September 4 Thursday – In York Harbor, Maine Sam wrote to Eleanor V. Hutton (Mrs. Laurence Hutton).
Didn’t I answer your kind letter? I am afraid not, as I find it mixed-up in the long accumulation. Mails get neglected these days,—since Aug. 11.
Yesterday & to-day, however, I have been hard at it; for Mrs. Clemens has sat up in a chair a moment, both days, & is going to get well [MTP].
September 5 Friday – Sam’s notebook “Last year, this month, I wrote that short story in 7 consecutive days— 22,000 words, $4,400. My average is only 10,000 words a week” [NB 45 TS 25]. Note: “The Double-Barrelled Detective Story.”
September 6 Saturday – In York Harbor, Maine Sam wrote to John Y. MacAlister, thinking Livy would be able to travel within a fortnight.
She is slowly recovering from an alarming illness which struck her Aug. 11., & which continued to be alarming, by fits & starts, until 3 or 4 days ago; then we discharged the night-doctor & retained only the day-one. She sits up ina chair now, 10 minutes at a time, twice a day.
September 7 Sunday – Sam replied to Joe Twichell’s Sept. 2.
I don’t remember which book that convict’s letter is in. I think maybe it is in the back part of the Tramp Abroad; or might it be in Old Times on the Mississippi?
Bang away about me as freely as you please. When you include things from my letters it will be safest to select the extracts first & submit them to Livy—it will save wasting comment on passages which might perish under her blue pencil.
September 8 Monday – In York Harbor, Maine: Sam’s notebook: “This election day at the town hall, Twombley [sic Twombly] sat by the deputy sheriff & saw him buy votes at $2 each & enter the names in note-book. Said he had laid out $116 in this way—later (5 p.m.) T. saw the list of names of the bought-&-paid for—80!” [NB 45 TS 26]. Note: E.D. Twombly, editor of the short-lived (1899-1901) Old York Transcript.
September 9 Tuesday – In York Harbor, Maine, William Dean Howells, on his way to a reception, stopped by to visit Sam during a rainstorm [Sept. 11 to Aldrich].
Sam’s notebook “It took 3: one bought [,] one saw the swine mark his ticket & enter the booth, & no. 3 received him at the end of the hall & paid him. / Republic of America. / Patriots. Funston / [Line separator]
September 10 Wednesday – Sam’s notebook “Mrs. Loring, supper 7 o’clock / Bridge’s cottage almost opp. The Albracca [Hotel]. / [Horiz. line separator] / The Polecat Battery. / The siege & storm” [NB 45 TS 26].
September 11 Thursday – In York Harbor, Maine Sam wrote to Thomas Bailey Aldrich.
Mrs. Clemens, who loves you, is dragging along very very slowly. She thinks she will be strong enough a week from now, to travel on a bed, & can go home. We others have doubts, but do not say so, for that would make argument, & argument sends up the pulse & is forbidden. Sometimes we allow her to read a letter; & to-morrow she will see yours, & it will make her glad.
September 13 Saturday – In York Harbor, Maine: Sam’s notebook: “Cadwalader, 7.30 / Precepts & Principles for a New Religion: having, for its base, God & Man as they are, & not as the elaborately masked & disguised artificialities they are represented to be in most philosophies & in all religions” [NB 45 TS 26]. Note: John Cadwalader of Phila., staying in York Harbor. In his next NB entry Sam noted the presence of “Young Mercer” at Cadwalader’s dinner on this evening
September 14 Sunday – In York Harbor, Maine : Sam’s notebook: “Young Mercer was at Cadwalader’s—he is to produce the historical ceramics for the new capitol at Harrisburg [Pa.]” [NB 45 TS 27]. Note: Henry Chapman Mercer (1856-1930), archeologist, tile-maker, designer, made tiles used in the floor of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
October 15 Wednesday – The Clemens family and Sue Crane left York Harbor, Maine about 9 a.m. utilizing an “invalid car.” They rode to a point south of Boston, then on to N.Y.C., arriving at 5:40 p.m. 20 minutes more brought them by special engine to Riverdale, N.Y. at about 7 p.m. [Oct. 16 to Hutton; Oct. 16 Jean Clemens to Sewell; Oct. 19 to Crane]. Sam thought Livy arrived in “pretty good physical condition” [Oct 18 to MacAlister].
October 24 Friday – In Riverdale, N.Y. Sam wrote to John White Alexander to decline the same dinner that he declined to Chauncey Depew on Oct. 23 [MTP].
Sam also wrote to Samuel E. Moffett in Mt. Vernon, N.Y. “I am just leaving for Princeton, but stop to say she is getting along pretty well, but will be bedridden some months” [MTP].
