To
Olivia L. Clemens
27 November 1879 • Hartford, Conn. (MS facsimile: Davis 1981, p. 4, UCCL 02877)
27 November 1879 • Hartford, Conn. (MS facsimile: Davis 1981, p. 4, UCCL 02877)
Nov. 27, 1879.
slc farmington avenue, hartford.
Livy darling, time is moving along at a more & more lively gait with us, every year, but—for, you see, we are growing old. It is one of the signs. Still, what we lose of youth, we make up in love, so the account is squared, & to nobody’s disadvantage. I love you, my darling, & this my love will increase step by step as tooth by tooth falls out, milestoning my way down to the great mystery & the Sweet Bye & Bye.
Samℓ.
References
- Davis, Chester L., Sr. “Holograph Letter Reproduced.” Twainian 40 (March–April): 1–4. 1981
- Machlis, Paul, ed. Union Catalog of Clemens Letters. Edited by Paul Machlis. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press. [In some cases, UCCL catalog numbers cited in this volume supersede those assigned in 1986 and reflect corrections or additions to the catalog since publication. An updated version of the catalog can be consulted via the Letters Search page at MTPO.] 1986
MS facsimile, Davis 1981, 4.
Chester L. Davis, Sr., probably acquired the MS from Clara Clemens Samossoud sometime between 1949 and 1962 (see Samossoud Collection in Description of Provenanceclick to open link). After his death in 1987, the MS was owned by Chester L. Davis, Jr., but it does not appear to have been offered for sale by Christie’s in the early 1990s.