Vol 3 Section 0638

Police Commissioner Murphy denying that any order has been sent out by the department directing the police to protect Tammany bill boards.

Note: a follow up article by the Times, Nov. 1, p.3 “Bill Posters’ War Ends,” disclosed Mark Twain’s offer to help paste over Tammany lithographs in the 4th Ave. subway would not be needed as the owner of the subway fence took them down over night and Sam did not show. William Travers Jerome was running for District Attorney; see Nov. 5 for election results.

October 31 Thursday – Sam’s notebook entry of Oct. 30 gives the following evening for reservations of three seasts for “orchestra.” The venue was not determined [NB 44 TS 16].

The New York Tribune, p. 3, ran “Twain Would Be a Bill Poster!”—a similar article to the NY Times article (see under Oct. 30) [MTCI 410-11].

November – In Riverdale, N.Y., Sam wrote on a letter by his real estate broker, George W. Reeves, who had just sold the Hartford home: “He started in to bilk me, & did it” [MTP: Am. Art Assoc.-Anderson Galleries catalogs, Apr. 24-5, 1935 Item 58].

At the top of a circular from Harper & Brothers, Sam wrote an answer: “Ever so many thanks for the books. If I could get time I’d like to review the one on the raising of babies…” [MTP: Am. Art Assoc.-Anderson Galleries catalogs, Apr. 24-5, 1935 Item 58].

Sam also wrote to the St. Andrew’s Society, accepting their invitation for Nov. 30 [MTP].

“Two Little Tales” by Mark Twain ran in the Century for Nov. 1901, p.24-32. It was included in the collections My Debut as a Literary Person, with Other Essays and Stories (1903) and The $30,000 Bequest and Other Stories (1906) [Budd, Collected 2: 1007; AMT-1: 707].

Sam inscribed Her First Appearance (1901) by Richard Harding Davis (1864-1916): “S.L. Clemens, Riverdale-on-Hudson, Nov. 1901” [Gribben 178].

Sam inscribed Denslow’s Mother Goose, etc. (1901) by William Wallace Denslow (1856-1915): “S.L.

Clemens, Riverdale-on-Hudson, Nov. 1901” [Gribben 178].

Sam inscribed The Portion of Labor (1901) by Mrs. Mary Eleanor Freeman (1852-1930): “S.L. Clemens / Riverdale, Nov. 1901” [Gribben 246].

Sam inscribed In Great Waters: Four Stories (1901) by Thomas Allibone Janvier (1849-1913): “S.L.

Clemens / Riverdale, Nov. 1901” [Gribben 352].

Sam inscribed Missionaries in China (1891) by Alexander Michie (1833-1902): “S.L. Clemens / Riverdale, Nov. 1901, from Alexander Michie” [Gribben 466].

Sam inscribed a 41-page book, An Idyl of the Rhine (1901) by Louisa Palmier Myers: “S.L. Clemens /

Riverdale, Nov. 1901”; on the title page an inscription by the donor: “To Mark Twain with regards of F.T. Neely,

Sept. 25” [Gribben 352]. Note: F.T. Neely publisher, Chicago, N.Y. and London.

William Dean Howells’ article, “A Modern Italian View of Humor (Second Paper),” ran in the North American Review, p. 709-20. Tenney: “A review of Paolo Bellezza, Humor… Generally agrees with Bellezza’s general discussion of humor, especially in calling MT the greatest living humorist” [35]. Reprinted in MMT 157-64

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