第5章

XXXII

THEPIONEER

Itwasahot，dustyAugust14ththatthestagereachedCarsonCityanddrewupbeforetheOrmsbyHotel。ItwasknownthattheTerritorialsecretarywasduetoarrive；andsomethinginthenatureofareception，withrefreshmentsandfrontierhospitality，hadbeenplanned。GovernorNye，formerlypolicecommissionerinNewYorkCity，hadarrivedashorttimebefore，andwithhispartyofretainers("heelers"wewouldcallthemnow)，hadmadeanimposingentrance。Perhapssomethingofthesortwasexpectedwiththeadventofthesecretaryofstate。Instead，thecommitteesawtwoway—wornindividualsclimbdownfromthestage，unkempt，unshorn——clothedintheroughestoffrontiercostume，thesametheyhadputonatSt。Jo——dusty，grimy，slouchy，andweather—beatenwithlongdaysofsunandstormandalkalidesertdust。ItisnotlikelythereweretwomoreunprepossessingofficialsonthePacificcoastatthatmomentthanthenewlyarrivedTerritorialsecretaryandhisbrother：

Somebodyidentifiedthem，andthecommitteemeltedaway；thehalf—formedplanofabanquetfadedoutandwasnotheardofagain。Soapandwaterandfreshgarmentsworkedatransformation；butthatfirstimpressionhadbeenfataltofestivitiesofwelcome。

CarsonCity，thecapitalofNevada，wasa"woodentown，"withapopulationoftwothousandsouls。Itsmainstreetconsistedofafewblocksofsmallframestores，someofwhicharestillstanding。In’RoughingIt’theauthorwrites：

Inthemiddleofthetown，oppositethestores，wasa"Plaza，"whichisnativetoalltownsbeyondtheRockyMountains，alarge，unfenced，levelvacancywithaLibertyPoleinit，andveryusefulasaplaceforpublicauctions，horsetrades，andmass—meetings，andlikewiseforteamsterstocampin。TwoothersidesofthePlazawerefacedbystores，offices，andstables。TherestofCarsonCitywasprettyscattering。

Oneseestheplaceprettyclearlyfromthisbriefpictureofhis，butitrequiresanextractfromaletterwrittentohismothersomewhatlatertopopulateit。Themineralexcitementwasatitsheightinthosedaysoftheearlysixties，andhadbroughttogethersuchacongressofnationsasonlythegreedforpreciousmetalcanassemble。ThesidewalksandstreetsofCarson，andthePlaza，throngedalldaywithamotleyaggregation——amuseumofraces，whichitwasaneducationmerelytogazeupon。JaneClemenshadrequiredhimtowriteeverythingjustasitwas——

"nobetterandnoworse。"

Well——[hesays]——，"GoldHill"sellsat$5，000perfoot，cashdown；

"WildCat"isn’tworthtencents。Thecountryisfabulouslyrichingold，silver，copper，lead，coal，iron，quicksilver，marble，granite，chalk，plasterofParis(gypsum)，thieves，murderers，desperadoes，ladies，children，lawyers，Christians，Indians，Chinamen，Spaniards，gamblers，sharpens；coyotes(pronouncedki—yo—

ties)，poets，preachers，andjackassrabbits。Ioverheardagentlemansay，theotherday，thatitwas"thed———destcountryunderthesun，"andthatcomprehensiveconceptionIfullysubscribeto。Itneverrainshere，andthedewneverfalls。Noflowersgrowhere，andnogreenthinggladdenstheeye。Thebirdsthatflyoverthelandcarrytheirprovisionswiththem。Onlythecrowandtheraventarrywithus。Ourcityliesinthemidstofadesertofthepurest，mostunadulteratedanduncompromisingsand，inwhichinfernalsoilnothingbutthatfag—endofvegetablecreation，"sage—

brush，"venturestogrow……Isaidwearesituatedinaflat，sandydesert——true。Andsurroundedonallsidesbysuchprodigiousmountainsthatwhenyoulookdisdainfullydown(fromthem)upontheinsignificantvillageofCarson，inthatinstantyouareseizedwithaburningdesiretostretchforthyourhand，putthecityinyourpocket，andwalkoffwithit。

Astochurches，IbelievetheyhavegotaCatholiconehere，but，likethatonetheNewYorkfiremanspokeof，Ibelieve"theydon’trunhernow。"

Carsonhasbeenthroughseveralphasesofchangesincethiswaswritten——

forbetterandforworse。Itisathrivingplaceintheselaterdays，andnewfarmingconditionshaveimprovedthecountryroundabout。Butitwasadesertoutpostthen，acatch—allforthehumandriftwhicheverywhirlwindofdiscoverysweepsalong。Goldandsilverhuntingandminespeculationsweretheindustries——gambling，drinking，andmurderwerethediversions——oftheNevadacapital。Politicsdevelopedinduecourse，thoughwhetherasabusinessoradiversionisnotclearatthistime。

