Vol 3 Section 0975
Rose F. Tate wrote from Brisbane, Australia to tell Sam that his postal service was bad; she had written three months before asking for an autograph and got no reply—“Do you mean it?” She mentioned an “enclosed linen,” which is not with the letter, so perhaps Sam complied [MTP].
October 25 Sunday – The Clemens family was at sea on the Princess Irene en route for Genoa, Italy.
Sam’s notebook: “Heavy storm all night. Only 2 stewardesses. Our served / 60 meals in rooms this
morning” [MTB 1209; NB 46 TS 28]
October 26 Monday – Sam’s notebook: “There being nothing to pass, in mid-ocean a ship going 16 knots seems to stand still—the sea-tale which makes a ship visibly fly, is a misleader./ 1400 Italian steerage at $34 each; 2,000 booked for Dec. 1” [NB 46 TS 28]
John Bigelow (father of Poultney), in Highland Falls, NY, typed a letter to Sam. He had heard that the Clemenses were headed for Florence, and wanted Sam to know he would be missed; being Sam’s senior, he advised him not to “give publishers or book sellers any lien upon the use of your brain for more than three hours of any day, and besides, take off one whole day of every week at that.” John wrote he was 86 and so the typewriter gave him ability to write a longer letter; he added in his own hand that he’d just rec’d a letter from Poultney, who was bicycling in Munich, Germany [MTP].
October 27 Tuesday – The Clemens family was at sea on the Princess Irene en route for Genoa, Italy.
Sam’s notebook: “Livy is enduring the voyage marvelously well. As well as Clara & Jean, I think, & far better than the trained nurse [Margaret Sherry]. / 3 p.m. She has been out on deck an hour [NB 46 TS 28;
MTB 1209].
October 28 Wednesday – Sam’s notebook: “Youth in smoking-chapel talking nursery-German in loud voice to be heard and envied of men. ‘Obber’—the old familiar simple words of the text-book vocabulary uttered with painful distinctness. Yet there are those who say there is no hell. ‘Etw’ss’ (etwas)” [NB 46 TS 28]
October 29 Thursday – Sam’s notebook: “2 men—a giant & a dwarf—Shet pony & giraffe 6 ft 4 in—tramped the deck after midnight, talking loudly. On the portside 4 sat under Mrs. Miller’s open ports & told unclean anecdotes (in the national yell, swore, laughed like demons, & sang. The Captain is going to prevent these freedoms after 11.30 hearafter” [NB 46 TS 28].
October 30 Friday – The Clemens family was at sea on the Princess Irene en route for Genoa, Italy.
Sam’s notebook:
Oct. 30. Refer to it. There should be no first-come take choice in location of chairs. The chair-space outside a stateroom shd be the property of the occupant. People under our ports chatter till 11—if these were our chairs we could have tranquillity, for we retire at 9.30.
The cattle-boat is the idea ship. She carries but 216 pasengers, & there is no crowding & no racket. Columbus had a heavy storm, & contracted with the Virgin that if she would save his ship (1493) he wd
send a deputation in their shirt tails to do homage at her first shrine. Arrived at the Azores, he kept faith. The people were scandalized to see this gang of priests in their shirts, & drovce them back aboard. The Virgin did not destroy them. Yet it is a great compliment to call on a Virgin in your shirt-tail & it is strange that this one was so little touched by it.
The mail is thrown over in a barrel. Postage 10 cents. Time, 19 days. You can save money & a lot of time by going 3 days further.—to Gibraltar—& posting your letters there.
Such crowds of churches, schools, colleges & papers—yet one-half of New York’s best & honestest people vote for Tammany & are absolutely conscienceless. This is ‘Xn Civilization’ [NB 46 TS 26]. Note: Sam placed this entry under the printed date for Oct. 15. Under this date see below:
SLC used mourning border for most letters from Susy’s death on, then from Livy’s death on.