June 22 Wednesday – At the Hotel de la Ville in Florence Sam sent the same “TO WHOM THIS SHALL COME” note to William Wilberforce Baldwin in Rome, and added,
Sam also sent the same “TO WHOM THIS SHALL COME” note to William Archer in London, and added “I know she is gone, dear Mr. Archer, but I do not realized it I cannot give her up” [MTP].
June 23 Thursday – At the Hotel de Ville in Florence Sam sent the same “TO WHOM THIS SHALL COME” note to Andrew Chatto in London, and added, “Good-bye, dear Chatto friends of these many years, we may meet no more” [MTP]. Note: postmarked June 23.
June 24 Friday – The Clemens party left Florence and arrived in Rome, staying at the Grand Hotel Du Quirinal. They intended to rest there a day for Clara, but decided to stay two days [June 26 to Langdon].
June 25 Saturday – The Clemens party rested at the Grand Hotel Du Quirinal in Rome, Italy [June 26 to Langdon].
Sam’s notebook: “Giving Clara a day of needed rest. Expect to leave for Naples tomorrow noon. / Dr. Baldwin came. He was furious over Kirch’s charge of 7,300 francs for 3 months & 28 days medical attendance. He wrote a harsh letter to Kirch & I got a copy of it” [NB 47 TS 13].
June 26 Sunday – At the Grand Hotel Du Quirinal in Rome Sam wrote to Charles J. Langdon.
Dear Charley: / Jean, Katy & I had to halt when the rest left the Villa for good, on the 20th. Jean was sick. But she rallied, & we followed the others 3 hours later & arrived at the Hotel de la Ville about 8 p. m.
We were to remain there 4 days while the mourning-gowns were finishing.
June 27 Monday – The Clemens party left for Naples, where they would sail the next day for America. The voyage would take fourteen days [June 26 to Langdon]. The NB entry shows the party stayed at the Hotel du Vesuvie.
June 3 Friday – On this day or the next at the Villa Reale di Quarto near Florence Sam wrote to William Dana Orcutt and Mary T. Orcutt. “They are superb—the most extraordinary flowers I have ever seen—& Mrs. Clemens sends her very best thanks for them & for your kind remembrance: & in this the rest of us join, with best wishes for you both & a cordial Alf wiedersehen!” [MTP: William D. Orcutt, In Quest of the Perfect Book 1926, p.172].
June 4 Saturday – Sam’s notebook: “I have secured an option on 2 villas: one at 115000 francs, the other at 150,000—cash. But both to be submitted to Livy for her decision” [NB 47 TS 11]. Note: see also Hill p.84.
June 5 Sunday – At the Villa Reale di Quarto near Florence, Olivia Louise (Livy) Clemens died of heart failure at “a little past 9” in the evening. She was 58 years old [June 6 to Aldrich, Howells]. Paine gives a detailed account of the hours before Livy’s death (other reminiscences vary slightly in detail):
June 6 Monday – At 2:30 a.m. at the Villa Reale di Quarto near Florence Sam wrote to Susan Crane.
2.30 a.m. I have been down stairs to worship that dear face, & for the first time in all these long years it gave no heed. How beautiful it was; & young, & smooth, & rounded, & how sweetly reposeful! I can carry that picture clear & fadeless in my heart until my own happy time shall come.
June 7 Tuesday – At 7 p.m. at the Villa Reale di Quarto near Florence Sam wrote to Richard Watson Gilder. The content suggests Sam had also included Gilder in his telegraphing of Livy’s death.
I have been worrying & worrying to know what to do; at last I went to the girls with an idea: to ask the Gilders to get us shelter near their summer home. It was the first time they have not shaken their heads. So to-morrow I will cable you & shall hope to be in time.
June 8 Wednesday – Clara Clemens’ 30th birthday.
Sam’s notebook: “54 lamenting cablegrams have arrived—from America, England, France, Austria, Germany, Australia. Soon the letters will follow. Livy was beloved everywhere” [NB 47 TS 12].