TheClemensbrotherstooklodgingwithagenialIrishwoman，Mrs。Murphy，aNewYorkretainerofGovernorNye，whoboardedthecamp—followers。——

[TheMrs，O’Flanniganof’RoughingIt’。]——ThisretinuehadcomeinthehopeofTerritorialpickingsandmineadventure——soldiersoffortunetheywere，andagood—naturedlotalltogether。Oneofthem，BobHowland，anephewofthegovernor，attractedSamuelClemensbyhisclean—cutmannerandcommandingeye。

"Themanwhohasthateyedoesn’tneedtogoarmed，"hewrotelater。"Hecanmoveuponanarmeddesperadoandquellhimandtakehimaprisonerwithoutsayingasingleword。"ItwasthesameBobHowlandwhowouldbeknownbyandbyasthemostfearlessmanintheTerritory；who，ascitymarshalofAurora，keptthatlawlesscampinsubjection，and，whenthefriendsofalotofcondemnedoutlawswerethreateninganattackwithgeneralmassacre，sentthefamousmessagetoGovernorNye："AllquietinAurora。Fivemenwillbehunginanhour。"Anditwasquiet，andtheprogrammewascarriedout。Butthisisadigressionandsomewhatpremature。

OrionClemens，anxiousforlaurels，establishedhimselfinthemeagerfashionwhichhethoughtthegovernmentwouldapprove；andhisbrother，findingneitherdutiesnorsalaryattachedtohissecondaryposition，devotedhimselfmainlytothestudyofhumannatureasexhibitedunderfrontierconditions。Sometimes，whenthenightswerecool，hewouldbuildafireintheofficestove，and，withBobHowlandandafewotherchoicemembersofthe"Brigade"gatheredaround，wouldtellriveryarnsinthatinimitablefashionwhichwouldwinhimdevotedaudiencesallhisdays。Hisriverlifehadincreasedhisnaturallanguorofhabit，andhisslowspeechheightenedthelazyimpressionwhichhewasneverunwillingtoconvey。Hishearersgenerallyregardedhimasaneasygoing，indolentgoodfellowwithaloveofhumor——withtalent，perhaps——butasonenotlikelyevertosettheworldafire。Theydidnothappentothinkthatthesameinclinationwhichmadethemcrowdabouttolistenandapplaudwouldonedaywinforhimtheattentionofallmankind。

WithinabrieftimeSamClemens(hewasneverknownasotherwisethan"Sam"amongthosepioneers)wasaboutthemostconspicuousfigureontheCarsonstreets。Hisgreatbushyheadofauburnhair，hispiercing，twinklingeyes，hisloose，loungingwalk，hiscarelessdisorderofdress，drewtheimmediateattentionevenofstrangers；madethemturntolookasecondtimeandtheninquireastohisidentity。

Hehadquicklyadaptedhimselftothefrontiermode。Latelyariversovereignanddandy，infancypercalesandpatentleathers，hehadbecometheroughestofrough—cladpioneers，inrustyslouchhat，flannelshirt，coarsetrouserssloppinghalfinandhalfoutoftheheavycowskinbootsAlwayssomethingofabarbarianinlovewiththeloosehabitofunconvention，hewentevenfurtherthanothersandbecameasortofparagonofdisarray。ThemoreenergeticcitizensofCarsondidnotprophesymuchforhisfutureamongthem。OrionClemens，withthestirandbustleoftheofficialnewbroom，earnedtheirquickrespect；buthisbrother——well，theyoftensawhimleaningforanhourormoreatatimeagainstanawningsupportatthecornerofKingandCarsonstreets，smokingashortclaypipeandstaringdrowsilyatthehumankaleidoscopeofthePlaza，scarcelychanginghisposition，justwatching，studying，lostincontemplation——allofwhichwasharmlessenough，ofcourse，buthowcouldanyoneevergetareturnoutofemploymentlikethat？

SamuelClemensdidnotcatchtheminingfeverimmediately；therewastoomuchtoseeatfirsttoconsideranyspecialundertaking。Themerecomingtothefrontierwasforthepresentenough；hehadnoplans。HischiefpurposewastoseetheworldbeyondtheRockies，toderivefromitsuchamusementandprofitasmightfallinhisway。Thewarwouldend，byandby，andhewouldgobacktotheriver，nodoubt。Hewasalreadynotfarfromhomesickforthe"States"andhisassociationsthere。Heclosedoneletter：

