Vol 3 Section 0184

“With the exception of the historical case of Sir Walter Scott, I do not think there is to be found in the records of literature anything quite equal to Mark Twain’s conduct [Note: this may be from the brief article in the London Academy of the same date—see Tenney, p.28]

Literary Digest (N.Y.) quoted a Westminster Gazette citation of correspondence in the (British) Methodist Times recommending MT’s New Pilgrim’s Progress (IA), but only for “the reader who understands the difference between American humor and lying”; he will find beneath the joking “the mind of a ‘cute, observant, and—yes—reverent traveler in the Holy Land’” [Tenney 28].

March 6 Sunday – In Vienna, Austria, Sam wrote to Eduard Pötzl also in Vienna

We were very sorry you did not come in, that evening. There were no strangers present—only friends. My daughter is going to the ball tomorrow night with some friends, & if Mrs. Clemens’s health is meantime quite restored I mean to be there myself a while [MTP]. Note: the “daughter” mentioned was likely Clara who attended many such events. Dolmetsch claims Eduard was Sam’s closest Viennese friend [37].

March 7 Monday – At the Hotel Metropole in Vienna, Austria, Sam wrote to H.H. Rogers.

The copies of the letters from creditors arrived to-day—first in the list the Mount Morris release, and I was very glad to see that. Mr. Dodd clothed it in boiler-iron! All right, I shall be very glad to “let you raise questions” with the Mt. Morris when it comes to further payments. I believe you will find that there are some quite legitimate questions to raise.

Though a few loose ends were left in hauling him out of debt, all claims were essentially settled at this point. Sam related Livy’s happiness at the development:

“Mrs. Clemens has been reading the creditors’ letters over and over again, and thanks you deeply for sending them, and says this is the only really happy day she has had since Susy died.”

Sam also shared that Bram Stoker had agreed to be Sam’s dramatic agent in England and perhaps in

America:

…and I asked him because I was ashamed to ask you to potter with it. He has not said he would act for America, and I hope he will decline; for if you don’t mind, I would rather have you for dramatic agent than any other expert in the business, I don’t care where he hails from.

On a first reading he doesn’t much believe in my play, but says he is going to examine it more closely. I was very near getting hold of a rattling good German play the other day, but Augustin Daly heard of it first and got in ahead of me. I must wake up. There will be other chances [MTHHR 323-5]. Note: though not specified, Sam had been working on two comedy plays in collaboration with Siegmund Schlesinger, The Lady Goldminer, and The Opposition Candidate, or Women Politicians. See Jan. 20 entry.

March 8 Tuesday – Sam’s essay “Dueling,” written this day, was not published in his lifetime but collected in Europe and Elsewhere (1923) [AMT-1: 299-302, 707:1898a].

The ledger books of Chatto & Windus show that 5,000 additional copies of More Tramps Abroad, (FE) were printed (totaling 23,000 to date in London). The official English publication date was Nov. 25, 1897

[Welland 238]. See entries: 1897: Aug. 12, Nov. 10, Nov. 25, also: Oct. 11, 1900, and Aug. 7, 1907 for other Chatto print run amounts, totaling 30,000.

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