Hartford, Oct. 15/81.
My Dear Howells—
Slash away, with entire freedom; & the more you slash, the better I shall like it & the more I shall be cordially obliged to you. Alter any and everything you choose—don’t hesitate.
The news from Winny is most acceptable & welcome. I do hope w she will go straight on, now, to sound health, without an interruption.
I am hard at work on Capt. Ned Wakeman’s adventures in heaven— merely for the love of it; for laws bless you, it can’t ever be published. At least not unless I trim it like everything & then father it on some good man—say Osgood. This is my purpose at present.
Twichell & I walked out to the Tower & back, yesterday. Hee mentioned that a Yale scientist believes we shall contrive [away a way] to communicate with the people in other planets by & by—(by my system of Mental Telegraphy, maybe.) No other way will be possible, because they only thoughts could be transmitted—not language, since neither of us could understand the other. As for myself, I have no difficulty in believing that our newspapers will by & by will contain news, not 24 hours old, from Jupiter et al—mainly astronomical corrections & weather indications; with now & then an irritating ‸a sarcastic‸ fling at the only true religion.
Ys Ever
Mark
Textual Commentary
Source text(s):Previous publication:
MTHL, 1:376–77.
Provenance:
See Howells Letters in Description of Provenance.
Emendations and textual notes:
away a way • away [“a#way ” marked to be two words with a hatchmark to indicate space]
