Va. City Nev. Feb. 7 1876.
Dear Mark,—Yours telling me that Williams has gone to work is at hand. I am glad to know that a move has at last been made. I hear nothing from Bliss. What are his initials? I have forgotten and have been writing to him as “Mr Bliss of the American Pub. Co.” I don’t know that he is receiving the things I am sending. I shall send you Dr. Linderman’s report. It has some maps of the lower levels in it. There is one that is the same as that left by me with Mr Bliss, except that it is much smaller, therefore a reduced copy may be made from it more easily than from the large one I gave him. I shall try the Indians here for those pine-nuts. If I can’t get them here I shall write to some of my friends in Eastern Nevada to get them for me. I think “Capt. Bob,” “Johnson,” “One-eyed George” or some of the braves here will be able to produce the peck of Piute grub.
I had a letter from A. L. Bancroft & Co. a day or two since. They are well pleased with what I told them of the plan of my book. I hope Bliss has copy-righted the title we talked of. I don’t think I shall hurt your book. Your agents here captured a few of my subscribers. The advertisement of your book was headed:
“The Big Bonanza”
of
Wit and Humor,” etc.;
and several of my friends went for it as soon as they read the top line.
Our fellows have got your horse-car business on the brain. Even the old “bums” and “stiffs” now say: “A two-bit nip for a one-bit chip; punch his head with a sassinjare.”
Make Bliss understand that the sooner that book is out the better for us all. I get more confounded letters about it than a few and lots from fellows that want to “work the thing,” you know. Regards to Mrs. Clemens and the Blisses. I hear from Joe almost every week. I am posting Mrs. G. a little on stocks. There is not likely to be any big rise before April. If it goes much beyond that there will be no big market till late next fall; you see the big grain crop will soon be calling for the money.
As ever yours
Dan.
