To George Washington Cable
12 October 1882 • Hartford, Conn.
(MS, typewritten, from dictation: LNT, UCCL 02290)
hartford conn. oct. 12th. 1882.
my dear cable,
the portrait has arrived, and repeats the original to a perfection that is astonishing. it seems to me that the work on it is even finer than that on the original if [possible.
there] is but one other picture in the house that is equally satisfactory. there are two or three excellent pictures in the house, but none that i could not manage to get along without, at a pinch, except this one other. but i will tell you all about it when you come, and you may judge the portrait for yourself. i have forgotten what i was to be al[l]owed to pay for it, but was confidently expecting osgood to be able to tell me; but his memory proves as treacherous as mine; says he cannot call the sum to mind. i ought to be ashamed, but i never remember anything whatever except humiliation. if by some lucky chance there had been humiliation mixed in, i could remember every detail of that day for a thousand years.
you must help me with your memory now, and i will hold myself under obligation to you forever.
meantime i beg you to tell mrs. cox how delighted we all are with her work, but don’t let her find out that i have forgotten anything. with you to help me i can get that matter straight.
warner is home now, twichell is home, we are all at home; and are hoping you will come up as soon as you can.
sincerely yours,
s. l. clemens
Textual Commentary
Source text(s):Previous publication:
Cardwell 1953, 85; MicroPUL, reel 2.
Provenance:
The Cable Papers were acquired in 1944 and after from Mary Cable Dennis and others.
Emendations and textual notes:
possible. [¶] there • [space added to indicate new unindented paragraph; no extra space between paragraphs in MS, here and hereafter]
