Vol 3 Section 0806
She is reforming. Dissolving the partnership between the learning—knowledge of the future, which is theology,
the knowledge of the present, which is science. For the first time in 150 yr, a Pres. Who confessedly—almost confessedly—knows less about the next world than he does about this one.
The revered—late—Jonath Edwards being dead—I will attack him. “Yes, you’ll get a D.D. a 2 m dash between” [NB 45 TS 31].
October 15 Wednesday – The Clemens family and Sue Crane left York Harbor, Maine about 9 a.m. utilizing an “invalid car.” They rode to a point south of Boston, then on to N.Y.C., arriving at 5:40 p.m. 20 minutes more brought them by special engine to Riverdale, N.Y. at about 7 p.m. [Oct. 16 to Hutton; Oct. 16 Jean Clemens to Sewell; Oct. 19 to Crane]. Sam thought Livy arrived in “pretty good physical condition” [Oct 18 to MacAlister].
John Y. MacAlister cabled Sam, the message not extant but referred to in Sam’s Oct. 18 reply as being rec’d “the moment we arrived, Oct. 15.”
Sam’s sketch “Amended Obituaries” first ran in this issue of Harper’s Weekly. It was collected in $30,000 Bequest and Other Stories (1906).
October 16 Thursday – In Riverdale, N.Y. Sam’s notebook: “Yesterday [Oct. 15] we left York in a special invalid car at 8.45 & came through to Riverdale without delay or change in 9 ½ hours. Special locomotive at both ends. Cost, $339 ” [NB 45 TS 31].
Sam replied to an invitation by Laurence Hutton, in Princeton, N.J.
Yes, if you are sure you can provide cap, gown & hood for me, I will leave mine at home & save baggage-space. But mind, I shall depend on you.
I shall come on the 24th, by the train which you say leaves THIS side (W. 23d) at 3.55 p.m.
We left York Harbor at about 9 yesterday morning in an invalid car & special train to a point south of Boston, & reached the Grand Central at 5.40; special engine rushed us up to Riverdale in 20 minutes—a long
rough journey for a sick person & terribly fatiguing, but she is shut from noise & the fambly, now, in a comfortable hermitage, & will prosper [MTP].
Sam also wrote to Miss Gertrude Swain in Greeley, Nebr., care of her father “the County Attorney”:
My dear Child:
I would rather have your judgment of the moral quality of the Huck Finn book, after your fifty re-readings of it, than that of fifty clergymen after reading it once apiece. I should have confidence in your moral vision, but not so much in theirs, because it is limited in the matter of distance, & is pretty often out of focus. (But these are secrets, & mustn’t go any further: I only know them because I used to study for the ministry myself) [MTP].
Jean Clemens wrote a letter to the York Harbor neighbor, Millard Sewell:
We intended to wire you yesterday when we arrived, but in the excitement of the arrival our intention was forgotten. I am very sorry. After all you did to help us I think the least we could do was to let you know as quickly as possible that Mother got through the journey better than we hoped considering the behavior of her bed, which bounded her into the air whenever the train was in motion. It didn’t make any difference whether she was on the air-bed or the car-mattrass, we bounded the entire time.
We reached here a little before seven, somewhat tired but on the whole very comfortable, except Anna [Jean’s maid] who was car-sick and had a headache which gave her the joyful opportunity of making enough fuss for six people dying of consumption. (I am kind, don’t you think so?)
SLC used mourning border for most letters from Susy’s death on, then from Livy’s death on.