November 28 Friday – Sam’s notebook: “Train at 7.07. / 7.07 / Birth-day, dinner (not the 29th or 30th) Train leaves here at 7.07. / Wounds our conventions rather than our convictions. The convictions of one age are the conventions of the next” [NB 45 TS 34]. Note: evidently there had been some changes of the birthday dinner date; Sam entered a few things to say at the event in his Nov. 30 NB entry, and specified there it was to be the 29th; it wound up being this day. The 29th he was in Elmira at his niece’s wedding. The Nov. 30 entry:
December 3 Wednesday – Sam’s notebook: “Jean, Katy & I returned from the Elmira wedding” [NB 45 TS 34].
Note: Sam dared not travel alone with Jean due to her epilepsy, and so took Katy along, who had family in Elmira.
December 30 Tuesday – In Riverdale, N.Y. Sam was allowed to see Livy for nearly four minutes [Dec.31 to Twichell].
Sam also added a short pararaph to his Dec. 29 letter to Susan Crane.
“Dec. 30. 6 a.m—(which is about dawn.) I have been up to Jean’s room, & find all quiet there—Jean sleeping. Miss Tobin whispered, ‘She has had a splendid night.’ The doctor (& Clara) had put in an appearance a couple of times in the night & gone back to bed, finding things going well” [MTP].
December 31 Wednesday – Sam’s notebook: “Saw her for 5 minutes” [NB 45 TS 36].
In Riverdale, N.Y. Sam wrote a long letter to Joe Twichell that he added to on Jan. 1, 1903. Sam headed the letter The Last day of a—in some respects—Tough Year being A.D. 1902”:
January – The North American Review included the second installment of Mark Twain’s series, “Christian Science II” (p.1-9) written in 1897-8 in Vienna. The installments ran monthly From Dec. 1902 through the Apr. 1903 issue. A book would result from these articles, though Harpers would delay it till 1907.
February – In Riverdale, N.Y. Sam replied with one line to Frederick A. Duneka: “This is a most dam good Conclusion—put it in, Duneka / SLC” [MTP].
Prof. William Milligan Sloane wrote from NYC to Sam. “I want you here on March 5th at one o’clock to lunch with Sidney Lee and I want you very badly. Do come, there will be some of your best friends.” Hearing “conflicting accounts” of Livy, Prof. Sloane hoped she was no worse but much better [MTP].
March and after – Alice Jane Chandler Webster (“Jean”) (1876-1916), daughter of the late Charles Luther Webster, and Sam’s great-niece, wrote When Patty Went to College, which was published in Mar. 1903 (see Gribben p. 753). Sam referred to this book in one of the notes slipped into Livy’s sickroom which dates it somewhat. Here is the note:
There, now, my darling, Clara was here a while ago & says I be’aved ’an’some & was a cherub. Praise from Sir Hubert! [ a popular expression]
April – Mark Twain’s humorous article “Instructions in Art” first ran in
Metropolitan Magazine this month and in May, 1903. In part, with some of his drawings (inserts).
April, late or May early – Sam wrote a short essay, “Reflections on a Letter and a Book,” so titled later by Paine. The piece was a response to a letter and book sent him by Hilary Trent (aka R.M. Manley). Sam was often irritated by such requests to read literary works, and took this instance to wax ridicule on the selfishness of the human race [AMT 1: 181, 520n181.3].
May 16 Saturday – Sam went to Fairhaven, Mass. to visit H.H. Rogers, who was recovering from an appendectomy. The men played billiards, went on a ride, then after dinner Rogers took to his bed; Sam and William E. Benjamin (Rogers’ son-in-law) played more billiards till 11:30 p.m. [May 17 to Livy].
June 1, before – Sam wrote to Daniel Willard Fiske, asking help in finding a furnished villa near Florence, Italy. He divulged that he was also writing Mrs. Ross , (Janet D. Ross ) and that daughter Clara was also writing Miss Hall and Miss Blood to keep an eye out for a place “during the next 5 or 6 months.” Livy added a PS in the top margin: “Do you know of any very good physicians in Florence?”
June 3 Wednesday – Sam went to Hartford, planning to arrive there just after noon. He stayed at the Whitmore home [June 1 to Whitmore].
Thomas F. Gatts wrote to Sam.
Your esteemed favor of May 30th, received this morning. I assure you that we give due consideration to every word and sentence of your letter.
June 12 Friday – Sam was in Fairhaven, Mass. to confer with Rogers about business matters relating to Collier’s offers and arranging agreements between Collier’s, Harpers, and the American Publishing Co. Rogers had been recuperating from an appendectomy. Until this date, Livy had not been well enough to allow Sam to leave Riverdale. On June 15 Lyon wrote that Sam “came back this morning from a little visit with Mr.