Explanatory Notes        Apparatus Notes (Ⓐ)
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MTPDocEd
To Mary B. (Mollie) Shoot (Florence Wood)
24? April 1876 • Hartford, Conn. (Transcript and paraphrase: Mollie Shoot to SLC,
9 May 1876, CU-MARK, UCCL 12957)
(SUPERSEDED)

I trust Mrs Clemens has recovered from her attack of “all the different kinds of ralgias”.1explanatory note

Textual Commentary
Provenance:

See Mark Twain Papers in Description of Provenance.

Explanatory Notes
1 

This fragment of Clemens’s letter has been placed here as consistent with his recent assessment of his wife’s health (see 24 Apr to OC and MECclick to open letter). Mary B. (Mollie) Shoot (1863?–1954), who had a long career as a character actress under the stage name Florence Wood, “made her debut in the Augustine [sic] Daly Stock Company. She came to the troupe with a letter of introduction from Mark Twain, a neighbor and friend of her family in Hannibal, Mo., where she was born” (“Mrs. Felix Morris, A Former Actress,” New York Times, 19 Apr 1954, 23; see also Inds ,347–48). On 9 May 1876 Shoot wrote (CU-MARK):

UCLC32351
New York May 9th
Mr Clemens—

You will see by the enclosed programme that I have again made my appearance before the N. Y. public. For this I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. Harkins, whose benifit it was, and who converted the character of a male servant into a maid, for me.

I saw in the “Herald” that you were a grand success as “Peter Spyk”. Pray accept my congratulations (though it is late in the day to offer them.)

I suppose you will be adopting the stage for a profession ere long?

I trust Mrs Clemens has recovered from her attack of “all the different kinds of ralgias”. No doubt you are tired of my asking so many favors of you & never returning any, but in the face of all this, I have one last and greatest of all favors to ask. If you could find time to go on a voyage of discovery through your house, and see if you can not find a spare photo of your self and wife for—

Yours Very Truly—
Florence Wood.

P. S. We were among the number who had to “take up our bed & walk” the first of May, so our present abode is—

#270 W. 42nd St.

enclosed clipping:

This Saturday Night, May 6th, for Mr. Harkins’ Benefit,

Will be acted, for the first time in this theatre (and for this occasion only), lord lytton bulwer’s 5-Act Comedy, entitled

MONEY

lord glossmore,..............................................................mr. charles rockwell

sir john vesey,.................................................................................mr. w. davidge

sir frederick blount,...................................................mr. maurice barrymore

stout,..........................................................................................mr. john brougham

graves,.........................................................................................mr. charles fisher

alfred evelyn,.............................................................................mr. d. h. harkins

captain dudley smooth,...............................................................mr. john drew

sharp,..................................................................................................mr. w. beekman

joke,.........................................................................................................mr. i. deveau

clara douglass,.................................................................miss georgiana drew

georgina vesey,......................................................................miss sidney cowell

〚 susan,.....................................................................................................miss f. wood 〛

and

lady franklyn (for this occasion)..............................miss fanny davenport

the new scenes will be found in—

Act II. EVELYN’S HOUSE

(By Mr. James Roberts).

Act IV. PARLORS AT EVELYN’S.

(By Mr. C. W. Witham).

Next Week—Monday Evening and every Night (except Saturday),

PIQUE!

Being the 22nd Week and 159th to 165th PERFORMANCE

The New York Herald notice Shoot referred to has not been found. In her postscript, Shoot paraphrased John 5:11: “He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.” The source of her “enclosed programme” has not been identified. On it she bracketed her own name and role in ink. On the envelope of her letter Clemens wrote:

My dramatic protège.

   ————

Mollie Shoot (Florence Wood)

He apparently had recommended Shoot to Daly in person, not by letter (see 19 Oct 76 to Unidentifiedclick to open letter). Money (Lytton 1840) and Daly’s own melodrama, Pique (Augustin Daly 1875), were performed at Daly’s Fifth Avenue Theatre (Joseph Francis Daly 1917,207; “Amusements,” New York Times, 15 Dec 75, 6, and 3 May 76, 7).