To Elisha Bliss, Jr.
31 October 1870 • Buffalo, N.Y.
(MS facsimile: CU-MARK, UCCL 00519)

lc

Buf. 31st.

Friend Bliss—

Oh, I didn’t mean to attribute selfish motives to you. I did ask you for an honest opinion, & got it, & was perfectly satisfied with it & cheerfully acted upon it. Since which the subject hasn’t entered my mind once, but was dropped, & [permanently.] All I wanted to know [was,] whether to do or not do the thing I had in mind1 —it didn’t cost a pang to give it up.

Say, for [instance]—I have a brother [about ]45—an old & able writer & editor. He is night editor of the Daily St Louis Democrat, & is [gradually ]putting his eyes out at it. He has [served ]four years as Secretary of State of Nevada, [having ]been appointed to the place by Mr. [Lincoln—]he had all the financial affairs of the Territory in his hands during that time & came out with the name of an able, honest & every way competent officer. He is well read in law, & I think understands book-keeping. He is a very valuable man for any sort of office work, but not worth a cent outside as a business man. Now I would like to get him out of night-work but haven’t any other sort to offer him myself. Have you got a place for him at $100 or $150 a month, in your em office? Or has your brother?2 Let me hear from you shortly, & do try & see if you can’t give him such a place.

I am very sorry to hear of your sickness, indeed, but am always expecting it, you work & drive & hurry so.

When is your paper coming out? Did you ever receive the article I sent you for it from Fredonia? Tell me.3

[Yrs]

Clemens.

[letter docketed:] Mark Twain | Oct 31/70 | Author

Explanatory Notes | Textual Commentary

Editorial Signs

Click to add citation to My Citations.

1 Clemens’s proposed comic annual (13 Oct 70, 26 Oct 70, both to Bliss).

Click to add citation to My Citations.

2 See 29 Oct 70 to Bliss, n. 2, and 3 May 71 to Bliss, n. 1.

Click to add citation to My Citations.

3 For Bliss’s reply, see the enclosure with 5 Nov 70 to OC. Apparently Bliss was already planning the American Publisher, his replacement for the just-issued Author’s Sketch Book.

Description of Texts and Provenance

Source text(s):

MS facsimile, Mark Twain Papers, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley (CU-MARK), courtesy of Maurice F. Neville Rare Books. The margin of one of the MS pages has been taped, partially obscuring some characters and rendering them barely visible on the facsimile.

Previous publication: L4, 218–219; Christie 1981, lot 54, excerpt; Neville, item 450, excerpt.

Provenance:The present location of the MS, sold by Christie and then by Neville in 1981, is not known.

Emendations and textual notes:

permanently. • permanen[tly.] [taped over]

was, • wa[s,] [taped over]

instance • instanc[e] [taped over]

about • abou[t] [taped over]

gradually • gradu[-] |ally [taped over]

served • serve[d] [taped over]

having • hav[-] |ing [taped over]

Lincoln— • Lincoln—|—

Yrs • [‘rs’ conflated]