Vol 3 Section 0869
Charles E. Carryl for Players Club sent Sam a printed notice that he’d been “dropped from the list of
members for non-payment of dues” [MTP]. Sam wrote at the top: “Expelled! (by the mistake of the idiot Secretary!)”
January 13 Tuesday – In Riverdale, N.Y. Isabel V. Lyon. Wrote for Sam to Franklin G. Whitmore
[MTP].
Mr. Clemens tells me to write you that “Mrs. Clemens says to sell the house for any thing you can get for it—”
Mrs. Clemens is making visible progress; her pulse has gone down to 87 and stays there, and Mr. Clemens sees her once a day for ten or fifteen minutes.
Jean is very much better, but is not yet allowed to sit up [MTP].
Sam’s notebook: “Dr. Rice, 6.16 train” [NB 46 TS 5].
January 14 Wednesday – In Riverdale, N.Y. Sam wrote a note to Livy.
Livy dear, there’s a new effect—the sea has come ashore. Water, blown by the wind is crinkling curves & long lines, is frozen white, & a stretch of it is the slope of the grassy hill gives the aspect of a section of green sea with wimpling white-caps chasing each other over it.
I love you dearheart, I love you dearly. / Y
Rice was lovely, and (as Henry Robinson said about Charley Clark) “as funny as a frog” [LLMT 341].
Sam also replied to William Digby, who had written Dec. 20.
Yes, I know—as do you, and many others—but there are thousands upon thousands who believe they know that the answer was the other one. Thousands?—indeed there are several millions of them. And they would be prompt to say, too, that in excusing the lying done in that tale I brought a judgment upon myself. The story was published as of Xmas Day. On that day my wife had been lying feeble & helpless in bed nearly 5 months, & it had been 3 months since I or any one except a daughter, the doctor, & a trained nurse had seen her face; on that Xmas Day my other daughter was lying near to death in a remote part of the house, (pneumonia) & the diligent lying of the tale was going on! The mother does not suspect that for three weeks there has been another trained nurse in the house. She thinks Jean (the sick daughter) is having fine times outside with the neighboring young people, skating, skeeing & tobogganing—the other daughter gives her a full account of it every day. For the last ten days I have been allowed to see my wife ten minutes every day. Yesterday she spoke of a play, & said “Send Miss Lyon with Jean to the matinèe to-morrow.” I came very near saying “Why, Jean can hardly sit up in bed, yet”—but I caught myself in time & gave the promise [MTP]. Note: possibly William Digby (1849-1904) English journalist.
Sam also wrote to Frederick W. Peabody, glad to have the documents sent on Christian Science. Sam had meant to publish only one more article on C.S., but “it is growing into a book,” and so would let it “go on growing as much as it wants to.” He hoped to issue the book in the spring, but it would not be published until 1907 [MTP].
Sam also wrote to Muriel M. Pears.
Clara is a rascal; she is still in debt to you. But the fact is, that in this house we are all a long, long way behind. Doctors, trained nurses, anxiety, hard work—we have known nothing else for months. We have written hardly any letters—we hadn’t the heart.
SLC used mourning border for most letters from Susy’s death on, then from Livy’s death on.