25 February? 1874 • Hartford, Conn. (MS: TxU-Hu, UCCL 01054)
It promises to be about the most comfortable den in America. If you’ll drop in on us for a week or so next fall or winter, we’ll play billiards up stairs all day & euchre all down stairs all night, & have a general good time. Will you?1explanatory note
We leave for Elmira, N. Y., for the summer, about May 1.2explanatory note
Bowen was still living in St. Louis. Formerly employed by the Phoenix Insurance Company there, he evidently now was an independent agent, with an office at Main and Chestnut streets. “Bowens’ Insurance Agency” was established at 122 Olive Street by the spring of 1875 (20 Mar 75 to Bowen, n. 4click to open link). Clemens repeated his invitation to Bowen in his letter of 26? July 74 ( L4 , 53 n. 1; David B. Gould, 139, 1098).
This repetition of the departure date mentioned in the first paragraph of the previous letter helps establish an approximate date for this fragment. By the middle of March Clemens was planning to leave for Elmira “as early in April” as his wife could travel (15 and 16 Mar 74 to Aldrichclick to open link).
MS, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, Austin (TxU-Hu).
L6 , 50–51; Hornberger, 23.
purchased in 1940 from Eva Laura Bowen (Mrs. Louis Knox), daughter of William Bowen.
More information on provenance may be found in Description of Provenanceclick to open link.