My Dear Brother:—

I don’t know how to approach Perkins. I didn’t know you had commenced a law suit. My plan did not contemplate a law suit by you. I suppose it is a suit for damages. I did not think there was any chance for enough to be made that way to justify such a proceeding. My plan would have been to use the fraud you can prove concerning the printing of Roughing It to give a court of chancery jurisdiction so as to protect you against Bliss interfering with your putting your next book into some other publisher’s hands precisely as if no contracted existed concerning it between you and Bliss. He could interfere in only one of two ways.

1. By injunction. to stop the publishing. This makes him a plaintiff in chancery, and it is a settled chancery principle that he who seeks relief in that court must come into it with clean hands. Heis hands are not clean. They are stained with fraud.

2. By waiting till your book is published and then suing you for damages. This makes him a plaintiff on the law side, but you can still take it into chancery by an injunction against the further proceeding of a the court of law on the ground of the prevention of a multiplicity of suits, and alleging fraud and deception. Chancery abhors fraud.

In the meantime, while waiting for him to assume the role of plaintiff, which is a difficult position, because the plaintiff has every thing to prove, you prepa keep an eye on the paper manufacturer, on Hinckley, book keeper at Bliss’s, on the book binders, and on the foremen of the press and book rooms of the Churchman, so that in case of sickness, or prospect of removal from the state, you may get an order from the chancellor to have their testimony taken for preservation on the ground of a probable lawsuit. Imagine the effect of such an order on Bliss when he finds Hinckley subpoenaed to testify as to borrowed engravings, the amount of paper received from the paper mill for the publis Roughing It; the testimony of the paper man as to its quality; of the Churchman pressman as to the country newspaper style of printing the cuts &c.; of the binder as to the quality of the binding, and how many he bound so. Bliss can see then that there is only needed to be added the testimony of some prominent engravers, book binders, and book publishers in the trade, at Boston or and New York, to overwhelm with devastating ruin the subscription business and the American Publishing Company in particular.—besides inevitably beating them in the suit if there should be a if they should sue your case would be one of the “causes celebre.” It would be seized upon with keen relish by newspapers favorable to the trade, and no the testimony published. All this Bliss must foresee as soon as when he sees the course indicated as soon as an excuse offers to ta to “perpetuate the evidence” of—say Hinckley. This indirect quiet threat would be so terrible that he would never bring a suit against you if you simply went quietly along and wrote your next book and which you have contracted with him to publish, and put it into the hands of somebody else to publish just as if you had never made any contract at all with Bliss to publish it.

For his age I should think Langdon writes a good hand, though his teething seems to have made him nervous. Hope he will soon be well. Rejoiced to hear so favorably from the youngest. Langdon’s picture is very fine, and he is a handsome boy.

on a separate scrap of paper:

If you will let me open a law office here, and put me on a salary of ($100 a month same as at Bliss’s) $1200 a year for two or three years, I will watch study all the points of your case with such zeal, and watch your witnesses so closely, and so so take advantages when opportunity occurs, that I would insure you the full enjoyment of your rightful profits of the next book. I should think Perkins might take me as a partner. —though I suspect his practice to have been mainly on the law side, and that an oversight is not impossible with him in that practice.

If it didn’t cost too much to consult the best lawyer in New York I would like to have you see if my plan in the accompanying letter wouldn’t strike him as about the proper one.

(CU-MARK)

Dear Brother & Sister—

Yours of the 15th just received. I would have written the first of the week, to tell you that every thing was passing off pleasantly now. , but was not equal to the task.

Ellen has treated Mary & Patrick, meanly, over and over again & day after day.

I saw in two hours after coming in the house that she was getting her temper up against me, because I did not say any thing to Patrick & Mary. Saturday morning I had a talk with her and she said she could not live in the same house with the others, then before we were through said she would stay if I wanted her until Mrs Clemens came home. But that she was thinking of leaving here when you went away—only Mrs Clemens said her wages could go on and she could have her child here. I told her I would see about it. Soon she came in and said she would leave, and would give me a weeks notice. I very coolly, said very well Ellen: Finish your work this morning and you can go this afternoon to look for a place. She went, and I believe is at Mrs Twitchells. She was in a rage Sunday morning; but no one crossed her, so she had to cool off by whipping her boy. She left Sunday after breakfast. I would have kept her three days to cleane her room and finish the house, washing—but it would have been a three days of trouble to all. I think Mary will prove a treasure to Livy. She is very neat, quick, willing and amiable. She did not stop one moment Monday & Tuesday—from cleaning Ellens part of the house. Ellen said she intended to wait til just before you came to clean her department so one cleaning would do.

I do not believe Ellen was honest, but of course I could not tell, if she were to carry off half in the house as I knew not what your house contained. You will have to see for yourselves when you come. Mary says she has never seen the buttons for the pillow cases in all her cleaning.

The horse, cow, dog, cats, birds, and the rest of us, are at peace with all mankind now; so do not give a thought to affairs here, only to say what you would like to have done.

We will settle with Ellen. Will not get the mower now; have used Mrs Burtons this week.

The beds, need some plants which we will get, if you do not come soon.

For my part I would not want a cook—but will see about the one you refer to—or some other if we cannot get her—and try to have one in by the time you come.

Livy you cannot think how much Orion is enjoying the milk & cream. He carries a quart bottle full for his noon meal, and uses all he wants at breakfast & dinner. He gets up at five, and works upon—upon—I now call it, his idol, until breakfast which he takes alone (generally) at six. I think he looks better already for the grateful change: and I am better.

Write and tell us any thing you want attended to. Please be sure and let us know when you will be here, so we can make arrangements accordingly.

Poor darling Langdon, I am so sorry he is having such a hard time—but after all it is well his teeth are coming now before the weather gets warmer. His picture is beautiful—and the other angel, must I say Jennie. , a give her showers of kisses for us.

O this long letter! I’ll stop. Love to all.