27 October 1879 • Hartford, Conn. (MS, draft: CU-MARK, UCCL 02408)

We reached America 6 or 8 weeks ago, & came home to Hartford last week. I had the music box o unpacked at once, & suffered a grievous disappointment.
Don’t you remember? The box I ordered was to be like the one
that you played on in the back room—the room through which
you pass to go to the workshop where the music-master was writing some
sheet-music. You played on only one box in that room, (there were boxes of
various prices, but it was the only 2000f box in the house,) & the next day
you played it again, for Mrs. Clemens & the young lady. That box had
no drum in it; it had no bells or
gongs; it produced no tinkling music-box sounds.
It produced no sounds whatever but richly blended continuous chords, like a number of violins playing softly together, with
the vox humana threading its way through them.
As I have said, there were no tinklings, no bells, no drums. But the instrument
you have sent me has, alas! I have talked so much
about my wonderful i box that was coming, that descriptions of it
have wandered about among the newspapers from here to
California—but alas! If Well, the descriptions were
all right enough, & I could have shown the people a box that
would have justify
ied all those praises, if
no mistake had been made in constructing it.
Whi
What shall we do? Will you build me the right b instrument, with nothing in it but violins & vox humana? canceled with an “X”: And will must I pay the freight & duties again, the error not being mine but yours?—or will you pay them?
And what shall I do with this present box?—ship it back to you?
It was splendidly packed, but no matter, the ships and railways managed to break
the strong bolt that fastened the row of bells at the right hand end short off,
& also two of the teeth of the short bass comb at the left-hand end.
I was afraid to touch it, but sent for a Swiss who used to work on musical boxes
at home, & he said the injuries could be easily repaired. He removed
the corks & cards & put the box through its paces,
& it discoursed music excellent music, but it
wasn’t the kind I wanted—I wanted violins &
vox
humana exclusively—as originally agreed upon.
I have put the box in a vacant bedroom & locked it
in—nobody can get at it to handle it.
canceled with an “X”: If this box goes back to you, I suppose there would be no duties on the one which came in its place. Our Consul of Geneva, Mr. L. T. Adams, will know about that.
Hoping for an early reply, I am
MS, draft, CU-MARK.
MicroML, reel 4.
See Mark Twain Papers in Description of Provenanceclick to open link