Home at Hartford: Day By Day

July 20 Sunday – Howard P. Taylor, came to Hartford to read a draft of the CY play. Sam wrote to daughter Clara Clemens in Onteora, N.Y. of his opinions:

July 21 Thursday – Herbert Evans wrote from Adelaide, S. Austr. to Clemens, thanking with pleasure Sam’s of Apr. 23. Anecdotes and wishing Clemens long life; a fan letter [MTP].

July 21 Friday – In Elmira, Dr. Thaddeus S. Up de Graff made a visit on “East Hill with 2 office treatments” likely following, where he examined Susie Clemens’ eyes and fit her with glasses [Sept. 1 bill from Dr. Thaddeus S. Up de Graff]. See entry.

July 21 Saturday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Orion, Mollie and Jane Clemens, relating his current “booming” productivity at writing HF, and his new passion, the English history game, which began with pegs up the driveway in Elmira and was translated into an indoor board game:

Private.

July 21 Monday – Charles Webster wrote to Clemens, enclosing a draft of a contract with Pond, who had not yet seen it. He announced the baby boy’s name was Samuel Charles Webster [MTP].

July 21 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Edward House, marking the letter “private.” Sam covered again the events leading to his publication of Grant’s Memoirs, the sales figures and royalties, comparing what the General would have received if he had signed the Century contract vs. Sam’s.

July 21 Wednesday – In Elmira Sam gave a reading at the New York State Reformatory for men: His chosen texts were: “German,” “Whistling,” “Trying Situation,” “King Sollermun” [Fatout, MT Speaking 657]. Sam’s notebook lists these readings with an estimated time of “1 hour & 15 min.” [MTNJ 3: 245]. From Budd’s update: For a first-hand account see The Summary, 4 (July 25, 1886) the in-house weekly [Schmidt].

July 21 Thursday – In Elmira Sam wrote to William (Billy) Gross of Brown & Gross, Hartford booksellers:

Whatinthehelldoyoureckonamancando with a History that begins with Volume V? (Lecky’s History of the 18th Century.) Shove along the other 4 volumes and don’t fool around [MTP].

July 21 Sunday – In Cambridge Mass., Howells wrote Sam, “extremely sorry” he’d not been able to come to Hartford for a short visit, but “one trivial thing after another” had interfered.

July 21 Monday – In Hartford Sam wrote to Livy and Clara Clemens in Onteora, N.Y. Keep up your spirits if your unfortunate eyes will let you, my darling; & be sure I shall not remain away from you one unnecessary hour. …

Clara dear, I have found the Beethoven & the Chopin — found them instantly, because I went straight to the place where you said they were not, & there they were, sure enough. I will send them by express — doubtless tomorrow [MTP].

John Russell Young wrote to Sam:

July 22 Saturday – After a pleasant visit with his father and siblings in Canada, William Dean Howells and family boarded the S.S. Parisian in Quebec, bound for England [Goodman and Dawson 223].

James R. Osgood wrote to advise they were sending by Am. Express a bunch of books and articles Clemens wanted [MTP].

July 22 Sunday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Mr. Krueger: 

Dear Mr. Kreuger— / I enclose it; & if it ain’t the thing, give me the points & I’ll do it over again; for we want you to go Cornell, & hope you will. The Sages are there, temporarily—till they go to heaven where they belong—& there are other good & great folks there.

July 22 Tuesday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Charles Webster, who had drafted a contract with Pond and advised Sam, who more clearly defined Pond’s expenses to be “food, lodging & transportation.”

“If he should become unmanageable & go to thrashing people, I should not want to have to pay his daily police court expenses. And it will be like him to do that.” Otherwise, Sam offered that “this contract sounds right.” [MTP].

July 22 Wednesday – Sam wrote from Elmira to A.H. Warner (no connection found to the Hartford Warners). “Dear Sir: I thank you very much—& also your friend—for the enclosure.” [MTP].

