Home at Hartford: Day By Day

June 26 Thursday – Homeopathic Doctor Cincinnatus A. Taft died in Hartford at the age of 64. Four decades before he’d been diagnosed with “one lung gone” and given six months to live by two of the best physicians in the country. Taft’s autopsy revealed that his lungs were both perfect, but that he died from a stomach ailment [N.Y. Times, “THE DOCTORS MISTAKEN” June 30 p1].

June 26 Friday – Sam wrote from Elmira to his mother, Jane Clemens, enclosing a letter from his old childhood friend, “Puss” Tabitha Quarles, now Greening. Puss wanted a loan to buy a hotel in Hunnewell, Kansas. Sam had spent many idyllic summers at his uncle Quarles’ farm with Puss.

June 26 Saturday – The Clemens family were aboard the steamer India. Note: According to the interview in St. Paul, Sam claimed the trip across the lakes was five days.

From Susy Clemens’ diary:

June 26, 86 We are all of us on our way to Keokuk to see Grandma Clemens, who is very feeble and wants to see us and pertickularly Jean who is her name sake. We are going by way of the lakes, as papa thought that would be the most comfortable way [Papa 225].

June 26 Tuesday – In New York City Sam wrote to Timothy Dwight (1828-1916), president of Yale.

June 26 Wednesday – Sam spoke at the Yale Alumni Banquet in New Haven, Conn.

June 26 Thursday – Frederick J. Hall wrote to Sam:

Your favor received. I returned to the office only this morning. I will have Mr. Brokaw make up a statement of what is due you at once…./ With reference to what we can pay you in July: I do not see how we can pay you anything now. As you know, the money we have made off our other books has been absorbed by the “Library.” [Hall estimated $70,000 in capital had been “absorbed” by the LAL since they began it] [MTP].

June 27 Monday – Charles E.S. Wood wrote from West Point to Sam that Col. R.C. Morgan “writes vols. of thanks (on a half note) for ‘1601’”. Wood was planning on a visit to Hartford [MTP].

June 27 Wednesday – Bissell & Co. per George H. Burt wrote, “If present appearance are correct you are overdrawn $1662.73 we will send the usual statement the 1st prox” [MTP].

Richard L. Ogden finished his June 26 letter [MTP].

June 27 Friday – In Boston, Howells wrote to Sam, asking if it were “wholly convenient” he’d like to be paid $2,000 on account for his Library of Humor work [MTHL 2: 492].

June 27 Saturday – General Grant had continued working on revisions of volume two, and even adding “plums and spices” to volume one, a process which made Sam impatient [Perry 219]. On this day Grant believed he was within a few pages of finishing. He telegraphed Sam to come to Mt. McGregor [221]. Note: Sam’s notebook stated that Grant telegraphed him on June 28 [MTNJ 3: 164].

June 27 Sunday – The Clemens family reached Duluth, Minn. About this day.

June 27 Monday – William H. Lippincott wrote to Sam asking his advice:

June 27 Wednesday – The Clemens family probably left New York for Elmira this day. Yale University conferred an honorary Master of Arts degree upon Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Sam could not go to New Haven for the dinner and ceremony.

The New York Times, June 28, 1888, editorial article 7, p.4 ran notice of Sam’s honorary degree, among others.

June 27 Thursday – Orion Clemens wrote to Sam having received the monthly $200 check. Samuel and Mary Moffett left yesterday and Orion related their conversations. Ma was going to a concert this evening — “seems to be well enough to walk to the opera house. We’ll ride.” He wrote of writing and starting again several times on a religious article [MTP]. Sam likely traveled back to Elmira by this day.

June 27 Friday – Orion Clemens began a letter to Sam he finished June 28. He thanked him for the monthly $200 check. “Ma is doing very well. Tells fabulous stories, and is restless and is uncertain in her walk, on account of the weakness in her left side…” [MTP].

June 28 Tuesday – The New York Sun, ran a comic interview on p.2 titled, “The Lookout of the World / Mark Twain’s Preparations for a Possible Encounter with a Comet” [Schmidt].

June 28 Wednesday – Charles Webster reported to Sam that Frank Bliss had agreed to allow an auditor to examine the records of the American Publishing Co. Sam felt he’d been cheated out of thousands by inaccurate reporting of book sales [MTNJ 2: 496n209].

June 28 Thursday – Sam wrote from Elmira to Charles Webster, who evidently had passed the idea of travel to California to invest in vineyards. Joe Goodman was involved in vineyards but he isn’t mentioned in this letter, although Samuel Webster writes that Goodman may have inspired the interest in vineyards [217]. Sam answered that no way should Webster go to “all that trouble for a thousand vineyards…The idea of you going to California to find a wa

June 28 Saturday – In Elmira, Sam responded to Howells’ request of June 27 for payment of $2,000 on the work he’d done on the Library of Humor. Faced with mounting costs on the production of HF, the first book of Webster & Co., Sam begged off. Besides the financial pinch, Sam was in no mood to be generous.

June 28 Sunday – At Quarry Farm, Livy wrote in her diary:

“This morning Theodore, Sue, Susy and I went down to church, it was Anniversary Sunday, there was a very large number large number baptized, first infants, later in the service young people, and older people all excepting the infants professed their faith. It was an exceedingly interesting and touching service” [MTP].

June 28 Monday – The Clemens family traveled by rail from Duluth to St. Paul, Minn. About this day. The St. Paul and Minneapolis Pioneer Press interviewed Sam (See June 30 entry). Note: Kaplan writes Sam was dressed “in alligator slippers, a light-gray suit, and a pearl-colored high hat” [289].

June 28 Tuesday – In Elmira Sam wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore, answering Abel W. Fairbanks’ letter and request of June 21.

Please look in on the Receiver & then write old Fairbanks a note & tell him whether his papers are satisfactory or not. [¶] We leave the Valley this afternoon & ascend to the farm [MTP].

June 28 Thursday – In Elmira Sam walked to the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corp. (Charles Langdon’s new firm name) and wrote a letter to Joe Twichell on their letterhead.

June 28 Friday – In Elmira Sam wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore.

I expect a telegram from Paige to-morrow to say the machine is done. After that, I would like a daily note from you telling me the state of the machine…. Ask Paige to keep the fact that the machine is finished absolutely secret from everybody until I come. I’ve got a scheme which will explain this [MTP].

Sam’s notebook: [chk] #4974. Whitmo, $125, June 28 / #4975. F.G. Warner $9 [3: 491].

June 28 Saturday – Frederick J. Hall wrote to Sam, enclosing a June 27 letter by Edmund C. Stedman protesting Webster & Co.’s use of the phrase “Great War Library” in connection with the Civil War generals’ memoirs. Hall wrote: