19 and 20 April 1880 • Hartford, Conn. (MS: MH-H, UCCL 01785)
I have just “wrotend” this stuff to-day as Bay says——maybe you may need it to fill up with.
We had a most elegant good time in Boston, & Mrs. Clemens has two imprierishable topics, now, the museum of andirons which she collected, & your dinner. It is hard to tell which she admires the most. Sometimes she leans one way, & sometimes the other; but I lean pretty steadily toward the dinner, because I can appreciate that, whereas I am no prophet in andirons. There has been a procession of Adams Express wagons filing before the door all day, delivering andirons.
Well what a good time we had at old Mr. Fields’s. And what lovable people the Bulls are—both of them. Did you notice her dress?—what a piece of perfection that was. AndⒶemendation what a master-hand she is with a piano. And if Ole Bull had been born without arms, what a rank he would have taken among the poets—because it is in him, & if he couldn’t vilolin it out, he would talk it out, since of course it would have to come out. It would be lovely if they would come & visit us.
I have thought of upwards of a million things I wanted to say to you——but that is always the way. Probably there is an eternity.
Mrs. C. seems settled in her mind that Mrs. Howells is a perfectly wonderful woman—in fact this poor girl has come home dazed. Boston has been too many for her. Her opinion of herself was low enough, before—it has gone down out of soundings, now. I don’t ever have any of that sort of sweats.
We couldn’t go to the Fairchilds’s & the tile factory & Chelsea both; so we gave up the latter & attempted the former. It was a failure, & we were very sorry to miss them. Fairchild was n out, & Mrs. F at home; the porter was at the speaking tube a good while & then brought an excuse; I saw he still had our cards, so I wasn’t at all sure he had sent up our names at all, but doubtless he did. I’m always suspecting people when they pretend to talk through a tube. I always imagine there isn’t anybody at the other end.
Mrs. Clemens finds this house pretty dull, now, & housekeepingⒶemendation a new trouble, but I reckon she will quiet down presently. With love to all,
Apl. 20.— P. S. I have ch Mrs. Clemens has changed her mind. She says it is an atrocious article (in motif) & she will not publish it.
Joe Twichell was here last night, wild with delight over your notice of the “Tramp.” Said it was such an able notice, such literature, etc—& added absently & to himself, resting his hands on knees & head bent down, “And to think that old Howells has said that—oldⒶemendation Howells—well, it’s a form of immortality in itself!”
Upon second thought I interlined Joe’s attitude, it is so common to him & he is so handsome in it, & so unbearably aggravating to Mrs. Clemens when her voices ceases from an animated selec narrative, & Joes responds “Well, Livy, how are they all at Elmira?” (not having heard a word of her yarn.)
MS, MH-H, shelf mark bMS Am 1784 (98).
MTHL , 1:299–301.
See Howells Letters in Description of Provenanceclick to open link.