Vol 3 Section 1015

[Added in margins:] Have you received “Sold to Satan”? I don’t find it here. I find “You’ve Been a Damfool” still here. I will send it. I am all balled up by Miss Lyon’s illness. / Miss Harrison will attend to those vouchers. I wrote her [MTP].

In New York, H.H. Rogers wrote to Sam:

I am in receipt of your favor of the 25th inst., together with the pictures of your Hotel and one of its guests. The guest really looks under-fed. Don’t get the reputation of starving people. In the dim distance I see a lady in white. Perhaps the lady has been saying things to the gentleman.

Sorry to hear that Mrs. Clemens does not improve as rapidly as you would wish. I trust, however, the warmer weather will be most beneficial.

Rogers then talked business, including a victory in a Montana suit and the court case in Boston that dragged on. He mentioned family developments. He concluded that a trip to Italy was out of the question as he was unable to get away from business. He also related the shock of the community upon the death of William C. Whitney, former Secretary of the Navy and financier after an appendectomy. He closed with a discussion of politics and how “everybody says that Mr. Roosevelt will be the man, but nobody wants him” [MTHHR 554-6].

February 9 Tuesday

February 10 Wednesday – John W. Luce for Robinson, Luce Co., Boston wrote to Sam asking his permission to use two of his aphorisms: Cauliflower, a cabbage with a college education; and Mine: a hole in the ground owned by a liar. These for a book they were about to issue, The Foolish Dictionary

[MTP].

Dr. Giovanni Nesti wrote from Florence: “Many thanks for your note which I have received. I do not like to discuss about what you say to me. I know I have done for Mrs Clemens everything was possible and logic to do for a good and serious physician.” He closed with his hope for her improvement [MTP].

Dr. J. Perry Worden wrote from St. Louis, Mo. to Sam, reminding him of photographs taken while Sam stayed in St. Louis with his cousin (Dr. James Ross Clemens), and that they had been delayed because he’d been away and the negatives were packed up. He hoped Sam would be pleased by the pictures [MTP].

February 11 Thursday – Andrew Carnegie wrote this date on an invitation to Sam. On the back he wrote: “My Dear Young & Gay Boy / this is the literary Fellows dinner for the year—shall miss you much—Hope Mrs Clemens improves” [MTP]. Note: written sometime shortly before Feb. 11, obviously.

Samuel Whisby wrote from Florence to Sam, enclosing sketches of the first and ground floors of the Villa Loechino, with measurements [MTP].

February 12 Friday –Sam gave a reading this evening and the following afternoon at the amateur performance of Cousin Kate; in his NB entry for the next day he noted the location of the reading, “(second floor) via Cavour.” Sam was first on the program, a few minutes after 8:30 p.m. on Friday and a few minutes afer 3:30 p.m on Saturday [Feb. 3 and after Feb. 3 from Gordon].

In response to the Feb. 3 invitation by Dr. Laing Gordon, Sam gave a charity reading of “Italian Without Grammar” for the British Relief Fund in Florence. It was a curtain-raiser for a performance of Cousin Kate for the Fund. An undated column by Edward Caulfield of the Italian Gazette is quoted by both Hill

         and Fatout [MT Speaking 673]:

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