July 19 Thursday – In Elmira Sam wrote to Franklin G. Whitmore, enclosing a letter meant for newspaper publication. The letter is a humorous and scathing sort aimed at the city of Hartford for moving an electric lamp and post on Forest Street. A few of the more cutting excerpts:
July 20 Friday –Inscribed book sent to Sam: George W. Altemus’ Our Stories, by the School Children of the State of New Jersey (1888): Mark Twain: Best Wishes of Geo. W. Altemus, Jr. 7/20/88 [Gribben 520].
July 24 Tuesday – K.A. Jones wrote from Halifax, Nova Scotia asking Sam to “honor…with a contribution from your pen” a piece for the School of Art & Design’s “World fair.” Sam wrote on the envelope, “No, I won’t” [MTP].
July 25 Wednesday – In Elmira Sam wrote a one-liner to Franklin G. Whitmore he wished copied and sent to William J. Bok, 23 Park Row, New York.
July 26 Thursday – Jean Clemens’ eighth birthday. Livy inscribed Robert Niedergesass’ book (in German) Kinderstubengeschichten (1887) [Gribben 508].
July 27 Friday – Andrew Chatto wrote to Sam, encouraging his “experiment” of dictating CY to a phonograph.
July 28 Saturday – Carl Schoenhof, Boston book importer, wrote a postcard to Sam that his order of July 25 “has reached me and will be attended to in a few days” [MTNJ 3: 391n313]. Sam wrote on the card, “Hasn’t come yet (Sept. 23)” [MTP]. (See Sept. 23.)
July 30 Monday – Sam canceled an order for two phonographs with the North American Phonograph Co., a competitor of Edison; the company was unable to fill the order.
July 31 Tuesday – Herbert S. Philbrick, a boy from Liberty, Maine, wrote to “Huck”:
August – John J. Astorhouse for Phoenix National Bank sent Sam a draft for “nineteen cents & one mill.” No letter or explanation is in the file [MTP].
August 1 Wednesday – “Genius and Talent” ran in Fortnightly Review, p.240-55. Brief reference to Mark Twain as a leader among the Western American humorists, approached only by Artemus Ward, Josh Billings, and Orpheus Kerr [Tenney 16].
August 2 Thursday – Sylvester Bissell, Hartford builder, wrote to Sam that “Your cows got in my garden last night and made havoc of my early corn.” Whitmore wrote on the note that he’d paid Bissell $3 “on the spot” [MTP].
August 3 Friday – Sam’s notebook:
August 4 Saturday – In Elmira Sam wrote to Louis Pendleton, a young unknown Georgia writer who had sent him a true story for his opinion.
August 5 Sunday – Philip H. Sheridan died. He was only five feet five inches, which gave him the nickname, “Little Phil,” though through high living he did not stay little. Thin as a youth, he blossomed to over 200 lbs. after the war, and suffered from a series of heart attacks, the final one claiming him this day.
August 6 Monday – Louis Pendleton, young Philadelphia writer wrote thanking Sam for his letter of Aug. 4. “It makes me feel that my literary venture has not been a failure after all.” [MTP]. A “Screaming snake” — sam objected to Pendleton’s use of the term in his piece.
August 7 Tuesday – Franklin G. Whitmore wrote to Sam that he’d deposited the Am. Pub. Co.’s check for Sam’s royalties with Bissell’s Bank. Sept. 22 was the deadline for paying Pratt & Whitney; Charles Davis couldn’t say just when the typesetter would be finished [MTP].
August 8 Wednesday – The New York Times, p 4 ran a notice to the editor from Charles L. Webster & Co., dated Aug. 7.
SHERIDAN’S MEMOIRS
August 10 Friday – In Elmira Sam wrote to John White Alexander (1856-1915), artist and one-time illustrator for Harper’s Weekly. Although little-known today, he once ranked as a premier American painter of women, portraying leisure class women in interior settings. During his career he was a member of both the Munich and Vienna Secession, associated with Art Noveau style.
August 11 Saturday – Mary C. MacDonald wrote to Richard M. Johnston of the Century Co., who passed it on to Sam — her point is as unclear as her handwriting, but she was soliciting her artwork [MTP].
August 12 Sunday – In Elmira Sam wrote to the three editors of the Century Magazine: Richard Watson Gilder, Robert Underwood Johnson and Clarence C.
August 13 Monday – Sam wrote check # 4313 to Theodore Crane for $30, likely part payment for summer expenses. For some reason he entered this in his notebook in May 1889.
August 14 Tuesday – Robert Underwood Johnson of Century Magazine wrote Sam, asking to use segments of Gen. Sheridan’s Personal Memoirs in the book version of the Century’s “Battles and Leaders of the Civil War” series.
August 15 Wednesday – Grace E. King wrote to Sam: “What a pleasure your letter gave me!” [MTP]. Note: unfortunately, reading Grace’s handwriting is not a pleasure.
August 19 Sunday – Olivia Lewis Langdon’s 78th birthday. Sam and Livy left a calling card (probably with their gift), and Jean Clemens inscribed Mark Twain’s Library of Humor: To / Grandmamma / with the love / of / Jean Clemens / 19th August 1888. [MTP]. Likely other gifts from Clara and Susy did not involve writing or were lost.