Iheardamilitarybandplay"WhatAretheWildWavesSaying"theothernight，anditbroughtEllaCreelandBelle(Stotts)acrossthedesertinaninstant，fortheysangthesonginOrion’syardthefirsttimeIeverheardit。Itwaslikemeetinganoldfriend。I

tellyouIcouldhaveswallowedthatwholeband，tromboneandall，ifsuchacomplimentwouldhavebeenanygratificationtothem。

Hisfriendscontractedtheminingmania；BobHowlandandRaishPhillipswentdowntoAuroraandacquired"feet"inmini—claimsandwrotehimenthusiasticletters。WithCaptainNye，thegovernor’sbrother，hevisitedthemandwaspresentedwithaninterestwhichpermittedhimtocontributeanassessmenteverynowandthentowardthedevelopmentofthemine；buthisenthusiasmstilllanguished。

Hewasinterestedmoreinthenativerichesabovegroundthaninthoseconcealedunderit。HehadheardthatthetimberaroundLakeBigler(Tahoe)promisedvastwealthwhichcouldbehadfortheasking。Thelakeitselfandtheadjacentmountainsweresaidtobebeautifulbeyondthedreamofart。Hedecidedtolocateatimberclaimonitsshores。

HemadethetripafootwithayoungOhiolad，JohnKinney，andtheaccountofthistripassetdownin’RoughingIt’isoneofthebestthingsinthebook。Thelakeprovedalltheyhadexpected——morethantheyexpected；itwasaveritablehabitationofthegods，withitsdelicious，winyatmosphere，itsvastcolonnadesofpines，itsmeasurelessdepthsofwater，soclearthattodriftonitwaslikefloatinghighaloftinmid—nothingness。Theystakedoutatimberclaimandmadeasemblanceoffencingitandofbuildingahabitation，tocomplywiththelaw；buttheirchiefemploymentwasacompleteabandonmenttothequietluxuryofthatdimsolitude：wanderingamongthetrees，loungingalongtheshore，ordriftingonthattransparent，insubstantialsea。Theydidnotsleepintheirhouse，hesays：

"Itneveroccurredtous，foronething；and，besides，itwasbuilttoholdtheground，andthatwasenough。Wedidnotwishtostrainit。"

Theylivedbytheircamp—fireonthebordersofthelake，andoneday——itwasjustatnightfall——itgotawayfromthem，firedtheforest，anddestroyedtheirfenceandhabitation。Hispicturein’RoughingIt’ofthesuperbnightspectacle，themightymountainconflagrationreflectedinthewatersofthelake，issplendidlyvivid。ThereadermaywishtocompareitwiththisextractfromaletterwrittentoPamelaatthetime。

Thelevelranksofflamewererelievedatintervalsbythestandard—

bearers，aswecalledthetall，deadtrees，wrappedinfire，andwavingtheirblazingbannersahundredfeetintheair。Thenwecouldturnfromthescenetothelake，andseeeverybranchandleafandcataractofflameuponitsbanksperfectlyreflected，asinagleaming，fierymirror。Themightyroaringoftheconflagration，togetherwithoursolitaryandsomewhatunsafeposition(fortherewasnoonewithinsixmilesofus)，renderedthesceneveryimpressive。Occasionallyoneofuswouldremovehispipefromhismouthandsay，"Superb，magnificent！——beautifull——but——bytheLordGodAlmighty，ifweattempttosleepinthislittlepatchto—night，we’llneverlivetillmorning！"

Thisisgoodwritingtoo，butitlacksthefancyandthechoiceofphrasingwhichwoulddeveloplater。ThefireendedtheirfirstexcursiontoTahoe，buttheymadeothersandlocatedotherclaims——claimsinwhichthe"folksathome，"Mr。Moffett，JamesLampton，andothers，wereincluded。ItwasthesameJamesLamptonwhowouldonedayserveasamodelforColonelSellers。EvidentlySamuelClemenshadagoodopinionofhisbusinesscapacityinthatearlierday，forhewrites：

ThisisjustthecountryforcousinJimtolivein。Idon’tbelieveitwouldtakehimsixmonthstomake$100，000hereifhehad$3，000

tocommencewith。Isupposehecan’tleavehisfamily，though。

FurtheralonginthesameletterhisownoverflowingSeller’soptimismdevelops。

OrionandIhaveconfidenceenoughinthiscountrytothinkthatifthewarletsusalonewecanmakeMr。Moffettrichwithoutitsevercostinghimacentoraparticleoftrouble。

ThisletterbearsdateofOctober25th，andfromitwegatherthatacertaininterestinminingclaimshadbythistimedeveloped。

Wehavegotabout1，650feetofminingground，and，ifitprovesgood，Mr。Moffett’snamewillgoin，andifnotIcanget"feet"forhiminthespring。

