Vol 3 Section 0344
September 25 Monday
September 26 Tuesday – In Sanna, Sweden Sam wrote to William Dean Howells, advising him to learn his lectures by heart, and describing “a trick” he learned in Vienna, by accident—to carry a book and use it to talk with, gesture with and making it seem he was not reading it. Sam also had read the recent installment of Howells’ Their Silver Wedding Journey in Harper’s, which he thought “delicious— every word of it. You haven’t lost any of your splendid art” [MTHL 2: 705-6].
Sam also replied to a letter (not extant) from James B. Pond.
I am glad the Jewish article is admired—I kind of admire it myself!
But I can’t come & lecture. I think there’s stuff in “Following the Equator” for a lecture, but I can’t come; we must remain in London & continue Jean’s cure till it is perfected, if it takes a year….
I see you are after Dreyfus, but I suppose he will have to wait till he regains his health.
This is our last day in Sweden—we leave for London to-morrow [MTP].
Frank Bliss replied to Sam’s Sept. 3 suggesting a subscription issue be made of T. Douglas Murray’s translation of the Joan of Arc Trials book:
.
I have just received your letter of Sept. 3 [not extant] in regard to the JOAN OF ARC scheme, and I should judge that it might result in considerable of a boom. It seems to me that while the trial book would be a very attractive one to the reader, it would be for your best interest to have a regular edition of the book go through the Harpers’ hands; inasmuch as they issued your first JOAN OF ARC book, it is natural that this should run with greater ease through the same mill, and it would also avoid confusion in the minds of buyers as to where to buy both books…. You should, however, reserve the entire rights for us to use the book in the Uniform
set without having to pay the Harpers any royalty….The above is my honest opinion about the proposed
book, but of course we could do it by subscription, and make a good sale of it… [MTHHR 410n1]. Note: Sam wrote on the envelope: “Sept. ’99. Bliss suggests that I put Joan into Harper’s hands—(no.)–& save him from royalty when book is added to the Uniform” [MTP].
September 27 Wednesday – In Sanna, Sweden Sam wrote to H.H. Rogers. On the left corner of the envelope: “Dear Mr. Rogers: Won’t you please examine & correct the enclosed & send it to Gilder & ask him to
cable?” [MTP; not in MTHHR]. Note: the enclosed is not known.
Jonas Henrick Kellgren Osteopath billed Sam £300.6.0 for “treatment board and lodging to the 27 Sept.
inclusive” [1899 Financial file MTP].
The Clemens family left Sanna bound for London [Sept. 26 to Pond]. Coming to Sanna the family traveled on some four and a half hours by rail from Götenburg to Jönkoping; then three miles by two-horse landau to Sanna. It is assumed they took the same route back, which would put them at Götenburg for the evening. Note: A NY Times article on Oct. 1, p.21 erroneously announced that Mark Twain had arrived in Berlin on Sept 30. “from Sweden en route to London,” so it is possible the Clemens family went from Berlin to Amsterdam to London. It is not likely, however, that they were in Berlin on Sept. 30 since that is the date Sam wrote Whitmore and Forbes he was in London. There was time for the family to travel through Berlin.
September 28 Thursday – The Clemens family likely spent the day in Götenburg.
September 29 Friday – The Clemens family left Götenburg by ship to London.
An anonymous article, “A Friendly Critic. Mark Twain on the Jews,” ran in The Jewish World (London),
p.12. Tenney: “A lengthy series of excerpts from ‘Concerning the Jews,’ with a brief introduction calling it ‘a well-intentioned
SLC used mourning border for most letters from Susy’s death on, then from Livy’s death on.