Hartford, Nov. 16/82
My Dear Judge Russell—
I struck a subject to-day, & was all [right. But] to-night I have struck a couple more—so I am all [wrong.] again. I shall select one of the three, & speak upon it, but I can’t yet tell which one. But in order that the Printing Committee shall not be delayed, suppose I be set down in this way:
5th Regular Toast.
Response by MARK TWAIN.
Or, if that is too irregular, suppose we put it—
5th Regular Toast: The jurisprudence of New England—
—or some such grave subject, you know, & leave me to shirk the text as I may, & ring in my own subject.
The first proposition is the safest one, perhaps. I think I shall make a farewell address—it is one of my three topics & the one that seems to promise best—& I don’t quite know how to frame a toast to fit it, wherefore no toast at all best covers the ground, perhaps.
Truly Yours
S L Clemens
Judge Horace Russell | Superior Court | New York [return address:] return to s. l. clemens, hartford, conn., if not delivered within 10 days. [postmarked:] hartford conn. nov 17 12m
Textual Commentary
Source text(s):Previous publication:
MicroPUL, reel 2; Admirable Books 2006 catalog, item 45, MS facsimile and transcription.
Provenance:
Purchased by Angelo Cifaldi in 2008.
Emendations and textual notes:
right. But • ~.— | ~
wrong. • [deletion implied]
