Mark Twain Project :: Letters :: : an electronic text

To William Bowen
25 February? 1874 • Hartford, Conn.
(MS: TxU-Hu, UCCL 01054)

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. . . .

It promises to be about the most comfortable den in America. If you’ll drop in on us for a week or so next fall or winter, we’ll play billiards up stairs all day & euchre all down stairs all night, & have a general good time. Will you?1

We leave for Elmira, N. Y., for the summer, about May 1.2

Sincerely Yr friend

Sam.

Explanatory Notes

Editorial Signs

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1 Bowen was still living in St. Louis. Formerly employed by the Phoenix Insurance Company there, he evidently now was an independent agent, with an office at Main and Chestnut streets. “Bowens’ Insurance Agency” was established at 122 Olive Street by the spring of 1875 (20 Mar 75 to Bowen, n. 4). Clemens repeated his invitation to Bowen in his letter of 26? July 74 (L4, 53 n. 1; David B. Gould, 139, 1098).

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2 This repetition of the departure date mentioned in the first paragraph of the previous letter helps establish an approximate date for this fragment. By the middle of March Clemens was planning to leave for Elmira “as early in April” as his wife could travel (15 and 16 Mar 74 to Aldrich).

Description of Texts and Provenance

Source text(s):

MS, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, Austin (TxU-Hu).

glyph Previous publication: L6, 50–51; Hornberger, 23.

glyph Provenance:purchased in 1940 from Eva Laura Bowen (Mrs. Louis Knox), daughter of William Bowen.