Charles Webster wrote that he’d sent no proof pages as he had none to send. He thought “it very dangerous to cart those proofs about,” feeling better when they’re in the safe. Details added about the Grant volumes [MTP].

July 22 Thursday – In Elmira Sam wrote to Charles Dudley Warner, praising one of his works, unspecified. It may have been his novel, Their Pilgrimage (1886). Sam gushed over the work:

July 22 Monday – Orion Clemens wrote to Sam.

All right. /Of course you are lonesome. / You never told us if the other machines accepted your challenge. / We shall be glad to hear at any time any thing about the machine. / I read your last letter to Ma, and explained to her. She said you always were very quick. / She is suffering today with rheumatism [MTP].

July 22 Tuesday – John R. Young wrote again to Sam.

Mackay and Jones go up tomorrow at nine to return at 2.20. you should keep them until 7 and show them the [illegible word] Asylum, the Hubbard Monument, the grave yards, Charter Oak…and the other institutions of your pleasing town. –I am sorry I did not wait and go with them [MTP].

July 23 Friday – Sam wrote from Elmira to his sister, Pamela Moffett. Sam had lumbago (general lower back pain). Evidently a clergyman named Adams had done something outside the bounds of his church rules and Sam offered that the man would be “worsted in his fight” [MTLE 5: 136].

Sam made a $75 loan to Patrick Francis of Bloomfield Conn., who made his “X” mark on the agreement [MTP, 1880 financial file].

July 23 Monday – In Elmira, Sam drafted a “confidential” reply to friend and journalist Noah Brooks’ June 19 letter. Brooks, of the New York Times, had been subpoenaed in the Duncan libel suit, and assumed that Sam would be anxious for the Times to win the suit. Sam’s reply may not have been sent, but revealed his defection to Duncan’s camp as the best defense of being named in the suit [MTNJ 3: 58n135].

July 23 Wednesday – Augustus Saint-Gaudens wrote to Clemens about Gerhardt, who had been in to see him. He didn’t want to hire him as an assistant since that never seemed to work out. He thought Gerhardt was a good sculptor based on the works shown but didn’t think it fair for him to evaluate him. He advised him to do the bust of Twain and also the medallion [MTP]. See insert of Twain’s bust by Gerhardt.

July 23 Thursday – General Ulysses S. Grant died. Sam took a ten-hour train ride to New York City, arriving in the early evening [July 24 to Livy].

From Sam’s notebook:

On board train, Binghamton, July 23, 1885,—10 a.m. The news is that Gen. Grant died about 2 hours ago—at 5 minutes past 8.

July 23 Friday – Pamela Moffett wrote from Keokuk, Iowa to Sam. This is a long letter, some seventeen small page sides, mostly about her finances and how she and her son, Samuel Moffett were doing okay. She added praise for Livy and the children:

July 23 Saturday – In Elmira Sam telegraphed Franklin G. Whitmore that he was on his way to Hartford.

I am coming & shall be glad to meet all of you at my house next Wednesday eve & talk the thing all over have statics and other information ready that can bear upon the matter [MTP].

July 23 Tuesday – Frederick J. Hall wrote to Sam about Daniel Beard illustrating CY:

I note what you say about his seeing Mr. Stedman also about the quality of the pictures, that is, to have more or less humor in some of them, but not too much. Will try to give Mr. Beard the correct idea as to just what you wish [MTLTP 254n1].

July 23 Wednesday – Senator John P. Jones and John W. Mackay, after months of delay, and at the urging of John Russell Young, finally came to Hartford and inspected the Paige typesetter. This time there was no blowup, the machine worked flawlessly. The pair then returned to New York where they made a limited commitment to Joe Goodman, outlined in his July 26 letter to Sam.

Howard P. Taylor wrote to Sam of his revised dramatization of CY. His manuscript was “pretty well marked up,” and he thought four copies should be made.