The Buffalo Express: Day By Day

December 9 Thursday – Sam lectured (“Savages”) in Germantown, Pa. [MTL 3: 415].

December 9 Friday – Sam received two telegrams from Sheldon & Co., agreeing to publish his pamphlet and split the profits, or offer a 15% royalty as an alternative. A letter followed the same day detailing the agreement. Sam chose the royalty. Probably on this night Sam left for New York [MTL 4: 268-9].

February 1 Wednesday – Sam arrived in New York City and stopped at the Grand Hotel to meet with Frank Church and probably Isaac E. Sheldon at 11 AM to work out his planned withdrawal from the Galaxy.

February 10 Thursday – Sam wrote from Buffalo to Charles Cole Hine, editor of the monthly journal, Insurance Monitor, declining to submit an article.

I have begun a new life & a new system, a new dispensation. And the bottom rule of the this latter is,

To Work No More than is Absolutely Necessary.

February 10 Friday – Francis P. Church wrote to Sam: “I have your last telegram, but I have already written that I succeeded in stopping Memoranda. / It will delay the Galaxy several days, but I keenly appreciate your feelings & honor you for it. I hope I should feel so myself under similar circumstances” [MTPO].

Isaac E. Sheldon wrote concerning Sam’s wish to delay the publication of Burlesque Autobiography:

February 11 Saturday – Isaac E. Sheldon wrote to Sam: “Your telegram just rec’d. / I write to you this morning. /A note is inserted in the Nebulae & also in Table of Contents giving the reason why your Memoranda is not in this time” [MTP]. Note: Clemens may have sent another telegram on Feb. 10 or 11.

February 12 Saturday – Rev. Grosvenor W. Heacock, minister Lafayette Presbyterian Church, called on Sam and Livy at home. Reigstad writes: “Heacock spoke highly of The Innocents Abroad to Twain, and the new married couple enjoyed his company” [130].

February 13 Sunday – Sam again attended services at the Lafayette Presbyterian Church, Rev. Grosvenor W. Heacock, minister. This time Livy accompanied him [Reigstad 130].

Sam wrote from Buffalo to Mary Mason Fairbanks, and Livy added her comments.

February 13 Monday – To an unidentified request to lecture, Sam added a P.S. to a preprinted form:

“Am sorry to say that I am clear out of the lecture field, & neither riches nor glory can tempt me!” [MTL 4: 330].

Frank Bliss wrote an accounting of sales of IA during the period ending Jan. 31, including 6,395 in cloth, 1,353 in gift sets, 271 in half Morocco, enclosing check for $1,452.62 [MTP].

February 14 Monday – Henry W. Shaw (Josh Billings) wrote to Sam; letter not found at MTP, but catalogued as UCLC 31952.

February 14 Tuesday – Sam signed both names on a short note to an unidentified man who evidently had asked for a valentine:

Dear Sir: / I am only too proud of the chance to help, with this the only Valentine I venture to write this day—for although I am twain in my own person I am only half a person in my matrimonial firm, & sometimes my wife shows that she is so much better & nobler than I am, that I seriously question if I am really any more than about a quarter! [MTP, drop-in letters].

February 15 Tuesday – Elisha Bliss wrote to Sam. After pleasantries and tales of a “little ‘bender’” with Twichell, Bliss gave production numbers on IA, “Have sold about 5,000 so far this month,” then hit Sam with the bad news about Kitty (Kate) D. Barstow (Mrs. William H. Barstow):

February 15 Wednesday – Sam wrote from Buffalo to Elisha Bliss, acknowledging a quarterly royalty check for $1,452.62 for sales of 8,024 copies of Innocents. Sam wrote that Riley had sailed from London on Feb. 1 on a 30-day voyage. On the subject of Livy, Sam answered Orion’s concern:

February 16 Thursday – From Buffalo, Sam sent a request to Elisha Bliss: Please mail or send in your own way, a cloth copy of Innocents Abroad to SIDNEY MOFFETT New Market Shenandoah Co.,Va; & charge to my ac / [MTP, drop-in letters].

February 17 – 19 Saturday – Sometime during these two days David Ross Locke (“Petroleum Nasby”) and Coleman E. Bishop (1838-1896), editor of the Jamestown NY Journal, made an afternoon call. Locke was in Buffalo to lecture on “The Struggles of a Conservative with the Woman Question,” likely being about suffrage [Reigstad 134]. Note: Bishop was Twain’s contact for his January 21 Jamestown lecture. See also Feb. 18; July 14, 1871 to Redpath; MTL 4: 76n1, 2.

February 17 Friday – Sam wrote a short letter to his mother and family about Livy’s improvement, though she:

“…still is very low & very weak. She is in her right mind this morning, & has made hardly a single flighty remark” [MTL 4: 352].

Sam also responded to an autograph seeker, Fannie Dennis, who wished both an autograph and sentiment:

February 18 Friday – Sam attended David Ross Locke’s lecture in Buffalo for the Woman’s Suffrage Association on “The Struggles of a Conservative with the Woman Question.” Sam published a review in the Buffalo Express on Feb. 19 [Reigstad, email 11 May 2013].

February – In the Galaxy for this month – MARK TWAIN’S MEMORANDA – Included:

“The Coming Man”
“A Book Review”
“The Tone-Imparting Committee”
“The Danger of Lying in Bed”
“One of Mankind’s Bores”
“A Falsehood”
“The Indignity Put Upon the Remains of George Holland by the Rev. Mr. Sabine” [Schmidt].

February 19 Saturday – The Hartford Courant reported that the 60,000 copy of Innocents Abroad had been printed, some 45,000 sold [MTL 4: 78n1]. An article attributed to Sam, “Nasby’s Lecture,” was printed in the Buffalo Express [McCullough 153].

The San Francisco News-Letter, “Town Crier” page, carried a snide blurb about Sam’s marriage:

February 2 Wednesday – Samuel L. Clemens married Olivia Louise Langdon. Congregational ministers Joseph Twichell and Thomas K. Beecher performed the ceremony at 7 PM.

February 2 Thursday – Sam arrived in Washington, D.C. and registered at the Ebbitt House, where his partner Josephus Larned was staying. Sam had returned to the capitol on the unfinished business of the legislation for Tennessee. As one of the executors to Jervis Langdon’s estate, Sam wanted to get the bill passed that had failed in July 1870.

February 20 Sunday – Sam wrote from Buffalo to Joel Benton (1832-1911), former owner of the Amenia Times. Benton wanted to sell the Buffalo Express some European letters. Sam said the Express did not need European letters [MTL 4: 73-4]. Sam and Livy again teamed up on a letter written to Livy’s mother . Sam teased Livy about her cooking and housekeeping:

February 21 Tuesday – Petroleum V. Nasby, “enormously fat & handsome,” stopped by.

“We had a pleasant talk but I couldn’t offer him the hospitalities because my wife is very seriously ill & the house is full of nurses & doctors” [MTL 4: 335-6 in letter to Redpath the next day].

February 22 Wednesday – Sam wrote from Buffalo to Orion. “Livy is very, very slowly & slightly improving, but it is not possible to say whether she is out of danger…” [MTL 4: 334].

February 23 Wednesday – Sam wrote from Buffalo to Elisha Bliss, responding to his two letters (one now lost; see Feb. 15 for the other).

Friend Bliss—

Why bless your soul, I never have time to write letters these days—takes all my time to carry on the honey-moon. I would like to talk to Mrs Bliss [Amelia Bliss] two or three or four hours about my wife now, if she could stand it——she used to stand it very well when I was at your house.