Apl. 22, 1876.

MY DEAR HOWELLS, You'll see per enclosed slip that I appear for the

first time on the stage next Wednesday. You and Mrs. H. come down and

you shall skip in free.

I wrote my skeleton novelette yesterday and today. It will make a little

under 12 pages.

Please tell Aldrich I've got a photographer engaged, and tri-weekly

issue is about to begin. Show him the canvassing specimens and beseech

him to subscribe.

Ever yours,

S. L. C.

In his next letter Mark Twain explains why Tom Sawyer is not to

appear as soon as planned. The reference to "The Literary

Nightmare" refers to the "Punch, Conductor, Punch with Care" sketch,

which had recently appeared in the Atlantic. Many other versifiers

had had their turn at horse-car poetry, and now a publisher was

anxious to collect it in a book, provided he could use the Atlantic

sketch. Clemens does not tell us here the nature of Carlton's

insult, forgiveness of which he was not yet qualified to grant, but

391

The Letters Of Mark Twain, Complete