To Thomas Bailey Aldrich
15 January 1879 • Munich, Germany
(Transcript by Albert Bigelow Paine of correspondence card:
CU-MARK, UCCL 12752)

Munich, Jan. 15.

slc

Dear Aldrich—When a man has been absorbedly meddling for half an hour trying to get into a dainty thing which he takes to be a lady’s jewel-box, & all at once it lets go & blows the top of his head off, he [feels] a brisk sense of [surprise. I] had to go back & read that whole bird story over again to see how the trick was done & why the mechanism didn’t show before. Bayard Taylor was a lovely character—we all felt your poem.[

With] kindest remembrances to Mrs. Aldrich,

Yrs

Mark.

Textual Commentary

Editorial Signs

Description of Texts and Provenance

Source text(s):

Transcript by Albert Bigelow Paine, CU-MARK. Paine or his typist indicated that the letter was written on a “(Card.)” Clemens most often used a monogrammed correspondence card during this period and the transcript has been emended to include the monogram.

Provenance:See Paine Transcripts in Description of Provenance.

Emendations and textual notes:

slc • [monogram not in]

feels • feel

surprise. I • surprise | I

[¶] With • [no ¶] With