To James R. Osgood
12 May 1881 • Hartford, Conn. (MS facsimile: Swann Galleries catalog, sale of 20 February 2020, no 2530, lot 153, UCCL 09209)
12 May 1881 • Hartford, Conn. (MS facsimile: Swann Galleries catalog, sale of 20 February 2020, no 2530, lot 153, UCCL 09209)
Hartford May 12/81.Ⓐemendation
My Dear Osgood—
Old man, you performed gorgeously. You would make a good highwayman. Yes, sir, for the sake of your character (& mine), I will be very mum to those people.
I am mighty sorry the rheumatism has got you, & its brother-in law (lumbago) me. But when you come, I will fix you all right. My barber has invented a beverage, one pint of which will unfailingly kill or cure the rheumatic subject; & as it is to be taken within the compass of a week, there is no foolish suspense about it. I began yesterday morning—Tues Wednesday. Next Wednesday evening you can learn the result from me or the remains.
With many thanks for that valued service of yours, I am
Truly Yrs
S. L. Clemens
Emendations and Textual Notes
Ⓐ May 12/81. ● SLC squeezed in the ‘1.’ of ‘81.’ in the right margin in such a way as make it appear to some eyes as ‘2.’ The actual year is clearly 1881 and the formation of the ‘1.’ does not look much like the ‘2’ in ‘May 12’.
References
- 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
- Microfilm Edition of Mark Twain’s Previously Unpublished Letters. Prepared by Anh Quynh Bui, Victor Fischer, Michael B. Frank, Robert H. Hirst, Lin Salamo, and Harriet Elinor Smith. 8 vols. Berkeley: The Bancroft Library. 2001
MS facsimile, Swann Galleries catalog, sale of 20 February 2020, no. 2530, lot 153.
MicroPUL, reel 2.
The letter was offered for sale on 16 January 1923 by Anderson Galleries from the collection of Henry Cady Sturges; in 1982 it was owned by Mrs. Victor Roudin; its latest appearance came when it was offered for sale by Swann Galleries on 20 February 2020. Present location unknown.
More information on provenance may be found in Description of Provenanceclick to open link.