Yousee，Pamela，thetroubledoesnotconsistingettingminingground——forthereisplentyenough——butthemoneytoworkitwithafteryougetit。

HereferstoPamela’stwolittlechildren，hisnieceAnnieandBabySam，——[SamuelE。Moffett，inlaterlifeawell—knownjournalistandeditor。]—

—andpromisestoenterclaimsforthem——timberclaimsprobably——forhewasbynomeanssanguineasyetconcerningthemines。Thatwasalongtimeago。Tahoelandissoldbythelot，now，tosummerresidents。

Thoseclaimswouldhavebeenrichesto—day，buttheywereallabandonedpresently，forgotteninthedeliriumwhichgoesonlywiththepursuitofpreciousores。

XXXIII

THEPROSPECTOR

ItwasnotuntilearlywinterthatSamuelClemensgottherealmininginfection。Everybodyhaditbythattime；themiracleisthathehadnotfallenanearliervictim。Thewildeststoriesofsuddenfortunewereintheair，someofthemundoubtedlytrue。Menhadgonetobedpaupers，onthevergeofstarvation，andawakenedtofindthemselvesmillionaires。

Othershadsoldforasongclaimsthathadbeensuddenlyfoundtobefairlystuffedwithpreciousores。Cart—loadsofbricks——silverandgold——dailydrovethroughthestreets。

InthemidstofthesethingsreportscamefromthenewlyopenedHumboldtregion——flamedupwitharadiancethatwasfairlyblinding。ThepapersdeclaredthatHumboldtCounty"wastherichestmineralregiononGod’sfootstool。"Themountainsweresaidtobeliterallyburstingwithgoldandsilver。AcorrespondentofthedailyTerritorialEnterprisefairlywallowedinrhetoric，yetfoundwordsinadequatetopaintthemeasurelesswealthoftheHumboldtmines。Nowonderthosenotalreadymadspeedilybecameso。NowonderSamuelClemens，withhisnaturaltendencytospeculativeoptimism，yieldedtotheepidemicandbecameas"frenziedasthecraziest。"Theairtohimsuddenlybegantoshimmer；allhisthoughtswereof"leads"and"ledges"and"veins"；allhiscloudshadsilverlinings；allhisdreamswereofgold。Hejoinedanexpeditionatonce；hereproachedhimselfbitterlyfornothavingstartedearlier。

Hurrywastheword！Wewastednotime。Ourpartyconsistedoffourpersons——ablacksmithsixtyyearsofage，twoyounglawyers，andmyself。Weboughtawagonandtwomiserableoldhorses。Weput1，800poundsofprovisionsandminingtoolsinthewagonanddroveoutofCarsononachillyDecemberafternoon。

Inalettertohismotherhestatesthatbesidesprovisionsandminingtools，theirloadconsistedofcertainluxuriesviz。，tenpoundsofkillikinick，Watts’sHymns，fourteendecksofcards，DombeyandSon，acribbage—board，onesmallkegoflager—beer，andthe"CarminaSacra。"

ThetwoyounglawyerswereA。W。(Gus)Oliver(Oliphantin’RoughingIt’)，andW。H。Clagget。SamClemenshadknownBillyClaggetasalawstudentinKeokuk，andtheywerebroughttogethernowbythisassociation。BothClaggetandOliverwerepromisingyoungmen，andwouldbeheardfromintime。Theblacksmith’snamewasTillou(Ballou)，asturdy，honestsoulwithausefulknowledgeofminingandtherepairoftools。Therewerealsotwodogsintheparty——asmallcurly—tailedmongrel，Curney，thepropertyofMr。Tillou，andayounghound。Thecombinationseemedastrongone。

Itprovedaweakoneinthematterofhorses。OliverandClemenshadfurnishedtheteam，andtheirselectionhadnotbeenofthebest。ItwastwohundredmilestoHumboldt，mostlyacrosssand。Thehorsescouldnotdragtheirloadandtheminerstoo，sotheminersgotout。Thentheyfounditnecessarytopush。

Notbecausewewerefondofit，Ma——oh，no！butonBunker’saccount。

Bunkerwasthe"near"horseonthelarboardside，namedaftertheattorney—generalofthisTerritory。Myhorse——andIamsorryyoudonotknowhimpersonally，Ma，forIfeeltowardhim，sometimes，asifhewereabloodrelationofourfamily——heissolazy，youknow——myhorse——Iwasgoingtosay，wasthe"off"horseonthestarboardside。ButitwasonBunker’saccount，principally，thatwepushedbehindthewagon。Infact，Ma，thathorsehadsomethingonhismindallthewaytoHumboldt。——[S。L。C。tohismother。PublishedintheKeokuk(Iowa)Gatecity。]——

