day [Twichell’s journal, Yale]. Note: Edward Carrington Twichell b. 1867; Julia Curtis Twichell b. 9 Jan. 1869; Susan Lee Twichell b. 1871

July 12 Wednesday – Orion Clemens wrote to Sam suggesting he might be of some use to Webster in NY, at least “by saving him from yielding to temptation, and to you by saving you from the results of such yielding.” (transcript of Orion to Webster July 11 enclosed) [MTP].

Fox & Co., Hartford grocers, billed Sam “To Mdse as per Pass Book” $35.04 [MTP].

July 12 Thursday – Edward H. House wrote “a dreary letter” of failing under the curse of gout for the past 10 months, and of Koto’s seizures, which explained their infrequent letters [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Give [word torn away] account of the Reid interview / Hist game"

July 12 Saturday – Charles Webster wrote to Clemens that Annie & the baby were doing well; he had to have the invoice & bill of lading on the statuette in order to get it out of customs [MTP].

July 12–August 14 Thursday – Sometime during this stretch, Sam wrote from Elmira to Charles Webster bout the dwindling profits on the scrapbooks with Slote & Co.

July 12 Sunday – Pamela Moffett wrote from Kinsgburg, Calif. about the letter she’d sent and her son’s concerns about it; the letter they’d both written him. Her son was upset thinking Sam would take his troubles with locusts as a plea for help [MTP].

July 12 to 13 Monday – Sam was in New York, where he saw “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” show “two days in succession” [July 14 to Cody].

July 12 Monday – In Elmira at Quarry Farm, Sam wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore, his business agent and longtime friend, covering a variety of personal and business matters. The 500 cigars Whitmore sent had arrived; he was glad to hear that William Whitmore, Franklin’s son, was compositing record numbers of ems per hour; Sam agreed Franklin should sell the American Exchange Co.