August 27 Monday – At Dollis Hill House in London, England Sam wrote two letters to T. Douglas Murray, the first bears Sam’s note at the top: “Never sent; I hadn’t the heart. He never meant any harm; he was only ignorant & stupid. /
S.L.C., Sept. 7.” The unsent letter:
August 29 Wednesday – Sam’s notebook: “There are bigots who can accept nothing which their party-opposites approve. If you could work the mulitiplication table into a democratic platform the republicans wd vote it down at the election” [NB 43 TS 25].
August 30 Thursday – T. Douglas Murray wrote to Sam, that he “admired immensely” the Introduction Sam had written for the Joan of Arc reference book he was editing [MTP].
August 31 Friday – Sam’s notebook: “Send book to Mrs. Lart, Wellington Ct.” [NB 43 TS 25].
September – Review of Reviews (London) anonymously reviewed The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, p.398. Mostly extracts [Tenney 32].
J.E. Hodder Williams’ article, “Mark Twain” ran in Bookman (London) p.169-74. Tenney: “A very general sketch of MT’s life and works, providing no new information and very little critical comment.”
September 1 Saturday – At Dollis Hill House in London, England Sam wrote to Colonel Green (not further identified).
September 2 Sunday – Sam’s notebook: “Short Story: American Children playing at royalty” [NB 43 TS 25].
At Dollis Hill House in London, England Sam inscribed a copy of The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg and Other Stories and Sketches to Andrew Chatto: “To Mr. Chatto / with the kindest regards of / The Author / London, Sept. 2, 1900” [MTP].
September 4 Tuesday – James B. Pond wrote to Sam.
I am glad to get your letter on the margin of the proposed little story for my book. I don’t agree with you. I believe that a man who can write a letter that makes one feel as though his friends should enjoy the same feeling, has no right to insist that everybody should wait for him to die,—a man who has a lease of life for one hundred years, as you have. You have got the thing down so fine that you can live without eating, and a man who does not require nourishment is an “evergreen”.
September 6 Thursday – At Dollis Hill House in London, England Sam replied to an invitation by Stanley W. Ball to speak at a new reading room for the local library at Kensal Rise. Sam wrote over the letterhead, “Duplicate of a letter which I lost, this morning between Dollis Hill & the station.”
September 12 Wednesday – At Dollis Hill House in London, England Sam replied to J.L. Bishop, whose incoming letter is not extant. Sam listed “The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg,” and “The book to be published 100 years hence” and said “No” to each of them; “3. Another? Yes.
And it promises to reach a finish by and by; though not very soon, I hope, since the fun is not in publishing a book, but only in writing it” [MTP]. Note: Bishop is not identified.
September 13 Thursday – Chatto & Windus published 2,000 additional copies of the 6s.0d. English edition of The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, for a total of 8,000 [Welland 238].
September 14 Friday – At Dollis Hill House in London, England Sam wrote to James B. Pond.
September 15 Saturday – The Clemens family was on a weekend jaunt to visit “some English friends” in Cromer, Norfolk, on the coast [Sept. 14 to Pond; Sept. 25 to Fiske].
September 16 Sunday – The Clemens family was on a weekend jaunt to visit “some English friends” in Cromer, Norfolk, on the coast [Sept. 14 to Pond; Sept. 25 to Fiske]. Note: friends unspecified.
Dorothy T. Stanley wrote to thank Sam for the gift of FE. She told of Mr. Stanley working on the place and sent her regards to Livy and the girls; she hoped they would see them before he left for America, and if he could prevent the election of William Jennings Bryan, perhaps he should go [MTP].
September 17 Monday – At Dollis Hill House in London, England Sam wrote to Frederick J. Hall, with Livy adding a line or two and signature. They expressed the “perfect visit” of Hall. Sam recounted an anecdote he read the night before in Domestic Annals of Scotland:
September 18 Tuesday – At Dollis Hill House in London, England Sam wrote to Frank Bliss, reminding he had not received his July statement and asking it be sent to H.H. Rogers. Sam wrote they would reach New York about Oct. 16 (they arrived on Oct. 15).
September 19 Wednesday – Sam’s notebook: “Moberly Bell & wife. Tea & dinner” [NB 43 TS 25].
At Dollis Hill House in London, England Sam replied to John Y. MacAlister on several items. Though he would like to write for “Lloyd’s Christmas number,” his contracts debarred him from doing so. He expected the MacAlisters to come to them for a last visit, either “some evening, or eat with us in the hotel when we move to London”; Sam would “leave the particulars” to Livy.
September 20 Thursday – At Dollis Hill House in London, England Sam wrote to W.R. Dunn, District Councilor and father of Arthur Dunn, photographer. “I have received your letter & Mr. Ball’s, & you & your son will be welcome.” Sam wrote he would be “up & at leisure” after 9:45 a.m. [MTP: Sotheby’s London catalog, Dec. 17, 1998, Item 128].
September 22 Saturday – Homer Bassford’s article, “The Friends of Mark Twain’s Boyhood,” ran in Saturday Evening Post. Tenney: “Charley Curts remembers school and exploring the cave with Sam Clemens, and describes him as not lazy, but helpful to others; a good story-teller, Sam used to tell the Arabian Nights stories to groups of his friends: Curts, Ed Pierce, Bill Nash, Ben Coontz, ‘Gene Freeman, Ruel Gridley, Tom Blankenship, and John Meredith.
September 23 Sunday – Sam’s notebook: “La Roche Francis 6 pm./ Mr. & Mrs. Lart 5 pm.” [NB 43 TS 26]. Note: Claude de La Roche Francis, author of the 1902 London Historic and Social.
At Dollis Hill House in London, England Sam finished his Aug. 20 letter to John Tatlock, which he perhaps mislaid since:
September 24 Monday – At Dollis Hill House in London, England Sam replied to John Y. MacAlister.
It is too bad, & we are as sorry as we can be, but next Saturday we shall be crowding the final packing through, & all hands employed, & too tired to be any use; but don’t you think you can come out to 8 o’clock dinner to-morrow night? We hope you can, & you will tell me to-morrow, when we meet at Plasmon House, Duke street.
September 25 Tuesday – At Dollis Hill House in London, England Sam wrote to Charles L. Atchison.
I do not know how to thank you enough for sending me Mr. Archer’s compact & virile article. A compliment from him is gold, 98 fine.
September 26 Wednesday – Sam’s notebook: “Moberly Bell—to meet Lord Cromer—8.15. Will Mrs. C. come too?
8 at Chatto, 2 at A & NA / Library on steamer? / Labels to 15 Cockspur. / Better 60 days of Dollis than a cycle of Cathay” [NB 43 TS 26]. Note: Gribben connects this with Frank Stockton’s novel, A Bicycle of Cathay (1900) now being serialized in Harper’s [666].
September 27 Thursday – Sam’s notebook: “Evening dress. / Call for me at 7.30. / Kensal Rise / Reading Room. / ‘I thank you’ Dresden” [NB 43 TS 26].
Sam spoke briefly at the opening of a new reading room in Kensal Rise, London.
I formally declare this reading room open, and I think that the legislature should not compel a community to provide itself with intelligent food, but give it the privilege of providing it if the community so desires.
September 28 Friday – At Dollis Hill House in London, England Sam wrote to John Y. MacAlister asking him to look at the enclosed (not specified) and to post it if it was all right. Sam was unable to get into London on this day and wrote he might not get in the next day, but would see Mac on Monday [MTP].
Sam also wrote to Frank E. Oldis.