June 12 Monday – Sam wrote a short note from Hartford to Charles Webster, advising him to send the “Bank Note Certif.,” so he might put it in the safe with his other securities. “I need no more investments, now—bought a lot of Adams Express stock to-day & exhausted our pile” [MTP].
Two copies of The Stolen White Elephant were placed with the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress [Hirst, “A Note on the Text” Oxford edition, 1996].
June 12 Tuesday – Henry Allaway wrote from New Haven, clipping enclosed from the NY Evening Telegram of June 11 about Capt. Charles C. Duncan planning to take “legal action” for remarks Sam reportedly said to the NY Times. Allaway asked if he might come to Hartford and “allow me to bore you once more in getting the point for a gossipy article about your career?” [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “The Interviewer"
June 12 Thursday ca. – Sam wrote from Hartford to Charles Webster, inserting a note from Mettie Curry of Carson City, Nevada, pleading poverty and asking for a copy of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Sam directed him to write her a note saying Sam had instructed him to send the book [MTP]. Note: This is probably Abraham Curry’s widow.
June 12 Friday – In Hartford, Sam wrote to his sister, Pamela Moffett, explaining against her admonitions why he hadn’t written her.
Correspondence is the despair of my life. Suppose you had to have 15 teeth pulled every day; & every time you lost 3 days…
June 12 Wednesday – The Clemens family usually spent a day or two in New York on their way to Elmira.
Orion Clemens wrote to Sam trying to repay him for his kindness by giving him a drawing for “an improved fixture for ringing a door-bell.” He wished they would all come for a visit [MTP]. Note: Orion repeatedly expressed his thanks and desire to repay Sam in some way.
June 12 Thursday – Sam and Joe Goodman were still in New York; Sam wrote Livy on June 14 that “there was nothing to write” this day.
Mackenzie Bell of London, England wrote to Sam requesting biographical information. Whitmore would answer for Sam on June 25 [MTP].
Orion Clemens finished his June 11 to Sam. See entry.
June 13 Monday – Sam and Livy traveled to Hartford and met George W. Cable, as testified by Cable’s June 14 letter to his wife:
June 13 Tuesday – A.V.S. Anthony of Osgood & Co. wrote a list of comparisons between some illustrations for LM made with Kaolatype and those by Moss Engineering Co. [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Comparison of Kaolatype & Moss Eng. Doom of Kaolatype”
June 13 Wednesday – Susy and Clara Clemens wrote to Mr. Francis Parsons in Elmira that they would “be happy to see” him “Tuesday afternoon” June 26 “From 4 until 8.” The note does not appear to be in a child’s hand, although Susy was twelve [MTP].
June 13 Friday – Hugo Erichsen in Detroit, Mich. sent a printed form asking what was Sam’s method of authorship [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “O, hell!”; Sam resisted any explanation of how he wrote, of the motivations of characters, and the like. He did not like to share such introspections or methods and felt they were unwarranted intrusions of his privacy.
June 13 Saturday – Livy recounted the day’s activities in her diary:
June 13 Sunday – In Hartford Sam wrote to John Hay of his plans to travel west and of the poor condition of Edward H. House [June 19 from Hay].
June 13 Monday – The date given by Edward H. House in a New York Times article of Jan. 27, 1890, “Mark Twain Hauled Up,” p.5 for House’s reading of his dramatization of P&P to Sam. From the Times:
June 13 Wednesday – Sam’s notebook entry:
Cheney’s, Wed. June 13. Train leaves here 5.10 & returns at 10.10 [MTNJ 3: 391].
Charles Scribner for Scribner’s & Sons wrote to Sam, responding to his letter of June 9, that he would call on him at 2 p.m. on June 21 about the Sheridan book [MTP].
June 13 Thursday – The Clemens family arrived at Quarry Farm [July 1 to Pamela]. As he later wrote, “death is on the threshold” — Theodore Crane was nearing the end of his life.
June 13 Friday – In the afternoon, Sam and Joe Goodman took the six-hour train trip to Washington, D.C., arriving at night. The pair ate “an enormous supper & went right to bed & to sleep.” Sam wrote to Livy the next day about the trip:
June 14 Monday – Howells wrote from Boston to Sam about Orion’s autobiographical manuscript.
June 14 Tuesday – Dwight H. Buell, Hartford jeweler, wrote to Sam, noting his request of June 12 (not extant) to pay for the typesetter stock in advance [MTP]. Note: Sam wrote on the env., “Consent to my paying Type-Setter stock in advance”
June 14 Wednesday – Karl Gerhardt wrote to Sam & Livy. He’d rec’d the letter of credit for 100 pounds. He also told of Mr. Elnell arriving and now they were “best of friends”. He told of their art progress, his sculpting and her drawing [MTP].
June 14 Thursday – The Clemens family left Hartford and arrived in New York [MTBus 214].
Worden & Co. Wrote having rec’d his of June 13 and enclosing a memo of the sale of 100 shares MoPac and orders from Dean Sage to sell the remaining 200 shares [MTP]. Note: Sage acted as Sam’s stock broker from NY.
June 14 Sunday – Sam wrote from Hartford to the Gerhardts in New York City.
We arrive at the Everett House Wednesday evening & leave for Elmira on Friday morning, & shall hope to see one or two of you, if we can see the whole trinity [MTP]. Note: The family stayed at the Hotel Normandie (see June 19 entry).
June 14 Monday – In Hartford Sam wrote a short note of thanks to Walter Lee Brown for “a most valuable idea” he felt would be useful to him [MTP]. Note: Just what the idea was is not given. Brown edited the first scholarly treatment of any James Fenimore Cooper work, noting variations between the original manuscript and the various published texts of his 1843 article in Autobiography of a Pocket-Handkerchief (Evanston, IL: The Golden-Booke Press, 1897)
June 14 Tuesday – Charles Webster wrote to Sam of “$6,500 in cash, and $4,700 in notes” for the Apr. 12 lawsuit award of $13,200 against J.M. Stoddart & Co. who had failed to pay for copies of Grant’s Memoirs. They had argued that they suffered losses based on John Wanamaker’s discount sale of books, a practice they felt Webster & Co.
June 14 Thursday – Frederick J. Hall wrote to Sam that the prospectus for Sheridan’s Personal Memoirs would be ready this afternoon. The book was scheduled for release in the winter of 1888 [MTNJ 3: 387n295].
June 14 Friday – Henry M. Alden for Harper & Brothers wrote to Sam. Alden had just returned from vacation and had a letter from Mr. Warner about Sam’s article on that “old medical book.” Warner had quoted Sam’s price to be $50 per 800 words, which was fine if they liked the article. He asked Sam to send it [MTP].