Sotheyhadtopush，andmostofthattwohundredmilesthroughsnowandsandstormtheycontinuedtopushandswearandgroan，sustainedonlybythethoughtthattheymustarriveatlast，whentheirtroubleswouldallbeatanend，fortheywouldbemillionairesinabrieftimeandneverknowwantorfatigueanymore。

Therewerecompensations：thecamp—fireatnightwascheerful，thefoodsatisfying。Theybundledcloseundertheblanketsand，whenitwastoocoldtosleep，lookedupatthestars，whilethefutureentertainerofkingswouldspinyarnafteryarnthatmadehishearersforgettheirdiscomforts。JudgeOliver，thelastoneofthepartyalive，inarecentlettertothewriterofthishistory，says：

Hewasthelifeofthecamp；butsometimestherewouldcomeareactionandhecouldhardlyspeakforadayortwo。Onedayapackofwolveschasedus，andthehoundSamspeaksofneverstoppedtolookbacktillhereachedthenextstation，manymilesahead。

JudgeOliveraddsthatanIndianwarhadjustended，andthattheyoccasionallypassedthecharredruinofashack，andnewgraves：Thiswasdisturbingenough。Thentheycametothatdesolationofdesolations，theAlkaliDesert，wherethesandisofunknowndepth，wheretheroadisstrewnthicklywiththecarcassesofdeadbeastsofburden，thecharredremainsofwagons，chains，bolts，andscrews，whichthirstyemigrants，growndesperate，havethrownawayinthegrandhopeofbeingable，whenlessencumbered，toreachwater。

Theytraveledalldayandnight，pushingthroughthatfierce，waterlesswastetoreachcampontheotherside。Itwasthreeo’clockinthemorningwhentheygotacrossanddroppeddownutterlyexhausted。JudgeOliverinhislettertellswhathappenedthen：

ThesunwashighintheheavenswhenwewerearousedfromoursleepbyayellingbandofPiutewarriors。Wewereuponourfeetinaninstant。Thepicturesofburningcabinsandthelonelygraveswehadpassedwereinourminds。Ourscalpswerestillourown，andnotdanglingfromthebeltsofourvisitors。Sampulledhimselftogether，puthishandonhisheadasiftomakesurehehadnotbeenscalped，andthenwithhisinimitabledrawlsaid："Boys，theyhaveleftusourscalps。Let’sgivethemalltheflourandsugartheyaskfor。"Andwedidgivethemagoodsupply，forweweregrateful。

TheywereelevenwearydayspushingtheirwagonandteamthetwohundredmilestoUnionville，HumboldtCounty，arrivingatlastinadrivingsnow—

storm。Unionvilleconsistedofelevenpoorcabinsbuiltinthebottomofacanon，fiveononesideandsixfacingthemontheother。Theywerepoor，three—sided，one—roomhuts，thefourthsideformedbythehill；theroof，aspreadofwhitecotton。Stonesusedtorolldownonthemsometimes，andMarkTwaintellsoflivestock——specificallyofamuleandcow——thatinterruptedthepatient，long—sufferingOliver，whowastryingtowritepoetry，andonlycomplainedwhenatlast"anentirecowcamerollingdownthehill，crashedthroughonthetable，andmadeashapelesswreckofeverything。"——[’TheInnocentsAbroad。’]——

JudgeOliverstilldoesnotcomplain；buthedeniesthecow。HesaystherewerenocowsinHumboldtinthosedays，soperhapsitwasonlyaliterarycow，thoughinanycaseitwilllongsurvive。JudgeOliver’snamewillgodownwithittoposterity。

IntheletterwhichSamuelClemenswrotehomehetellsofwhattheyfoundinUnionville。

"National"therewassellingat$50perfootandassayed$2，496pertonatthemintinSanFrancisco。Andthe"AldaNueva，""Peru，"

"Delirio，""Congress，""Independent，"andotherswereimmenselyrichleads。Andmoreover，havingwinningwayswithus，wecouldget"feet"enoughtomakeusallrichoneofthesedays。

"Iconfesswithshame，"saystheauthorof’RoughingIt’，"thatI

expectedtofindmassesofsilverlyingallabouttheground。"Andheaddsthatheslippedawayfromthecabintofindaclaimonhisownaccount，andtellshowhecamestaggeringbackunderaloadofgoldenspecimens；alsohowhisspecimensprovedtobeonlyworthlessmica；andhowhelearnedthatinminingnothingthatglittersisgold。Hisaccountin’RoughingIt’oftheHumboldtminingexperienceissufficientlygoodhistorytomakedetailhereunnecessary。Tillouinstructedtheminprospecting，andintimetheylocatedafairlypromisingclaim。Theywenttoworkonitwithpickandshovel，thenwithdrillandblasting—

powder。Thentheygaveitup"Oneweekofthissatisfiedme。Iresigned。"

