To Orion and Mary E. (Mollie) Clemens
21 June 1871 • Elmira, N.Y.
(MS: CU-MARK, UCCL 00619)

Elmira.

Dear Bro & Sister:

Am very glad, indeed, you think so well of the book.1 I mean to make it a good one in spite of everything—then the illustrations will do the rest. When the prospectus is out I believe Bliss will sell 50,000 copies before the book need be actually issued.

Mollie, Sammy’s nervous twitchings & shakings are worse than I have ever seen them before——caused by a foment for constipation. Pamela very uneasy.2

I am sending Bliss 3 articles at a slim slim price, $100 or $125 for the whole lot, ‸(according to condition of his exchequer,)‸ —⅓ their value—told him to pay the money to Orion in one-tenth instalments, weekly till the amount is exhausted. Orion can also draw small amounts from time to time as he requires them requirements demand.

As usual, I am running two households—one up here on the farm (Livy is here, lu all the time, now,) & one in Buffalo. Three servants in Buffalo & two here. One of the latter—the cook—I pay $5 a week, & the other, $2. I also pay a man $2 a week to make fires on—for sometimes the mornings & evenings are a little chilly.3 ‸Mr & Mrs. Crane stay here with us, & we do have perfectly royal good times.‸

Yrs affly.

Sam

Orion Clemens Esq | 149 Asylum st | Hartford | Conn. [return address:] if not delivered within 10 days, to be returned to [postmarked:] elmira n.y. jun 21 [letter docketed by OC:] writing for me

Explanatory Notes

Editorial Signs

Click to add citation to My Citations.

1 The recently delivered Roughing It manuscript (up through about chapter 51).

Click to add citation to My Citations.

2 Samuel Moffett’s condition had recently deteriorated at the Elmira Water Cure, where the foment had evidently been prescribed for him (11 June 71 to JLC).

Click to add citation to My Citations.

3 Two of the three servants still in Buffalo were, almost certainly, a housekeeper and the coachman. Probably the Clemenses had brought Ellen White, who had served as both housekeeper and cook, to Elmira with them. The second Elmira servant, presumably there to help Olivia with the baby, may have been the Buffalo nurse, Margaret, whom Clemens had described as “staunch & true” in March (14 Mar 71 to Crane). Conceivably this was the same Margaret, described in similar complimentary terms, who was with the Clemenses in Hartford by December 1871 and remained with them until May 1872 (3 Dec 71 to OLC; 17 May 72 to Annie Moffett, NPV).

Description of Texts and Provenance

Source text(s):

MS, Mark Twain Papers, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley (CU-MARK).

Previous publication: L4, 411–412.

Provenance:see Mark Twain Papers in Description of Provenance.