Vol 3 Section 1100
September 21 Wednesday – Sam was in Fairhaven, Mass. The dedication of the church was postponed; it finally took place on Oct. 4, 1904, and was reported on Oct. 8 by the Fairhaven Star. The article did not mention either Mark Twain nor Henry Rogers on those dates. However, Sam’s Oct. 7 to Lyon included a note that he’d breen “too busy dedicating churches in Fairhaven” to write Jean, which reveals Sam did attend the Oct. 4 event. Note: thanks to Carolyn Longworth, Millicent Library.
September 22 Thursday – Sam returned to N.Y.C. and wrote to Senator Odoardo Luchini in Florence.
Your kind letter of the 5th has just reached me from Lee, Mass., where Jean & Katy & Miss Lyon are occupying the cottage in the hills; Clara is in a rest-cure in a village in Connecticut, where she sees no one but the nurse & the doctor & neither writes letters nor reads them; I am kept constantly in New York.
I am very sorry Mr. Traverso has had an accident, & I hope he is well again by this time. Jean had one, but is well again. She & her horse… [etc.]
Miss Lyon has had an operation on her eye & expects to need another one.
With my kindest regards to your family I am / Sincerely Yours… [MTP: Superior Auction Galleries catalog, Nov. 6, 1993, Item 145]. Note: Sam used his 21 Fifth Ave. address, though he was staying at the Grosvenor Hotel while repairs were being done to his new house. Ubaldo Traverso, attorney.
Sam also inscribed a copy of A Dog’s Tale to Ida Langdon: “To / Ida Langdon / With the love of her uncle / The Author. / Sept. 22/04” [MTP].
September 23 Friday
September 24 Saturday – William Evarts Benjamin wrote to Sam, enclosing a bill from C.H. Curtiss
Co. for repairs to the Tarrytown house, which Sam offered to continue leasing, but turned down the tenant’s offer to purchase the house for what Sam paid, $45,000 [MTP].
September 25 Sunday – Cesare Bellucci wrote a short note to Sam in Italian from Florence [MTP].
September 26 Monday
September 27 Tuesday
September 28 Wednesday – Sam inscribed his photograph to an unidentified person: “Truly Yours /
Mark Twain / Sept. 28/04” [MTP].
Sam wrote to Cécile Freese, letter not extant but referred to in Freese’s Oct. 18 [MTP].
September 29 Thursday – Gustavo Donati, Florence attorney, wrote Sam a letter in Italian about the Dr. Kirch dispute [MTP].
September 30 Friday – Watch Tower Society sent one of their religious tracts to Sam, who wrote on the envelope: “Biblical trash” [MTP].
October – In N.Y.C. Sam inscribed a copy of HF to Mr. Holden: “To Mr. Holden / With the compliments of
Mark Twain / October /04” [MTP: Park-Burnet Catalogs, 3 March 1938, Item 26].
Sam also inscribed a copy of Extracts from Adam’s Diary to an unidentified person: “With the kindest
regards of / The Author / October /04” [MTP].
SLC used mourning border for most letters from Susy’s death on, then from Livy’s death on.