Theytriedtotunnel，butsoonresignedagain。Itwaspleasantertoprospectandlocateandtradeclaimsandacquirefeetineverynewledgethanitwastodig—andaboutasprofitable。ThegoldenreportsofHumboldthadbeenbasedonassaysofselectedrichspecimens，andweremainlydeliriumandinsanity。TheClemens—Clagget—Oliver—Tilloucombinationnevertouchedtheirclaimsagainwithpickandshovel，thoughtheirfaith，oratleasttheirhope，inthemdidnotimmediatelydie。

BillyClaggetputouthisshingleasnotarypublic，andGusOliverputouthisasprobatejudge。SamClemensandTillou，withafat—witted，arrogantPrussiannamedPfersdoff(Ollendorf)setoutforCarsonCity。

Itisnotcertainwhatbecameofthewagonandteam，orofthetwodogs。

TheCarsontravelerswerewater—boundatatavernontheCarsonRiver(thesceneofthe"Arkansas"sketch)，withafighting，drinkinglot。

Pfersdoffgotthemnearlydrownedgettingaway，andfinallysucceededingettingthemabsolutelylostinthesnow。Theauthorof’RoughingIt’

tellsushowtheygavethemselvesuptodie，andhoweachsworeoffwhateverhehadinthewayofanevilhabit，howtheycasttheirtempters—tobacco，cards，andwhisky—intothesnow。Hefurthertellsushownextmorning，whentheywoketofindthemselvesalive，withinafewrodsofahostelry，theysurreptitiouslydugupthosethingsagainand，deepinshameandluxury，resumedtheirfallenways：Itwasthe29thofJanuarywhentheyreachedCarsonCity。Theyhadbeengonenotquitetwomonths，oneofwhichhadbeenspentintravel。Itwasabriefperiod，butitcontainedanepisode，anditseemedlikeyears。

XXXIV

TERRITORIALCHARACTERISTICS

Meantime，theTerritorialsecretaryhadfounddifficultiesinlaunchingtheshipofstate。TherewasnolegislativehallinCarsonCity；andifAbramCurry，oneoftheoriginalownersofthecelebratedGouldandCurrymine——"Curry——oldCurry——oldAbeCurry，"ashecalledhimself——hadnottenderedtheuseofahallrentfree，thefirstlegislaturewouldhavebeenobligedto"sitinthedesert。"Furthermore，Orionhadmetwithcertainacutetroublesofhisown。ThegovernmentatWashingtonhadnotappreciatedhiseconomiesinthematterofcheapofficerental，andithadstipulatedthepricewhichhewastopayforpublicprintingandvariousotherservices—pricesfixedaccordingtoEasternstandards。

ThesepricesdidnotobtaininNevada，andwhenOrion，confidentthatbecauseofhisothereconomiesthecomptrollerwouldstretchapointandallowtheincreasedfrontiertariff，hewasmetwiththeusualthick—

headedofficiallackofimagination，withtheresultthattheexcesspaidwasdeductedfromhisslendersalary。Withamanoflessconsciencethisconditionwouldeasilyhavebeenoffsetbyanotherwhereinotherrates，lessarbitrary，wouldhavebeenadjustedtonegotiatetheofficialdeficit。WithOrionClemenssucharemedywasnotevenconsidered；

yielding，unstable，blownbyeverywindofinfluencethoughhewas，Orion’sintegritywasarock。

GovernorNyewasamongthosewhopresentlymadethisdiscovery。Oldpoliticianthathewas——formerpolicecommissionerofNewYorkCity——Nyetookcareofhisownproblemsinthecustomarymanner。Tohim，politicswassimplyagame——tobeplayedtowin。Hewasapopular，jovialman，welllikedandthoughtof，buthedidnotlieawake，asOriondid，planningeconomiesforthegovernment，orhowtomakeupexcesschargesoutofhissalary。TohimNevadawassimplyadoorwaytotheUnitedStatesSenate，andinthemeantimehisbrigaderequiredofficialrecognitionandperquisites。ThegovernorfoundOrionClemensanimpedimenttothispolicy。Orioncouldnotbebroughttoaproperpoliticalunderstandingof"specialbillsandaccounts，"andrelationsbetweenthesecretaryofstateandthegovernorwerebecomingstrained。

Itwasaboutthistimethatthemanwhohadbeenpotentateofthepilot—

houseofaMississippiRiversteamerreturnedfromHumboldt。Hewasfondofthegovernor，buthehadstillhigherregardforthefamilyintegrity。

