19 March 1875 • Hartford, Conn. (Transcripts: MTL , 1:251–52, and CU-MARK, UCCL 01211)
Livy, after reading your letter, used her severest form of expression about Mr. Atwater—to-wit: She did not “approve” of his conduct. This made me shudder; for it was equivalent to Allie Spaulding’s saying “Mr. Atwater is a mean thing;” or Rev. Thomas Beecher’s saying “Damn that Atwater,” or my saying “I wish Atwater was three hundred million miles in——!”1explanatory note
However, Livy does not often get into one of these furies, God be thanked.
In Brooklyn, Baltimore, Washington, Cincinnati, St. Louis &Ⓐemendation Chicago, the play paid me an average of nine hundred dollars a week. In smaller towns the average is $400 to $500.Ⓐemendation 2explanatory note
This is Susie’s birth-dayⒶemendation, Lizzie3explanatory note brought her in at 8.30 this morning (before we were up)Ⓐemendation hooded with a blanket, red curl-papers in her hair, a great red japonica in one hand (for Livy) &Ⓐemendation a yellow rose-bud nestled in violets,Ⓐemendation (for my buttonholeⒶemendation) in the other—& she looked wonderfully pretty. She delivered her memorials & received her birth-day kisses.Ⓐemendation LivyⒶemendation laid down her japonicaⒶemendation to get a better “holt” for kissing—which Susie presently perceivedⒶemendation & became thoughtful: then said sorrowfully, turning the great deeps of her eyes upon her motherⒶemendation “Don’tⒶemendation you care for youⒶemendation wow?” RightⒶemendation after breakfast we got up a rousing wood fire in the main hall—Ⓐemendation(it is a cold morning) illuminated the place with a rich glow from allⒶemendation the globes of the newell-chandelierⒶemendation spread a bright rug before the fire, set a circling row of chairsⒶemendation (pink ones & dove coloredⒶemendation) & in the midst a low invalid table,Ⓐemendation covered with a fanciful cloth,Ⓐemendation & laden with the presents—a pink azaliaⒶemendation in lavish bloom,Ⓐemendation from Rosa; a gold inscribed Russia-leather bible from Patrick & Mary;Ⓐemendation a gold ring (inscribed) from “Maggy Cook;”Ⓐemendation 4explanatory note a silver thimble (inscribed with motto & initials)Ⓐemendation from Lizzie; a rantingⒶemendation mob of Sunday-cladⒶemendation dolls from Livy & Annie,5explanatory note & a Noah’s Ark from meⒶemendation containing 200 wooden animals such as only a human being could create & only God call by name without referringⒶemendation to the passenger list. Then the family & the sevenⒶemendation servants assembled thereⒶemendation & Susie & the “Bay”6explanatory note arrived in state from above —Ⓐemendationthe Bay’s head being fearfully & wonderfully decorated with a profusion of blazing red flowers & overflowing cataracts of lycopodium.Ⓐemendation Wee congratulatory notes accompanied the presents of the servants.Ⓐemendation I tell you it was a great occasion & a striking & cheery group—Ⓐemendationtaking all the surroundingsⒶemendation into account & the wintry aspect outside.Ⓐemendation
Charles Langdon’s letter has not been found. Clemens preserved a version of this or a similar incident in an Autobiographical Dictation of 22 February 1906. There he recalled that his father-in-law, Jervis Langdon, employed Dwight Atwater (1822–90) as a “humble helper” and “general utility” assistant, but that he was so “constitutionally slow” that sometimes “the occasion for his services had gone by before he got them in”:
Mr. Langdon never would discharge Atwater, though young Charley Langdon suggested that course now and then. Young Charley could not abide Atwater, because of his provoking dilatoriness and of his comfortable contentment in it. . . . Young Charley had many and many a time tried to lodge a seed of unkindness against Atwater in Livy’s heart, but she was as steadfast in her fidelity as was her father, and Charley’s efforts always failed. Many and many a time he brought to her a charge against Atwater which he believed would bring the longed-for bitter word, and at last he scored a success—for “all things come to him who waits.”
I was away at the time, but Charley could not wait for me to get back. He was too glad, too eager. He sat down at once and wrote to me while his triumph was fresh and his happiness hot and contenting. He told me how he had laid the whole exasperating matter before Livy and then had asked her, “Now what do you say?” And she said, “Damn Atwater.”
Charley knew that there was no need to explain this to me. He knew I would perfectly understand. He knew that I would know that he was not quoting, but was translating. He knew that I would know that his translation was exact, was perfect, that it conveyed the precise length, breadth, weight, meaning, and force of the words which Livy had really used. He knew that I would know that the phrase which she really uttered was, “I disapprove of Atwater.”
He was quite right. In her mouth that word “disapprove” was as blighting and withering and devastating as another person’s damn. (CU-MARK)
Alice (Allie) Spaulding was one of Olivia’s closest Elmira friends. Thomas K. Beecher was the Langdon family’s pastor (“Death of Dwight Atwater,” Elmira Advertiser, 2 Jan 90, courtesy of the Mark Twain Archives and Center for Mark Twain Studies at Quarry Farm, Elmira College).
Clemens divided the profits from the Gilded Age play equally with Raymond.
Lizzie Wills, Susy Clemens’s “English nurse” (SLC 1876–85, 5). The birthday was Susy’s third.
Rosina Hay, Patrick and Mary McAleer, and Margaret Cosgrave.
Annie Moffett, who had been visiting since 25 December 1874.
Clara Clemens: see 8 July 74 to Aldrich, n. 1.click to open link
No copy-text. The text is based on two transcripts, each of which derives independently from the MS:
The independence of P1 is established by its inclusion of three paragraphs and several words and phrases not in P2 (the rationale for removing the typographic styling is explained in the Description of Texts). P2 is a handwritten transcript made by Susan L. Crane, of undetermined purpose and date, which is headed “From a letter of her Father.” It contains several punctuation and word variants deemed characteristic of Clemens. Both transcripts are incomplete: P1 reads “(Remainder missing.)” at the end; P2 fills four pages of a folder, with the last nine words written sideways in the right margin of page 4.
L6 , 420–422; Paine 1917, 785; Harnsberger, 38–39, excerpt.
Adopted readings followed by ‘(C)’ are editorial emendations of the source readings.