Vol 3 Section 0657

Sam also wrote to Jules Hart.

If you use my yesterday’s letter, please erase the last two words (“when drunk.”) Also please erase the inverted commas which enclose the word “Civilization” (leaving it unquoted, thus: Civilization.)

With these coarsenesses expunged the letter will be decent enough [MTP].

Grace Mildred Klappert (Mrs. William Klappert) wrote from Cincinnati, Ohio to Sam. She’d written him in Austria and rec’d a reply from Franklin Whitmore, but nothing relative to her questions, which were about genealogy of the McLellan family and the Clemens family, and a D.A.R. application which she enclosed—were they accurate? [MTP]. Note: Sam nearly always referred genealogical questions.

December 18 Wednesday

December 19 Thursday – Sam’s notebook: “Debating Club, 8.15. Pipes & tobacco” [NB 44 TS 19]. Fatout lists this appearance and talk by Sam at a Debating Club, N.Y.C. but offers no particulars [MT Speaking 669].

Elisabeth Marbury wrote to Sam:

I have seen little Miss Deronda Mayo about the “Pudd’n head Wilson” matter. She says that she and her sister-in-law are very poor, and that the royalties from this are about all they have to live on. They do not seem to understand why we should ask any more than twenty per cent of the royalties, when the old arrangement was twenty per cent of her father’s profits. Now, I know how kindly disposed, and how generous you are, therefore perhaps you would be satisfied with twenty-five per cent of whatever we are able to get…leaving the other three quarters to the Mayos? [MTP]. Note: see Dec. 20 for Sam’s reply.

John D. Rockefeller, Jr. wrote to Sam, the letter serving “as a memorandum” of Sam’s engagement with his Bible Class on Jan. 28. “…your train is the 7.27 train from Riverdale, arriving at Grand Central Station at 7.55 where I will take the pleasure of meeting you. / The story you suggest [not specified] to read will be highly acceptable to the audience….” [MTP].

December 20 Friday – Sam’s notebook: “Must be at home–Clara” [NB 44 TS 19].

In Riverdale, N.Y. Sam replied to Elisabeth Marbury’s Dec. 19, his letter not extant but noted on hers:

“Dec. 20/01. / Wrote her to give them 80% & me 20%” [MTP].

Sam inscribed a copy of FE to Robert B. Cone: “To / Mr. Robert B. Cone / with the compliments of / The

Author. / Riverdale, Dec. 20, 1901. / S.L. Clemens / [cross-signed:] Mark Twain” [MTP].

Isabel Lyon replied to a letter (not extant) from Mary B. Trask of Vassar College. See Dec. 30 to Trask.

Nelson Hersh, assistant editorial manager of the NY World wrote to Sam in reference to the book The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg (full text not available) [MTP].

Frederick A. Duneka of the NY World wrote to Sam.

In reading over the other evening some of the stories collected in the volume with “The Man Who [sic] Corrupted Hadleyburg” I was greatly interested in the story of he Telelectroscope…. / The point now is that we should like very much to get your consent to the republication in The World of your Telelectroscope

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