Oct. 27
Say, boss
Say, boss, do you want this to lighten up your old freight-◇train with?1 [I suppose] you won’t, but then it won’t take you long to say [so. I] do not enclose stamps for re-mailing because I have hardly enough to see me through the day, & neither is there a shinplaster in the house.
I shall run up to you very early in November—the md madam, too, if she is strong enough—& go with you to see some of the literary bi◇g guns about the copyright project.2 Shall want to abide with you 3 or 4 days.
Mrs. Clemens is dejected, despondent, discouraged. She gets up at 9, & by 11 is clear broken down & tired out. If this were May in place of October I would have her on board a Cunard steamer inside of 48 hours.
Yrs Ever
Mark.
P. S. Mrs. Howells’◇s letter has just come & Mrs. Perkins & I have almost persuaded Mrs Clemens to go right off tomorrow to Cambridge & leave the children here. Mrs. Perkins says she will visit them every day & look after them. Mrs. C. has gone with Mrs. P. to luncheon, & I do hope they’ll come to the right decision in this matter—in which case I will [tellegraph] you.3
Explanatory Notes | Textual Commentary
The conductor, when he receives a fare, will
immediately punch in the presence of the passenger,
A blue trip slip for an 8 cent fare, A buff trip slip for a 6 cent fare, A pink trip slip for a 3 cent fare. introduced as a hymn in the editorial rooms of
“The Tribune,” and Mr. =William
C.] Wyckoff, the scientific editor, assisted by Mr.
Moses P. Handy, then of “The Tribune”
staff, now editor of “The Richmond
Enquirer,” added to them the following chorus:
“Punch, boys, punch! punch
with care! Punch in the presence of the
passenjare. . . .” It was not intended to give the poem to the
public; but one night it was taken down in shorthand from the
lips of the choir, and the next day printed on an inside page of
“The Tribune.”
Source text(s):
Previous publication:
L6, 576–578; MTHL, 1:108–9.
Provenance:see Howells Letters in Description of Provenance.
Emendations and textual notes:
I suppose • I I suppose [corrected miswriting]
so. I • so.—|I
tellegraph • [‘l’ partly formed]