autographs are a more infernal distress to me than any other grieveanceⒶemendation or annoyance that falls to my lot. i have no patience with them whatever. anybody that makes such an application to me seems a nuisance. it is a silly practice. except in just such cases as you mention, the schroters, personal friends. but when one has been persecuted to the verge of lunacy by strangers, the mere suggestion of autographs itⒶemendation irritating, no matter whence it comes. from old habit i send no autographs except the application be accompanied by something to write the autograph on, at least, and i suppose that that is why i did not attend to this thing at once in your case. i found nothing handy in the nature of a card, and let the matter go; once out of my head always out of my head. i will send the book to the schroters with pleasure, and will also write in it. you take me at a disadvantage, you and sam. the very things which i would cheerfully refuse to a stranger, i cannot refuse to you. if tom or dick or harry should write and ask me to send them a book, i should mail his letter to the publisher and have not a trifle of trouble about it; if he wanted an autograph in it, i should put his letter into the waste paper basket, for the reason that i have got to shin around and hunt it up, and write in it, and then bundle it up and send it to the express, Ⓐemendation all of which belongs to a grocers line of business, but is entirely out of mine. i know it is hard for you and sam to decline to take upon yourselves a commission which has all the aspect and indeed sincerely, of a compliment to me, still it would be better all around if you turn the people directly over to me, and decline the office of mediator.

samⒶemendation should have told miss shinn politely to go to the devil. no other course could be wise. she assumed the attitude of the tramp, and should have been treated as a tramp. it is exactly as i say. if anybody had written me sam’s letter except sam, i should have taken no sort of notice of it. that is what i mean when i say you place me at a disadvantage. you curtail my liberty. i am not saved from miss shinn’s importunities. i have just received six pages of them, but in this instance i am free to deal with the writer after my own fashion. this is altogether preferable.

i should have liked to go to that exhibition at denver, but such a trip would be out of the question for livy and the children. i should revisit california but for the same obstructions. they do not seem to mind travel in europe, which i detest, but they do mind it here, whereas i don’t, particularly. all the family are well, and unite in love to you and sam. i could furnish some social and family news of minor importance if i had time to write it, but there are a lot of letters and a day’s work before me, so i will say good-bye.