Well, there's a letter dated September 24, 1896, where Twain writes "Yes, you two know what we feel--but no others among our friends. They have lost children, but the proportions were not the same." There's a reference in a letter from the Villa Quarto (on Livy's death) that says he found a letter from WDH , dated September 13, 1896, in her Old Testament, that also discusses Susy's death. I lack ready access to the Howells/Twain letters right now. But I do recall the "club" comment, and I wonder if that's in the September 13 letter. H. Hellwig On Tue, Apr 16, 2013 at 1:11 PM, Hal Bush <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Friends; I'm sorry to bother y'all at this busy time of year. I tried > really hard to turn this up without the kindness of this LIST. But alas, > I'm banging my head against the bookshelf, trying to locate an old quote or > passage that seems to have either disappeared completely from my > notes/digital files; or else is simply something I once encountered in the > nether world of dreams . . . . > > I believe there is, perhaps in a letter, a passage where Twain tells > Howells, after Susy's passing, that they were both now members of the > "club" that nobody ever wished to join. Or the club nobody wanted to > join. Or something along those lines. Of course, Twain witnessed > Howells's own encounter with that club, about 7 years earlier... meaning, > the club of parental grief. > > Does that ring a bell for anyone? Perhaps it's WDH saying it to Twain. > But anyway, any help or guidance much appreciated. I've grown weary and > embarrassed by my own inability to turn this one up! > > -hb > > -- > Prof. Harold K. Bush > Professor of English > 3800 Lindell > Saint Louis University > St. Louis, MO 63108 > 314-977-3616 (w); 314-771-6795 (h) > <www.slu.edu/x23809.xml> >