He will reach home two weeks from now.  The whole city is troubled.  As I
write (at the office,) a dispatch arrives from Charley who has reached
London, and will sail thence on 28th.  He wants news.  We cannot send him
any. 
                         Affectionately
                                        Sam.

P. S. I sent $300 to Fredonia Bank for Ma—­It is in her name.

Mrs. Clemens, herself, was not in the best of health at this time, but devotion to her father took her to his bedside, where she insisted upon standing long, hard watches, the strain of which told upon her severely.  Meantime, work must go on; the daily demand of the newspaper and the monthly call of the Memoranda could not go unheeded.  Also, Bliss wanted a new book, and met Mark Twain at Elmira to arrange for it.  In a letter to Orion we learn of this project.

To Orion Clemens, in St. Louis: 

Elmira, July 15, 1870 my dear Bro.,—­Per contract I must have another 600-page book ready for my publisher Jan. z, and I only began it today.  The subject of it is a secret, because I may possibly change it.  But as it stands, I propose to do up Nevada and Cal., beginning with the trip across the country in the stage.  Have you a memorandum of the route we took—­or the names of any of the Stations we stopped at?  Do you remember any of the scenes, names, incidents or adventures of the coach trip?—­for I remember next to nothing about the matter.  Jot down a foolscap page of items for me.  I wish I could have two days’ talk with you.

I suppose I am to get the biggest copyright, this time, ever paid on a subscription book in this country.

Give our love to Mollie.—­Mr. Langdon is very low. 
                         Yr Bro
                                   Sam.

The “biggest copyright,” mentioned in this letter, was a royalty of 7 1/2 per cent., which Bliss had agreed to pay, on the retail price of the book.  The book was Roughing It, though this title was not decided upon until considerably later.  Orion Clemens eagerly furnished a detailed memorandum of the route of their overland journey, which brought this enthusiastic acknowledgment: 

To Orion Clemens, in St. Louis: 

BUF., 1870. 
Dear Bro.,—­I find that your little memorandum book is going to be ever so much use to me, and will enable me to make quite a coherent narrative of the Plains journey instead of slurring it over and jumping 2,000 miles at a stride.  The book I am writing will sell.  In return for the use of the little memorandum book I shall take the greatest pleasure in forwarding to you the third $1,000 which the publisher of the forthcoming work sends me or the first $1,000, I am not particular—­they will both be in the first quarterly statement of account from the publisher. 
In great haste,
Yr Obliged Bro. 
Sam.