to Olivia Lewis Langdon
19 January 1879 • Munich, Germany (MS: CtHMTH and CU-MARK, UCCL 01621)
It is evening and I am just begining my letter to you—once or twice I have seated myself to write—but I have felt rather dull today and then too I have been so interested in finishing “The Initials” that I could scarcely spare time to write—
I do so want to see you all—last night Clara Bay had a little stomach ache and worried some in the night—I at once began to feel apprehensive and to realize how far away from you all we are—however the time is flying and if we all keep well and live the time will soon come for us to go to you—oh how I do hope you will all keep well— I have times of feeling so apprehensive particularly about you and Sue—
I am sure the check that Charlie sent for you was forty five (45.) pounds— I wish he would look when the check arrives if there is any for fourty forty or forty five pounds it is that one because all that he sent to me are for ten or fifty pounds— I bought the other day for you, two wooden oil paintings on wood (coppies)—they are a speciality of Munich and I think them exceedingly pretty one of them is a monk somewhat like the one that you gave Clara for Christmas—the other is a copy of a picture of one of their best artists and since we have had it n in our room, every one who has been in since has exclaimed about it—the two together cost about twenty two darllars & so I thought that might come from the five pounds that you ought not to have sent.
Clara could not think of anything to write today so I told her to write about our auction experience she did so, so I will refer you to her letter to hear about it instead of writing myself about it— I intended to go the next morning when fine laces were to be sold, but I decided that as I had no money to put into them, and I might be tempted and by buy a piece I better stay away—
We are feeling very poverty stricken just now we have spent so much in Italy— I don’t know as we have done right, but it is such a temptation when things seem so reasonable and you get such a good premium on your mon letter of credit Venice was the place where we spent the most money on the furniture that I wrote you about— Charlie writes that the coal business is so bad—and it does cost so much to travel, but now we are living very economically much more so than we could do at home—
Fräulein Dahlweiner is so good to us all—yesterday she sent down a game to the children— Yesterday Susie had some flour and made bread which Rosa baked in the stove and sent up to Fräulein Dahlweiner—
I am so glad to get your letters, you must not tax yourself but write when it is not a tax— We do love you Mother dear— Mr Clemens got interupted with his letter, but I send it as he lfeft it— I am afraid my dim photographs for you and the rest have not reached you— ment them to get there for Christmas— Love to Charlie, Ida, Sue and the others—all—
enclosure, in pencil:
Well, Mother dear, things go on just as usual, so there is nothing important
to report.Ⓐemendation I have written 900 pages of manuscript on my book, therefore it is half-done; Livy
& Clara have
learned half of the German language together, so they are half done; the children
have learned how to speak German,
drink beer, & break the s
Sabbath like the natives, so they are
half done. We are all a half-way lot, like the rest of the world, but we are progressing
toward the great goal,
Completion, Perfection,—which has also another name, the Unattainable. We have been
here 9 weeks,
& according to Livy’s plans we remain 9 weeks longer; if it were a perfectly reputable
place, as
to health, I would 
like to stay here 6 months longer, for it is very pleasant here,—even the dirt,
now that we are used to it & don’t mind seeing it caked around.Ⓐemendation It is the greatest country for the Art & dirt in the world; they have all kinds of Art
& all kinds of dirt; there is more dirt than At, Art, of course, because the dirt has had the
longer start & more people have devoted themselves to learning how to make it & make
it right; but
Art is coming along, Art is progressing here all the time; this very year there is
to be a prodigious International Art
Exhibition here which will astonish the world—& if they will follow it up with a dirt
exhibition
their fortune is made.
MS, Jervis Langdon Collection, CtHMTH, is copy-text for Olivia Clemens’s letter; MS, CU-MARK, is copy-text for Samuel Clemens’s letter.
Langdon 1938 (bib00168), 10, partial publication of Olivia Clemens’s letter only; MicroML, reel 4.
The Jervis Langdon Collection, which apparently included Olivia Clemens’s letter, was donated to CtHMTH in 1963 by Ida Langdon. Samuel Clemens’s letter was donated to CU-MARK in 1972 by Mrs. Eugene Lada-Mocarski, Jervis Langdon, Jr., Mrs. Robert S. Pennock, and Mrs. Bayard Schieffelin.
More information on provenance may be found in Description of Provenanceclick to open link.