The Man in the White Suit: Day By Day

January 20 Sunday – Isabel Lyon’s journal:

January 21 Monday – At 21 Fifth Ave, N.Y. Sam wrote an aphorism to an unidentified person: “Consider the proportions of things: it is better to be a young june-bug than an old bird of Paradise. / Truly Yours / Mark Twain / Jan. 21/07” [MTP].

Isabel Lyon’s journal: Dr. Herring came, says Bermuda is better in summer than in winter.

January 22 Tuesday – Isabel Lyon’s journal:

The King dined at the Coes & will stay the night.

January 23 Wednesday – At 5 p.m. at Fifth Ave., N.Y. Sam fell up the front steps and skinned his “starboard shin” [Jan. 26 to Jean].  

Isabel Lyon’s journal: More about Aldrich’s coat—label gone.

January 24 Thursday – At 21 Fifth Ave., N.Y. the back of a chair gave way with Sam in it. He fell backward striking his head, his feet in the air, his chin crushing his chest. He was not injured, though he wrote he couldn’t do that again without breaking his neck [Jan. 26 to Jean].  

January 25 Friday – Sam played billiards with Peter Dunne (“Mr. Dooley”) [Jan. 26 to Jean]. Lyon wrote:

Isabel Lyon’s journal: The King said “I am just thirsting for blood & Mr. Dooley is going to furnish it!”—Billiards!—Mr. Dooley is coming for luncheon. But the King is walking up & down the billiard room with quick light eager steps—ready for dictation, but readier for the blood of Mr. Dooley [Peter Dunne].

January 26 Saturday – At 21 Fifth Ave, N.Y. Sam wrote to daughter Jean in Katonah, N.Y.  

It is good news, Jean dear, that you are having healthful outdoor times, & especially good news that Dr. Hunt perceives that your condition is improved. It is very good news. Miss Lyon is sure you will like the carriage. From the description of it I am of the same opinion. George & the carriage & the horse will doubtless soon be on their way to you.

January 27 Sunday – Isabel Lyon’s journal:

This morning I had no mail for the King so we had talk instead & he read me Mr. Dooley’s ideas about the Army Canteen which appears in today’s Times. He sat up in bed & rolled it out so deliciously, gurgling with delight. I wish Peter Dunne could have seen him. I wish Kipling would see him read those immortal Jungle Tales.

January 28 Monday – In his A.D. Sam referred to songs: “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow,” as he had in Ch. 11 of PW back in 1894 [Gribben 236]. He also referred to the Jan. 26 dinner, when Senator Clark of Montana “rose to the tune of … ‘God Save the King,’ frantically sawed and thumped by the fiddlers and the piano” during Union League Club speeches [263]. “The Star Spangled Banner” [370]. Note: Devoto selected this day’s dictation for inclusion in Mark Twain in Eruption (1940) p.70-77.  

January 29 Tuesday – At 21 Fifth Ave, N.Y. Sam replied to Miss Eleanor Robson, who was raising money for the support of Bret Harte’s daughter, Mrs. Jessamy Steele, who, Miss Robson wrote this day was “in dire need and in the Portland Me. Almshouse.”

January 30 Wednesday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: Tearing headache less than 3 weeks since last.

Yesterday the King gave permission to have his name used in the Eleanor Robson benefit for Bret Harte’s daughter, but today he has revoked it, for he sees through the whole thing as being mainly an advertisement for Eleanor Robson. He is so impulsive, & continually has to withdraw from propositions that he has gone into with enthusiasm [MTP TS 25].

January 31 Thursday – Life Magazine ran a cartoon   of Mark Twain sitting “on a barrel of cigars and smoking, with text praising him in general terms for his good humor and his attacks on folly and vice” [Tenney: “A Reference Guide Sixth Annual Supplement,” American Literary Realism, Spring 1982 p. 10]. Note: compare this to the Dec. 21, 1905 cartoon in Life, celebrating his 70 birthday.  

Isabel Lyon’s journal: “Chinatown and the beads. / The King’s watch is gone” [MTP TS 25].

January, late (before Feb. 1) – At 21 Fifth Ave, N.Y. Sam replied to  the Jan. 2 of Witter Bynner:

Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: It might have been.
Ah say not so! as life grows longer, leaner, thinner
We recognize, O God, it might have Bynner! [MTP].

February – Sometime during the month Sam dined with William James, who wrote to his brother Henry James afterward: “Poor man, only good for monologue, in his old age, or for dialogue at best, but he’s a dear little genius all the same” [J. Kaplan 379].

