Mrs. Clemens & I feel concerned for you in view of the cannon, the brass bands & shoutings, & the other noisy harassments of Buckingham Day. It seems to us that if you could be placed on a water bed & carried by men to our house the evening before the 18th, the escape from the intolerable rackets would compensate for the fatigue & discomfort of the journey. The house will be at your disposal for you & yours as long as you please, & most welcome. We all leave for Elmira the afternoon of the 17th, carrying away all domestic noise, & leaving behind merely willing hearts & hands to serve you—George, Katie, Patrick, & the cook—though if our staying can be also of service, we will willingly do it, & gladly & cheerfully.

I will carry this note to Mrs. Taft in the morning, & shall hope the suggestion will commend itself to you—for we, like all the rest of this community, do most earnestly & affectionately desire to help & serve you.