At the Villa Reale di Quarto near Florence Sam sent a cable to Richard Watson Gilder: “Gilder we want your cottage next your house for the summer at end June” [MTP].
June 9 Thursday – In London William Dean Howells wrote to Sam, having rec’d his of June 6:
March 1 Tuesday – Elmira College Club wrote to Sam that his annual dues of $1 per year had not been received [MTP]. Note: “Sent 2.00.”
March 1, after – Isabel V. Lyon wrote a note for Sam to Livy concerning a Feb. 29 letter received from Miss Emily Katherine Bates.
March 10 Thursday – Miss G.S. Godkin wrote from Florence, sorry to hear that Sam was “ailing with the bronchitis.” She and her cousin would like to call next Thursday, his reception day, if he was well. She enclosed an article written by her brother in the NY Evening Post sent by her sister-in-law (not in the file) [MTP].
March 11 Friday – At the Villa Reale di Quarto, Isabel V. Lyon wrote for Sam to Frederick A. Duneka.
Mr. Clemens has been in bed for several weeks with bronchitis, and is going to write you himself when he is well. In the meantime he wishes me to say that he misread the Italian article about Joan of Arc. And that she has been canonized, as you will see by the enclosed clipping.
March 12 Saturday – H.E. Fisher for the Conklin Pen Co. wrote to Sam:
March 14 Monday – At the Villa Reale di Quarto, Isabel Lyon wrote for Sam to Frederick A. Duneka:
“Mr. Clemens wishes me to add a postscript to his letter saying that if there would better be a change in the title of ‘You’re a damfool Mary’—and he gathers that you desire one—the change which he would prefer is this; use the word Jackass instead of Damfool in both title & closing remark” [MTP].
Sam also wrote to William Dean Howells.
March 15 Tuesday – Frederick A. Duneka wrote to Sam, suggesting that the “Italian with Grammar” article could appear in Harper’s Weekly. As per Sam’s of Mar. 2, Duneka had not yet heard from Mr. Elliott of the Washington Magazine, “and—I don’t want to hear from him,” he wrote [MTP].
March 17 Thursday – Senator Odoardo Luchini wrote to Sam, glad to hear that he and Livy were better. “I am obliged to leave again for Rome, but in a few days you will receive my short request about every thing. Certainly in April we may made up our minds about what is to be done.
Mr. Smith will tell you something about the affairs , because to day he will call on you” [MTP].
March 18 Friday – The New York Times, Apr. 10, 1904, ran an anonymous feature datelined Mar. 18, 1904 from Florence:
MARK TWAIN TO REFORM
THE LANGUAGE OF ITALY
———
He Tells His Neighbors in Florence of His Proposal to Furnish
the Government with a Standard Grammar.
Special Correspondence THE NEW YORK TIMES.
March – Metropolitan Magazine ran “An Interview with Mark Twain” by Clara Morris, the actress [Tenney 39: The Twainian (Feb. 1943)]. “Recollections of ain interview, apparently years earlier, in Wallack’s Theatre; the conversation with ‘Mr. Twain’ is reconstructed vaguely and imperfectly from memory. Illustrated with a drawing of MT by Edmund Frederick. (NYPL)” [Tenney: “A Reference Guide Third Annual Supplement,” American Literary Realism, Autumn 1979 p. 189]. See Insert.
March 2 Wednesday – At the Villa Reale di Quarto near Florence, Isabel V. Lyon wrote for Sam to Francis P. Elliott (1861-1924), at this time editor of The New Age, Washington, D.C.
March 20 Sunday – Dr. Giovanni Nesti wrote to Sam, itemizing his bill for 43 visits to Livy during the day (20 lire each, for 860 lire), 2 during the night (25 lire each), and 4 analyses of urine (20 lire) in Nov., Dec., Jan, and Feb. [MTP].
March 21 Monday – Clara Clemens had continued voice lessons in Florence. She sang at the Alfieri Theater on this evening, and would give other performances on Apr. 8 and 15 [Hill 82].
At the Villa Reale di Quarto Sam wrote to Thomas Bailey Aldrich.