Vol 3 Section 0124

early-day Tom Tenney, and his work is described as “A compendious account of the lives and writings of upwards of 800 British and American writers from the year 1400 to the present time”.

I have made the corrections, according to your desire. I hope you will strike out “Autobiography, Eye-Openers and Screamers.” The first is a very brief & very extravagant sketch, & at home I bought & destroyed the plates & put the thing out of print 20 years ago; the other two are unauthorized compilations, (largely of spurious matter) which have been fathered upon me in England—along with the disgusting titles [MTP].

September 4 Saturday

September 5 Sunday

September 6 Monday

September 7 Tuesday – In Weggis, Switzerland Sam wrote to John Y. MacAlister. Sam didn’t know where MacAlister was spending his summer but hoped he was “having a recuperating good time.” He sent his regards also to Mrs. Kelly (not identified further), then asked if it were English custom to pronounce “trait” as “tray,” that there was a dispute about it in Weggis.

“I have no invested money in it [the dispute], but a darned sight of irascibility. Also profanity—but I do not mind that; I am not likely to impair my capital” [MTP].

September 8 Wednesday

September 9 Thursday

September 10 Friday – In Weggis, Switzerland Sam wrote to Francis H. Skrine in Perthshire, Great Britain.

The cigars have come, & they give me a noble relief & vacation from the Swiss article. Thank you ever so much.

I do not know, now, what I wrote you; but whatever it was, be charitable—for there was no August day in which I was in my right mind—& there will never be an August day, perhaps, in which I shall be sane. It is our terrible month. …

….

We leave here Sept. 19, & shall reach Vienna by the end of the month, we suppose.

Sam asked Skrine if it were an English custom to leave off the sound of the final “t” in “trait” [MTP].

September 11 Saturday – The New York Times passed part true, part false information on in “Mark

Twain’s New Book,” p. BR1:

The Critic’s Lounger, commenting on the announcement that the title of Mark Twain’s book has been changed from “The Surviving Innocent Abroad” to “Following the Equator,” says: “I am told on reliable authority that the price paid to Mr. Clemens for this book is $40,000, in payments of $10,000 each, and that he will make the whole of it over to his creditors, to whom he owes about $20,000 more. At the rate of $40,000 a book, it will not take Mr. Clemens long to pay off his indebtedness. Major Pond has recently made him an offer of $50,000 for a series of lectures in this country, but the offer has not been accepted as yet” [Note: at least one of the figures is incorrect; Pond’s offer had been rejected on July 20]

September 12 Sunday

September 13 Monday – In Weggis, Switzerland Sam received a letter (not extant) from H.H. Rogers. He replied that Rogers’ letter “has give us a grand uplift.” The Clemens’ funds invested by Rogers were

SLC used mourning border for most letters from Susy’s death on, then from Livy’s death on.