Vol 3 Section 0445

September 10 Monday

September 11 Tuesday

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.

Sam also replied to the Aug. 26 from Williston Fish, former West Point cadet, now Chicago attorney and author.

You make me feel very proud; & if there was a debt, you have most liberally paid it, interest & all, & now we stand a little more than square, with the advantage in my favor. And so I thank you very cordially for your letter.

I am coming home now in a month, after an exile of nine years; & if I were as young as I was in 1880 [actually 1881], I would take the hint & raid the country & sack it from the platform & foregather with the old friends & do my best to make some new ones—but that is a dream; & dreams do not come true [MTP].

Note: Fish wrote a sentimental mock will in Harper’s Weekly 1898, titled “The Last Will,” which has been reprinted over 100 times since, and under at least 20 variant titles. Gribben lists a book by Fish, Short Rations (1899) [232].

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.

This being a private letter, burn it, after reading it, lest you be tempted to print it. You say that in the story about me you do not print my letters “in full.” Indeed you will not print a single paragraph from my private or business letters of mine without my personal consent;—& that is not at all likely to be given. I do not allow the public to read my private letters over any man’s shoulder. Pond, I cannot understand how you are made, that you should want to do such insane things. Leave them to men of the Will M. Clemens breed.

We are leaving in a minute for the North, for a few days, & shall sail for America in October [MTP].

Note: Sam was jabbing Pond about the use of his private letters in Pond’s Saturday Evening Post, article to be issued on Sept. 29. The family went north 100 miles to Cromer, Norfolk, on the coast to visit “some English friends” [Sept. 25 to Fiske]. They were back at the Dollis Hill house on Monday, Sept. 17. Pond’s 1900 Eccentricities of Genius, etc. was in preparation; Sam objected to his letters being included.

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].

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