Home at Hartford: Day By Day

July 15 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Howells, who wrote on July 2 and July 4. Howells had obtained the money elsewhere and told Sam to forget he’d asked. In the latter letter Howells wrote that he’d been notified by Webster that John T. Raymond had accepted their terms on the new Sellers play. Howells wasn’t certain he should let Raymond see the play. Sam responded:

July 15 Wednesday – Livy wrote in her diary that she and her children were “reading together” Grace Aguilar’s (1816-1847) The Days of Bruce; A Story from Scottish History (1834). Livy added the girls enjoyed it “very much,” and Clara Clemens later remembered it as one of their favorite books. Sam may have read this to his girls also.

July 15 Thursday – In Elmira Sam wrote to his sister, Pamela Moffett. He told of almost missing seeing the Moffetts in Chicago and of the comfortable rail trip home. He added a paragraph to soothe Pamela’s sensitive nature:

July 15 Friday – In Elmira Sam responded to Frederick J. Hall’s question about the Hawaiian King’s book. The prospectus was not ready, so Sam felt the recent publicity didn’t have “enough permanency…to do us any real good,” and that moving up the canvass for the book “might disarrange Mr. Webster’s plans, anyway.” Based on checks reported received by Hall from Slote & Co. And from American Pub.

July 15 Sunday – In Elmira Sam wrote to Andrew Chatto about bills sent to Chatto and to Dawson & Brothers in Montreal, which Webster & Co. sent (See July 15 to Webster & Co.) Next up was General Phil Sheridan’s book.

July 15 Monday – In Elmira Clara Clemens wrote to her father in Hartford of a new kitten, the growing puppies, their horse rides and her violin teacher, Professor John C. Bostelmann (see Sept 13 to same). Clara called her father “Buf” and obviously inherited her mother’s “original” spelling [MTP].

July 15 Tuesday – Sam may have gone to Hartford with Frank Fuller, as per Livy’s July 16 letter.

William J. Hamersley wrote to Sam about the “Personal loan” of $2,500 due on July 1 and still unpaid. The letter is smeared and partly illegible [MTP]. Note: see July 11 with Sam’s counterclaim of Hamersley owing about $30,000 on the Paige typesetter, which likely explains this unpaid “loan.”

July 16 Friday – John Milton Hay wrote to thank Sam for TA and also for 1601 [MTP]. A reply is not extant.

July 16 Sunday – Sam wrote from Elmira to E.R. Holden of the Erie, Lackawanna Railroad

“I & my family wish to thank you after a limitless fashion for your good offices in our behalf. Mr. Reasoner furnished us a new sleeping car which was the perfection of comfort & cleanliness. (I wore a white Irish-linen suit all day, & did not smut it.)” [MTP].

July 16 Monday – Samuel E. Dawson wrote “to assist any of your friends about copyright” [MTP].

July 16 Wednesday – Sam wrote from Elmira to James B. Pond, asking for the tour prospectus to be sent so he might add a paragraph. His P.S. reminder—he would not read in Elmira or Hartford—no objections to other places [MTP].

July 16 Thursday – Sam’s response, “On Training Children,” to the article, “What Ought He to Have Done” was reprinted in The Christian Union (see June 11 entry). Note: This is sometimes given as the first printing. Also ran in August issue of Babyhood, p. 275-6.

Robert U. Johnson for Century Magazine about Sam’s help in the copyright effort; Gen. Grant’s name on the list would help the effort [MTP].

July 16 Friday – In Elmira Sam responded to Frederick J. Hall’s letter of July 15; Sam didn’t need any money until the end of the year, but was concerned about the stability of banks, and feared that “a bank might break on us,” so wanted extra money not needed in Webster & Co., put in Treasury bonds or in a deposit vault. Sam named Mary Fairbanks, Mrs. Jervis Langdon and Susan L.

July 16 Saturday – James W. Paige per Charles Van Schuyver wrote to Sam, “Yours of the 15th inst. Just received.” He elaborated on technical aspects of the motor and of the Thorne typesetter [MTP].

July 16 Monday – In Elmira Sam wrote a short note to Franklin G. Whitmore about ordering “12 memorandum books when 4 would answer,” (See July 11 from Whitmore) and enclosed a check he’d received from American Publishing Co. Sam wrote on the envelope:

Ask the Am. Pub. To send no more checks to New York; — send them to me. Those people there never seem to know what to do with them. SLC [MTP].

July 16 Tuesday – † In the evening in Hartford, Sam dined with the Charles Warners and then wrote a “response” not an “answer” to his daughter Clara’s letter of the previous day.

July 16 Wednesday – Unable to interest John Russell Young in a quick trip to Hartford, Sam may have been on his way back to Onteora Park, Tannersville, N.Y. and his family — MTNJ 3: 562n253 states he “did not return to Onteora until 30 July.” The following letter from Livy shows he was not yet back at Onteora, and that he planned to go to Hartford with Frank Fuller. Sam’s letter referred to is not extant, but it was likely written on July 14 or 15:

Youth Dear:

July 17 Saturday – Sam paid $5.62 for Young’s History from Estes & Lauriat, booksellers, Boston [MTP].

Joe Twichell wrote a folksy fun letter to Sam about being left alone when his wife and children went off to the Adirondacks; about Dean Sage’s latest adventures, fishing and camping; and gave a hooray for Willard Fiske, whose son was recently married [MTP].

July 17 Sunday – Sam wrote from Branford, Conn. to George W. Cable. Sam mentioned Howells “spent a day with me last week” and that he was “still in the mind to go to New Orleans with me in November for the Mississippi trip…” [MTHL 1: 364].

July 17 Monday – Jane Clemens wrote to Sam and Livy: “Dear Children / Sam said I was going to bury Jean before she was dead. I was just as near burying Sam as I was Jean, for I thought lumbago & other diseases were very dangerous. The Dr’s have dismissed me, some time ago. I am taking towel baths at night” which gave red splotches. She sent love to the children [MTP].

July 17 Tuesday – Hartford Engineering Co.  wrote having rec’d his of the 14th and asking again if he would renew his endorsement on the $10,000 bond [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Can’t do it”

Joe Twichell wrote, having read Sam was “getting up from an attack of rheumatism and malaria…how sick have you been?” He told of a gathering where the ex-president Hayes asked about Twain and also about himself [MTP].

July 17 Thursday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Charles Webster.

July 17 Friday – The Brooklyn Eagle ran an article with Sam’s letter about the pension mixup. Other newspapers reprinted the story. Note: Camfield lists the Boston Daily Advertiser on this for July 18 [bibliog.].

July 17 Saturday – In Elmira Sam wrote a short note to Charles M. Underhill, responding that they would visit the Clemenses in Hartford “by & by, & let us get even on you,” which suggests a visit had been recently made to the Underhill family, and a visit would be expected after the summer in Elmira.

July 17 Sunday – Orion Clemens wrote to Sam (Orion C. Conatser to Orion July 14 enclosed) Orion called him “a Tennessee namesake of mine” and wrote asking what he would offer for the quit claim deed on the land he referred to [MTP].