For this long time I have been intending to congratulate you fervently upon your translation to——to——anywhere——Ⓐemendationfor anywhere is better than Paris. Paris the cold, Paris the drizzly, Paris the rainy, Paris the DamnableⒶemendation. More thanⒶemendation a hundred years ago,Ⓐemendation somebody asked Quin, “Did you ever see Ⓐemendation such a winter in all your life before?” “Yes,” said he, “lastⒶemendation summer.” I judge he spent his summer in Paris. Let us change the proverb; letⒶemendation us say all bad Americans go to Paris when they die. No, let us not Ⓐemendation say it;Ⓐemendation for this adds a new horror to immortalityⒶemendation.

Mrs. Clemens &Ⓐemendation the children paid their first visit to Boston the other day,Ⓐemendation &Ⓐemendation I went along, by request. Your brother &Ⓐemendation his wife called on us, &Ⓐemendation we missed them, for we were out raiding the old junk-shops for disabled andirons &Ⓐemendation other antiquities. Then we called at their residence,Ⓐemendation &Ⓐemendation there was another failure; Mr. Fairchild was out,Ⓐemendation &Ⓐemendation Mrs. do. was doctoring three or four of her childrenⒶemendation &Ⓐemendation her nurse had deserted her. So we missed fire all around, &Ⓐemendation did not get to see each other; on our side we were heartily sorry.

We spent a day &Ⓐemendation a night at Belmont with HowellsⒶemendation, &Ⓐemendation we all made an assault on your brother’s house &Ⓐemendation tried to get in &Ⓐemendation have a look at his things,Ⓐemendation but the genius of ill luck was to the fore again, the carpenters &Ⓐemendation other repairers had gone off with the keys. The Howellses &Ⓐemendation Fairchildses are mostⒶemendation nobly situated out there. They have woods &Ⓐemendation grass &Ⓐemendation fresh air &Ⓐemendation tranquillity, &Ⓐemendation a view which they will miss when they are in heaven.

Miss Clara Spaulding is well &Ⓐemendation happy; she has sent us the photograph, &Ⓐemendation it is certainly one of the best &Ⓐemendation consequently handsomest likenesses I ever saw. We keep it in a prominent place &Ⓐemendation tell strangers it is me when I was young. The best picture I have had yet is the steel frontispiece to my new book.Ⓐemendation I mean to encloseⒶemendation one in this.

Mrs. Clemens sends her warmest regards,—ⒶemendationI also. Well, what good times we had that day at St. Cloud,Ⓐemendation &Ⓐemendation what a lively gang of young people we were!—weⒶemendation hold Mrs. Fairchild &Ⓐemendation the young ladies in grateful remembrance for that holiday.

Good luck to you!