^Lot 539 Samuel L. Clemens

ALS signed “Saml,” two pages both sides, 3.25 x 5.5, August 26, [1878]. Letter to his wife Livy. In full: “We came through a-whooping to-day, 6 hours tramp up steep hills and down steep hills in mud & water shoe-deep & in a steadily pouring rain which never moderated a moment. I was as chipper & fresh as a lark all the way & arrived without the slightest sense of fatigue. But we were soaked & my shoes full of water, so we at once stripped & went to bed for 2 1/2 hours while our traps were thoroughly dried & our boots greased in addition. Then we put our clothes on…& went to table d’hote. Made some nice English friends and shall see them…tomorrow. Gathered a small bouquet of new flowers but they got spoiled. I sent you a safety match box full of flowers last night from Leinchenbad. I have just telegraphed you to wire the family news to me at Riffle tomorrow. I do hope you are all well & having as jolly a time as we are, for I love you sweetheart, & also in a measure, the Bays. Give my love to Clara & also to the cubs.” Across the third page of the letter, Clemens has added a sketch he labels as “The great mountain profile.” In very good condition, with a horizontal mailing fold, rough left edges, uniform toning to pages, and portions of the text light but still almost completely legible. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope.

This well-documented trip to Switzerland provided the exotic inspirational for Clemens’ 1880 travel book, A Tramp Abroad. He and his closest friend, writer and pastor Reverend Joseph Hopkins Twichell, journeyed from Interlaken to Kandersteg, a small town just south of the Swiss capital of Bern. Clemens’ description here could very possibly be derived from his journey: “We came through a-whooping to-day, 6 hours tramp up steep hills and down steep hills in mud & water shoe-deep & in a steadily pouring rain which never moderated a moment.” However, he didn’t let the weather beat his adventurous spirit and beloved companionship, and his spirits remained “chipper & fresh as a lark all the way.” He incorporated this experience in his literary work, as well as his traveling companion, after whom he crafted the character ‘Harris.’ A marvelous firsthand account of a trip…as a story began to take form.