To Joseph H. Twichell
24 February 1879 • Munich, Germany
(Transcripts by Albert Bigelow Paine:
CU-MARK, UCCL 01292)

[Munich, Feb. 24.]

Dear old Joe—

It was a mighty good letter, Joe—& that idea of yours of [sending newspaper slips] is a rattling good one. But I have not sot down here to answer your letter,—for it is down at my study,—but only to impart some information.

For 2 months I had not shaved without crying. I’d spend ¾ of an hour whetting away on my hand—no use, couldn’t get an edge. Tried a razor strop—same result. So I sat down & put in an hour thinking out the [mystery]. Then it seemed plain—[to-wit]: my hand can’t give [a razor] an [edge, it can only smooth & refine an edge] that has already been given. I [judged] that a razor fresh from the hone is this shape V—the long point being the [continuation] of the edge—[& after] much use the shape is [thus] v—[attenuated] edge all worn off & gone. By George I [ knew ] that was the explanation. And I knew that a freshly honed & freshly [stropped] razor won’t cut, but after [stropping] on the hand as a final operation, it will [cut.] So I sent out for an oil-stone; none to be had, but messenger brought back a little piece of rock the size of a [Safety match] box—(it was bought in a [shoe-maker’s] shop) bad flaw in middle of it, too,—but I put 4 drops of fine Olive oil on it, picked out the razor marked “Thursday” because it was never any account & would be no loss if I [spoiled] it—gave it a brisk & reckless honing for [ten] minutes, then tried it on a hair—it wouldn’t cut. Then I trotted it through a [vigorous] [ten minute] course on a [razor strop] & tried it on a hair—it wouldn’t cut—[tried] on my face—it made me cry—gave it a [five minutes’] stropping on my hand, & my land, what an edge she had! We thought we knew what sharp razors were when we were tramping in [Switzerland], but it was a mistake—[they] were dull beside this old Thursday razor of [mine which] I mean to name [Thursday] October [Christian] in [gratitude]. I took my [whetstone], & in 20 minutes I [put] two more of my razors in [superb] condition—but I leave them in the box—I never use any but Thursday [O. C.] & shan’t till its edge is gone—& then I’ll know how to restore it without any delay.

Everybody well but the children & Livy, though [Clara S.] & Rosa are ailing slightly & I have a cold in the [head & a sore leg.] We all go to Paris next Thursday—address, Monroe & [Co.], Bankers.

With love—
[Ys Ever]

Mark.

Textual Commentary

Editorial Signs

Description of Texts and Provenance

Source text(s):

No copy-text. The text is based on two transcripts by Albert Bigelow Paine. The first (Tr1) was apparently typed directly from the manuscript, after which Paine must have marked a carbon copy (now lost) with corrections from the manuscript and his own editorial changes. The second transcript (Tr2) was made from that marked copy and incorporates those revisions. MTL evidently derived from a copy of Tr2.

Tr1	Transcript by Albert Bigelow Paine, CU-MARK
Tr2	Transcript by Albert Bigelow Paine, CU-MARK

Previous publication: MTL, 1:357–58; Paine 1917, 794.

Provenance:See Paine Transcripts in Description of Provenance.

Emendations, adopted readings, and textual notes:

Munich, Feb. 24. (MTP) • Munich, Feb. 24. (79) (Tr1, Tr2)

sending newspaper slips (Tr1) • sendinf newspaper slips (Tr2)

mystery (Tr2) • mistery (Tr1)

to-wit (Tr1) • to wit (Tr2)

a razor (Tr2) • arazor (Tr1)

edge, it can only smooth & refine an edge (Tr2) • [nine words not in] (Tr1)

judged (Tr1) • judge (Tr2)

continuation (Tr2) • contineration (Tr1)

& after (Tr1) • & that after (Tr2)

thus (Tr1) • this (Tr2)

attenuated (Tr1) • the attenuated (Tr2)

knew (Tr2) • knew (Tr1)

stropped (Tr1) • strapped (Tr2)

stropping (Tr1) • strapping (Tr2)

cut. (MTP) • cut.— [probably an end-line dash in the MS] (Tr1, Tr2)

Safety match (Tr1) • Safety-match (Tr2)

shoe-maker’s (Tr2) • shoe-makers (Tr1)

spoiled (Tr2) • spoildd (Tr1)

ten (Tr1) • 10 (Tr2)

vigorous (Tr2) • vigerous (Tr1)

ten minute (Tr1) • 10-minute (Tr2)

razor strop (Tr1) • razor-strop (Tr2)

tried (Tr1) • tried it (Tr2)

five minutes’ (MTP) • five minutes (Tr1); 5-minute (Tr2)

Switzerland (Tr2) • Switerland (Tr1)

they (Tr2) • the (Tr1)

mine which (Tr1) • mine—which (Tr2)

Thursday (Tr2) • THursday (Tr1)

Christian (Tr2) • Christain (Tr1)

gratitude (Tr2) • gartitude (Tr1)

whetstone (Tr2) • whet-|stone (Tr1)

put (Tr1) • pit (Tr2)

superb (MTP) • soperb (Tr1); splendid (Tr2)

O. C. (MTP) • O.C. (Tr1); O. C., (Tr2)

Clara S. (Tr2) • Clara S (Tr1)

head & a sore leg. (Tr2) • hdad & a sore leg. (Tr1)

Co. (Tr2) • Co (Tr1)

Ys Ever (Tr2) • Yr Ever (Tr1)