The first edition of Christian Science, with Notes Containing Corrections to Date was published in February, 1907; two copies were deposited with the Copyright Office on Feb. 7 [Hirst, “A Note on the Text” Afterword materials p.13, Oxford ed. 1996].

February 1 Friday – Anticipating the Feb. 2 Players Club luncheon with Eugene Fitch Ware, Sam spent most of the day reading The Rhymes of Ironquill [MTB 1374].

The New York Times, Feb. 2, reported on Sam’s appearance at Police headquarters:

TWAIN VISITS BINGHAM.

Delights Police Headquarters by Wearing His White Flannel Suit.

February 2 Saturday – Albert Bigelow Paine gave a private luncheon at the Players Club for Clemens and Eugene Fitch Ware,  who wrote poetry under the name “Ironquill.” Also at the luncheon were Peter Dunne (“Mr. Dooley”), and Robert J. Collier. Paine notes that Sam had “long been familiar” with Ware’s poetry, which had a “distinctly ‘Western’ feeling….“There was in his work that same spirit of Americanism and humor and humanity that is found in Mark Twain’s writings….” [MTB 1374]. Note: see Dec. 1 incoming from Ware.

February 2-6 Wednesday – At 21 Fifth Ave, N.Y. Sam gave instructions to Isabel Lyon to reply to the Jan. 23 from John C.G. Cumming in Scotland and “Thank him for the cheese letter” [MTP].

February 3 Sunday – The New York Times, p. SM7 ran “Mark Twain Pays His Respects to Mrs. Eddy and Christian Science,” which announced the publication this week of Christian Science.  

February 4 Monday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: All day in Katonah. Jean was very sweet & I had a lovely time with the dear bruised child for last Friday she fell.

This morning I had a good hour with the King who read with delight a letter from a Scotchman who told a story of the disinterment of a Chinese corpse in Amoy. The King will use it as an autobiographic note covering the mail of the day [MTP TS 26-27]. Note: John C.G. Cumming wrote from Falkirk, Scotland on Jan. 23.

February 5 Tuesday – The New York Times, p.9 ran this squib:

Mark Twain has consented to take part in the benefit for the Keats-Shelley Memorial in Rome, Italy, that is to be given at the Waldorf-Astoria on the afternoon of Feb. 14. He will read Shelley’s “Ode to a Skylark.”

Ross Clark wrote from Portland, Ore. to ask if Sam had written a book titled Through Dust and Foam. If so, where could he get a copy? [MTP]. Note: Lyon on letter: ‘Answd Mch 13, ‘07”; the 1876 book was written by R. Hook and G.D. Hook.

February 6 Wednesday – At 21 Fifth Ave, N.Y. Sam wrote to Willam Dean Howells, Finley Peter Dunne, and George B. Harvey. He wanted to form “The Damned Human Race Club”: The Human Race will meet at the above address on St. Valentine’s  Feb. 15 at 1.15 p.m. This club consists of 4 members—to-wit:

Dooley [Peter Dunne]

Howells

Harvey

Clemens

Officers:

President pro tem—Clemens

Invitation Committee—Harvey

February 7 Thursday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: “Santa home ill” [MTP TS 27]. Note: “Santa” was Clara.

Two copies of Christian Science were deposited with the copyright office [Hirst, “A Note on the Text” Afterword materials p.13, Oxford ed. 1996].  

February 8 Friday – At 21 Fifth Ave, N.Y. Sam wrote to Samuel E. Moffett in Mt. Vernon, N.Y. (only the envelope survives) [MTP].

Isabel Lyon’s journal: “Gabrilowitsch here. / Gilders – Tom Janvier – Drake Collection” [MTP TS 27]. Note: Thomas Allibone Janvier.

Frederick Palmer wrote a card (delivered not mailed) to Miss Lyon and Sam, thanking for the consent for Sam to be at the dinner at the Brevoort Hotel on Monday, Feb. 11 [MTP].

February 8-11 Monday – At 21 Fifth Ave, N.Y. Sam replied to the Feb. 4 of John E. Fellers.

You will be able to comment upon the book more intelligently after you’ve read it, at present you dont seem to know any useful thing about it. Of the bushel of letters from Commentators on the book that have reached me not one of them has read the book— Consequently not one of them is entitled to have an opinion [MTP].  

February 9 Saturday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: “King dines at Norman Hapgood’s” [MTP TS 27]

Actors’ Fund wrote to Sam [MTP]. Note: On or after this day Sam replied to Daniel Frohman.