WhenhehadheardOrion’stroubledstory，hecalledonGovernorNyeanddeliveredhimselfinhisownfashion。Inhisformeremploymentshehadacquiredavocabularyandmoralbackbonesufficienttohisneeds。Wemayregretthatnostenographicreportwasmadeoftheinterview。Itwouldbepricelessnow。Butitislost；weonlyknowthatOrion’srectitudewasnotagainassailed，andthatcuriouslyenoughGovernorNyeapparentlyconceivedastrongadmirationandrespectforhisbrother。

SamuelClemens，miner，remainedbutabrieftimeinCarsonCity——onlylongenoughtoarrangeforanewandmorepersistentventure。HedidnotconfesshisHumboldtfailuretohispeople；infact，hehadnotasyetconfessedittohimself；hisavowedpurposewastoreturntoHumboldtafterabriefinvestigationoftheEsmeraldamines。Hehadbeenpayingheavyassessmentsonhisholdingsthere；and，withaknowledgeofmininggainedatUnionville，hefeltthathispersonalattentionatAuroramightbeimportant。Asamatteroffact，hewasbythistimefairlydaftonthesubjectofminesandmining，withtherestofthecommunityforcompany。

HisearlierpraisesofthewondersandclimateofTahoehadinspiredhissisterPamela，alwaysfrail，withadesiretovisitthathealth—givingland。Perhapshefeltthatherecommendedthecountrysomewhattoohighly。

"ByGeorge，Pamela，"hesaid，"IbegintofearthatIhaveinvokedaspiritofsomekindorother，whichIwillfindmorethandifficulttoallay。"HeproceedstorecommendCaliforniaasaresidenceforanyorallofthem，butheisclearlydoubtfulconcerningNevada。

SomepeoplearemaliciousenoughtothinkthatifthedevilweresetatlibertyandtoldtoconfinehimselftoNevadaTerritory，hewouldcomehereandlooksadlyaroundawhile，andthengethomesickandgobacktohellagain……Why，Ihavehadmywhiskersandmustachessofullofalkalidustthatyou’dhavethoughtIworkedinastarchfactoryandboardedinaflourbarrel。

Butthenhecannolongerrestrainhisyouthandoptimism。Howcouldhe，withafortunesoplainlyinview？Itwasalreadyinhisgraspinimagination；hewasonthewayhomewithit。

IexpecttoreturntoSt。LouisinJuly——persteamer。Idon’tsaythatIwillreturnthen，orthatIshallbeabletodoit——butI

expectto——youbet。IcamedownherefromHumboldt，inordertolookafterourEsmeraldainterests。Yesterday，BobHowlandarrivedhere，andIhavehadatalkwithhim。Heownswithmeinthe"HoratioandDerby"ledge。Hesaysourtunnelisin52feet，andasmallstreamofwaterhasbeenstruck，whichbidsfairtobecomea"bigthing"bythetimetheledgeisreached——sufficienttosupplyamill。Now，ifyouknewanythingofthevalueofwaterhere，youwouldperceiveataglancethatifthewatershouldamountto50or100inches，wewouldn’tcarewhetherschoolkeptornot。Iftheledgeshouldprovetobeworthless，we’dsellthewaterformoneyenoughtogiveusquitealift。But，yousee，theledgewillnotprovetobeworthless。Wehavelocated，nearby，afinesiteforamill，andwhenwestriketheledge，youknow，we’llhaveamill—

site，water—power，andpayrock，allhandy。Thenwesha’n’tcarewhetherwehavecapitalornot。Millfolkswillbuildusamill，andwaitfortheirpay。Ifnothinggoeswrong，we’llstriketheledgeinJune——andifwedo，I’llbehomeinJuly，youknow。

Hepausesatthispointforaparagraphofself—analysis——characteristicandcrystal—clear。

So，justkeepyourclotheson，Pamela，untilIcome。Don’tyouknowthatundemonstratedhumancalculationswon’tdotobeton？Don’tyouknowthatIhaveonlytalked，asyet，butprovednothing？Don’tyouknowthatIhaveexpendedmoneyinthiscountrybuthavemadenonemyself？Don’tyouknowthatIhaveneverheldinmyhandsagoldorsilverbarthatbelongedtome？Don’tyouknowthatit’salltalkandnocidersofar？Don’tyouknowthatpeoplewhoalwaysfeeljolly，nomatterwheretheyareorwhathappenstothem——whohavetheorganofHopepreposterouslydeveloped——whoareendowedwithanunconcealablesanguinetemperament——whoneverfeelconcernedaboutthepriceofcorn——andwhocannot，byanypossibility，discoveranybutthebrightsideofapicture——areveryapttogotoextremesandexaggeratewith40—horsemicroscopicpower？

