July 31 Sunday – Lee, Mass: Sam’s notebook: “LEE, Mass. / (Berkshire hills.). Last night the young people out on a moonlight ride. Trolly frightened Jean’s horse. Collision. Horse killed. Rodman Gilder picked Jean up,— unconscious; she was taken to the doctor, per the car. Face, nose, side, back contused; tendon of left ancle broken” [MTB 1224: NB 47 TS 17]. Note: Paine slightly altered the notebook entry, presented here.
Clara Clemens remembered:
July 31 Tuesday – George B. Harvey of Harpers arrived In Dublin and spent five days with Clemens, choosing 100,000 words from the 250,000 of the Autobiography for publication in the North American Review. Harvey left on Aug. 4 [Aug. 3 to Clara]. Isabel Lyon’s journal: “Col. Harvey arrived late this evening at 9:45” [MTP TS 102].
Sam wrote to Charlotte Teller Johnson.
July 31 Wednesday – In Tuxedo Park, N.Y. Sam sent a telegram to Miss Dorothy Quick at the Turell Inn, Plainfield, N.J.: “Letter for you at your Inn I sent it several days ago. / S.L. Clemens” [MTP].
Dorothy Quick wrote from the Truell Inn, Plainfield, N.J. to Sam.
July 31 Friday – Sam’s guestbook:
Name Address Date Remarks
Harriet E.G. Whitmore Hartford, Conn ) July 31 – Aug 3
Franklin G. Whitmore “ “ )
Note: in the original guestbook, Franklin Whitmore was dated as Aug. 2 [Mac Donnall TS].
Isabel Lyon’s journal: “The Whitmores and Ashcroft arrived this afternoon” [MTP: IVL TS 55].
July 31 Saturday - Sam’s new guestbook:
| Name | Address | Date | Remarks |
| Dorothy Harvey | Deal, New Jersey | July 31-August 2nd | |
| Alma P. Harvey | |||
| Jessica H. Alward | Chicago | July 31—Aug.2 |
July 4 Tuesday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: “Painted Shadows”, I’m reading. Mr. Binner [sic Bynner] sat in front of me on the porch this afternoon. Mr. Binner— ……..and………. He came with Mr. Faulkner. The same lovely eyes that I had been remembering. His talk is very, very good, and he called me “The Lion of St. Mark”. I told Mr. Clemens of it when he came in from a Fourth of July punch with Mr. Pearmain, down the trail, and he laughed with a beautiful joy. You remember that singing laugh for days. Mr. Clemens had a pleasant time, and found Col. Higginson’s daughter beautiful.
July 4 Wednesday – In Fairhaven, Mass. Sam inscribed a copy of Eve’s Diary to Mary B. Rogers (Mrs. Harry Rogers, Jr.): “Mrs. Harry Rogers, jr / with the compliments of / The Authoress / & the kind regards of / The Translator. / July 4/06” [MTP].
In the early a.m., Sam returned with H.H. Rogers in the Kanawha to New York instead of going by rail to Dublin, N.H. as earlier planned [July 2 to Clara].
July 4 Thursday – London. Ashcroft’s notes: “Lunched at Sir James Knowles’s; attended the banquet in celebration of Independence Day at the Hotel Cecil” [MTFWE 91].
July 4 Saturday – Sam’s A.D. for this date continued to focus with “spectacular venom” (Hill 209) against Lillian Aldrich for the June 30 Memorial of her late husband, which Sam attended.
Harper’s Weekly ran an anonymous article, “Mark Twain’s New Home at Redding,” p. 24, 29. Tenney: “On the purchase of the land, building of the house, and the neighbors. Illustrated with photographs of the house, local scenes, and MT playing billiards with Albert Bigelow Paine” [45].
July 4 Sunday — In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote an aphorism to A.O. Einer: “Let persons devoid of principle lie wantonly, if they will, but let you & me make it the rule of our life to lie for revenue only” [MTP].
Sam’s new guestbook:
| Name | Address | Date | Remarks |
| Dr. Wiley _) | |||
| Mrs. Wiley) | New York | ) July 4 (Sunday) |
July 5 Wednesday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: Tonight Mr. Clemens read the work of the day. It is strong, I wonder if it is too strong? But oh the interest of it. He could satisfy those who must be satisfied by only the most highly seasoned, stinging, racy, delicious, unforbidden literature. He could do it. When I think of what must be the thoughts boiling in that marvel of a brain, I’m sick to think that he cannot feed them out to strong men of the earth. The most remarkable things issue from the innocent lips of characters that he draws, and your eyes are opened.
July 5 Thursday – In the afternoon at 21 Fifth Ave, N.Y. Sam wrote to Charlotte Teller Johnson.
July 5 Friday – Ashcroft’s notes: “Dined with Lord and Lady Portsmouth. Forty or fifty guests; two or three hundred came in afterward” [MTB 1399; MTFWE 108]. Note: Earl and Countess of Portsmouth (Newton and Beatrice Wallop). London’s Daily Telegraph, July 6, p.12, “LONDON DAY BY DAY” reported the event plus what the Countess had called a “small party” when inviting Sam.
July 5 Sunday – In Redding, Conn. Sam began a letter to Dorothy Sturgis which he mislaid, found and finished on July 14. The July 5 portion: Sunday noon.
July 5 Monday — Paine writes of “happier” events:
We have invented a new game, three-ball carom billiards, each player continuing until he has made five, counting the number of his shots as in golf, the one who finishes in the fewer shots wins, It is a game we play with almost exactly equal skill, and he is highly pleased with it. He said this afternoon:
“I have never enjoyed billiards as I do now. I look forward to it every afternoon as my reward at the end of a good day’s work.”
July 6 Friday – At 21 Fifth Ave, N.Y. Sam replied to Elizabeth Jordan. “I am here for a day, & your note of July 2 has just reached me. I shall be eager to get those first chapters, & shall hope they will inspire me to do the boy” [MTP]. Note: Jordan was ramrodding a collaborative story for Harper’s Bazaar. Clemens was chosen to do the boy chapter. Sam ultimately could not interest his pen in the story.
Isabel Lyon’s journal (in Dublin, N.H.):
July 6 Saturday – Ashcroft’s notes:
July 6 Monday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Collier’s Weekly.
July 6 Tuesday — In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Marjorie Breckenridge.
Dear Marjorie—
I am very glad you are back again. I would come & see you, but the doctor does not allow me to walk so far, & I don’t drive because I don’t enjoy it. So you must come & see me. I am oldest, anyway, you know. /
Lovingly SLC [MTAq 261].
July 7 Saturday – N.Y.C.: Sam was spending his days in Rogers’ Standard Oil office or the lawyer’s office, and his nights aboard the Kanawha, which they anchored “about ten miles” out [July 10 to Jean]. Note: Harper’s lawyer and Sam’s lawyer Edward Lauterbach were negotiating to settle the dispute about the “unauthorized” Library of Humor reissue. See July 10 to Lyon.
July 7 Sunday – Ashcroft’s notes:
Called on Lady Langattock and others. Lunched with Sir Norman Lockyer
Except Linley Sambourne, the veteran Punch cartoonist, and Admiral Sir Cyprian Bridge,whom I had known in Australia in ’95, all present were scientists.
July 7 Tuesday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Margaret Blackmer.