September 8 Tuesday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: “There is a row about the red ms. trunk with Mrs. Paine who insulted the King and Benares and me over the telephone” [MTP: IVL TS 64].
James Ross Clemens ended his visit at the Redding house [new guestbook]. Sam’s guestbook shows another two-day stay by a Member of the Aquarium, or Angelfish.
Name Address Date Remarks
Marjorie S. Breckenridge, M.A. From down the glen. September 6-8
September 9 Wednesday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: “We met Santa today at the Cunard pier.
Paine came in pale, and I begged him not to quarrel there. He had no intention of that though. Santa came right up here to Redding and finds it very beautiful” [MTP: IVL TS 64].
September 10 Thursday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: “Will [Charles Wark] came up this morning. / At early breakfast came 2 letters from Paine. Benares and I were in the loggia at breakfast and I had to have him read them, for since the day when Paine wrote a letter that must have been terrible, for he forestalled my reading of it.”
September 11 Friday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: “Benares came this afternoon” [MTP: IVL TS 64-65].
September 12 Saturday – Sam’s new guestbook:
Name Address Date Remarks
Silas W. Driggs ——————————— ———————————
Teresa W. Driggs From over the Ridge September 12
Clara D. Driggs
Isabel Lyon’s journal: “We worked in the garret over ms. trunks” [MTP: IVL TS 65].
September 13 Sunday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: “We worked again over ms. trunks and in the afternoon drove over to the Griggs log cabin, Benares and I” [MTP: IVL TS 65].
September 14 Monday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: “I went to town with Santa” [MTP: IVL TS 65].
September 15 Tuesday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: “I came back from town with Santa” [MTP: IVL TS 65].
Hawaii Promotion Co. sent a press release about the imminent shipment of the koa wood mantel carved by Franz (Frank) Nickolous Otremba, who had worked on the piece the last four months [MTP].
September 16 Wednesday – Dorothy Butes wrote from England to thank Clemens for his autograph:
September 17 Thursday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Charles Gilman Norris (1881- 1945), author and playwright (see notes) in Toronto.
September 18 Friday – At 12:30 a.m. two burglars, Charles Hoffman and Henry Williams, broke into Sam’s home in Redding, Conn. They were surprised by Isabel Lyon as they were removing silverware. As they were fleeing Claude Benchotte the French butler fired shots at them, and a neighbor, Harry A. Lounsbury, followed them.
September 19 Saturday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Marjorie Breckenridge, in Brooklyn.
September 20 Sunday – Sam’s new guestbook:
Name Address Date Remarks
F. Opper New York “ [September] 20 [Note: IVL: misspells Opper as “Opher”]
C.J. Taylor “ “ “ “
September 21 Monday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: “F. Opher [sic Frederick Burr Opper] & C.J. Taylor / Santa to N.Y.” [MTP: IVL TS 66]. See guests above for Sept. 20.
Helen Kerr Blackmer (Mrs. Henry Myron Blackmer) wrote to Sam.
September 22 Tuesday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: “Benares goes” [MTP: IVL TS 66].
Charles Henry Meltzer, reporter for the New York American, visited Sam to question him about the pamphlet that Elinor Glyn had been circulating. The visit is referred to in Meltzer’s letter of the following day, Sept. 23.
In New York, Jean Clemens wrote to Isabel Lyon [MTP]
September 22? Tuesday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Helen Kerr Blackmer (Mrs. Henry Myron Blackmer) (mother of Margaret Gray Blackmer). “I accept with great pleasure. / S.L. Clemens” [MTP]. Note: because Sam wrote on Sept. 18 to Margery as if his call at the Woman’s Club had already been accepted, it may be that this note predates Sept. 22, which the MTP has placed it with question mark.
September 23 Wednesday – Sam’s original guestbook contained one entry for this date: Harriet W. Barbour, Farmington, Conn. [Mac Donnell TS 3].
Isabel Lyon’s journal: “Ill all day – nervous shock” [MTP: IVL TS 66].
J.H. Burchford for the Circumnavigators Club wrote from Burlington, NJ, a short note to advise a “prospectus” of the club was being sent, “and we should be very glad to receive your application” [MTP].
September 24 Thursday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to William Dean Howells.
Oh I reckon you will be able to stand such abuse as my autobiography will deal out to you. Particularly as you will be in heaven & not caring a dam in that distant future day appointed for the appearance of the Auto in print.
September 25 Friday – Sam was in NYC to see daughter Jean off for Berlin, where she would be treated by a German physician, Professor Hofrath von Reuvers, recommended by Dr. Frederick Peterson, Jean’s primary physician. William Dean Howells and Sam spent some time together [MTHL 837n1]. Note: Clemens likely spent the night in a hotel and saw Jean off early the next morning.
September 26 Saturday – At 11 a.m., Jean Clemens sailed for Germany on the Pretoria, accompanied by Anna Sterritt, and Marguerite Schmidt. On the dock waving goodbye were her father, Isabel Lyon and Dorothy Quick. Jean would cable her father on Sept. 30 that she was well and having a comfortable voyage [Sept. 30 to L. Paine; MTOW 179; Hill 213]. Note: MTHL 837n1 erroneously gives Sept. 25 as Jean’s sailing date; Howells’ Oct.
September 27 Sunday – The New York American, p. 1 section 2 ran an interview of Mark Twain by Charles Henry Meltzer, about the pamphlet Mark Twain on Three Weeks that Elinor Glyn had published earlier in the year, probably in January. The pamphlet had contained Clemens’ supposed verbatim opinion of Glyn’s Three Weeks, her scandalous but popular novel which depicted an adulterous relationship.
September 28 Monday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: “On Saturday I saw everything to be done in the N.Y. house and not a whit done that Katie had said should be done. So this morning I set out for N.Y. and with Will Wark we worked savagely all day—going from garret to cellar. Santa came in at 6—for Mary has tonsillitis, and Benares came too” [MTP: IVL TS 67].
Sylvester Baxter wrote from Boston to Sam after reading in the paper the account of Clemens’ speech at the Whittier birthday dinner back in 1877.
September 29 Tuesday – Isabel Lyon’s journal: “Work all day long—packing and clearing out the dreadful rubbish of many years’ accumulating. / Bought a bicycle” [MTP: IVL TS 67].
Ralph W. Ashcroft came to Sam’s at 4:15 p.m. After dinner they played billiards until 10:30 p.m. Sam lost [Sept. 30 to Sturgis]. Note: likely Ashcroft delivered Mrs. R.M. Wallace’s appeal on this visit.
September 30 Wednesday – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Louise Paine in Locust Valley, N.Y,
Dear Louise, I was very glad to hear from you. Your father brought back the plated ware to-day, & I have forgiven him, for he did not know it was plated or he would not have taken it. He thought it was silver; that was the only reason he took it, he said to himself. One is not blameable for mistakes, we all make them. A mistake is not a crime, it is only a miscarriage of judgement.
October – In Redding, Conn. Sam wrote to Amelia D. Hookway, principal of the George Howland Elementary school in Chicago.
P. S. to my secretary’s letter: