No letters written between 7 and 16 March 1872 have been found. Clemens’s activities during the period are not easily documented. He was certainly in Hartford as late as Tuesday, 12 March, when he had a painful conference with his publisher, Elisha Bliss (20 Mar 72 to Blissclick to open link [draft]). In addition, on that evening, Clemens was expected at a party at the Hartford home of Joseph R. Hawley. Lilly Warner (1838–1915) mentioned the party in a letter to her husband, George H. Warner (1833–1919). Warner was often away from home in his capacity as secretary and treasurer of the American Emigrant Company, which sold land to settlers and provided services for immigrants from overseas. Lilly Warner remained at home, on Forest Street in Nook Farm, with her two children, Frank (b. 1867) and Sylvia (1871–74). In later years, she wrote for the St. Nicholas magazine, and occasionally did professional illustrating (Salsbury, 435; Elisabeth G. Warner, 1, 15; Geer 1872, 133; letterhead of George H. Warner to T. Max Smith, 22 Feb 77, CtHSD). She wrote on 11 March:
My dearest George—
Three envelopes from you this morning—one from Crestline & two from Chicago—so you were safely there—but what a provoking delay. And now how perfectly provoking that you are away when Mary Foote & Mr. Hague are here & Hattie has a lovely little party for them tomorrow night. I am so so sorry—it spoils half the pleasure. Yesterday was a great ice-storm & nobody stirred out of this house for church—Charley went, & came in to tell me he found Mary & Mr. H. at Joe’s. They came Sat. night, & Mr. H. goes Wednes—Mary the last of the week. She stays to get some dresses fitted. Mr. H. came home a week ago & is to go back the latter part of April, accompanied by his sweet little wife. I have just been down to call on them, & am much pleased with his face & manner. He is handsomer than his photog.—such fine color— Hattie has asked us—the Burtons, Clemens, Charley & Sue, Perkinses, & Bolles of Springfield, & Jewells tomorrow eve’g, at 7 o’cl. & it will be ever so pleasant—all but your not being there. (CU-MARK)
The party, at the home of Hartford Courant editor Joseph Roswell Hawley (1826–1905) and his wife, the former Harriet (“Hattie”) Foote (1831?–86), was for Mrs. Hawley’s sister, Mary Ward Foote (1846–98), and her fiancé, mining engineer James Duncan Hague (1836–1908). The guests included Henry Eugene and Mary Hooker Burton; Charles Dudley and Susan Warner; Charles and Lucy Perkins; Marshall Jewell, governor of Connecticut, and his wife, Esther; “Bolles of Springfield” was, presumably, Samuel Bowles, editor of the Springfield (Mass.) Republican ( L3 , 97 n. 5, 267 n. 1, 269 n. 4, 294 n. 4; “Nook Farm Genealogy,” Foote Addenda, vi).
By 14 March Clemens and Olivia (and, of course, Langdon, undoubtedly accompanied by his nurse, Margaret) were at the St. Nicholas Hotel in New York City. They apparently left the city on the morning of Saturday, 16 March, arriving in Elmira late that day, as noted by the Elmira Advertiser: “For the time being Mark Twain is ‘roughing it’ in this city. He arrived here on Saturday evening with his family, and will remain for several weeks” (“City and Neighborhood,” 19 Mar 72, 4; “Prominent Arrivals,” New York Tribune, 15 Mar 72, 8; “Morning Arrivals,” New York Evening Express, 15 Mar 72, 3).