But—butInthebrightlexiconofyouth，ThereisnosuchwordasFail——

andI’llproveit！

Whereupon，heletshimselfgoagain，full—tilt：

ByGeorge，ifIjusthadathousanddollarsI’dbeallright！Nowthere’sthe"Horatio，"forinstance。Therearefiveorsixshareholdersinit，andIknowIcouldbuyhalfoftheirinterestsat，say$20perfoot，nowthatflourisworth$50perbarrelandtheyarepressedformoney，butIamhardupmyself，andcan’tbuy——

andinJunethey’llstriketheledge，andthen"good—bycanary。"I

can’tgetitforloveormoney。Twentydollarsafoot！Thinkofit！Forgroundthatisproventoberich。Twentydollars，Madam—

andwewouldn’tpartwithafootofour75forfivetimesthesum。

SoitwillbeinHumboldtnextsummer。Theboyswillgetpushedandsellgroundforasongthatisworthafortune。ButIamatthehelmnow。IhaveconvincedOrionthathehasn’tbusinesstalentenoughtocarryonapeanut—stand，andhehassolemnlypromisedmethathewillmeddlenomorewithminingorothermattersnotconnectedwiththesecretary’soffice。So，yousee，ifminesaretobeboughtorsold，ortunnelsrunorshaftssunk，partieshavetocometome——andmeonly。I’mthe"firm，"youknow。

Therearepagesofthis，allglowingwithgoldenexpectationsandplans。

Ah，well！wehaveallwrittensuchlettershomeatonetimeandanother—

ofgold—minesofoneformoranother。

Heclosesatlastwithabitofpleasantryforhismother。

Masays："Itlookslikeamancan’tholdpublicofficeandbehonest。"Why，certainlynot，Madam。Amancan’tholdpublicofficeandbehonest。Lordblessyou，itisacommonpracticewithOriontogoabouttownstealinglittlethingsthathappentobelyingaroundloose。AndIdon’trememberhavingheardhimspeakthetruthsincewehavebeeninNevada。Heeventriestoprevailuponmetodothesethings，Ma，butIwasn’tbroughtupinthatway，youknow。

Youshowedthepublicwhatyoucoulddointhatlinewhenyouraisedme，Madam。Butthenyououghttohaveraisedmefirst，sothatOrioncouldhavehadthebenefitofmyexample。Doyouknowthathestoleallthestampsoutofan8—stampquartz—millonenight，andbroughtthemhomeunderhisovercoatandhidtheminthebackroom？

XXXV

THEMINER

Hehadaboutexhaustedhisownfundsbythistime，anditwasnecessarythatOrionshouldbecomethefinancier。ThebrothersownedtheirEsmeraldaclaimsinpartnership，anditwasagreedthatOrion，outofhismodestdepletedpay，shouldfurnishthemeans，whiletheotherwouldgoactivelyintothefieldanddeveloptheirriches。Neitherhadtheslightestdoubtbutthattheywouldbemillionairespresently，andbothwerewillingtostruggleandstarveforthefewinterveningweeks。

ItwasFebruarywhentheprinter—pilot—minerarrivedinAurora，thatrough，turbulentcampoftheEsmeraldadistrictlyingaboutonehundredmilessouthofCarsonCity，ontheedgeofCalifornia，intheSierraslopes。Everythingwasfrozenandcoveredwithsnow；buttherewasnolackofexcitementandprospectingandgrabbingfor"feet"inthisledgeandthat，burieddeepundertheiceanddrift。ThenewarrivalcampedwithHoratioPhillips(Raish)，inatinycabinwithadomesticroof(theruinofitstillstands)，andtheycookedandbunkedtogetherandcombinedtheirresourcesinacommonfund。BobHowlandjoinedthempresently，andlateranexperiencedminer，CalvinH。Higbie(Cal)，onedaytobeimmortalizedinthestoryof’RoughingIt’andinthededicationofthatbook。Aroundthecabinstovetheywouldgather，andpawovertheirspecimens，ortestthemwithblow—pipeand"horn"spoon，afterwhichtheywouldplantunnelsandfigureestimatesofprospectivewealth。Nevermindifthefoodwaspoorandscanty，andthechillwindcameineverywhere，andtheroofleakedlikeafilter；theywerelivinginalandwhereallthemountainswerebankedwithnuggets，wherealltheriversrangold。BobHowlanddeclaredlaterthattheyusedtogooutatnightandgatherupemptychampagne—bottlesandfruit—tinsandpilethemintherearoftheircabintoconveytootherstheappearanceofaffluenceandhighliving。Whentheylackedforotheremploymentandwerelikelytobediscouraged，theex—pilotwould"ridethebunk"andsmokeand，withoutmoneyandwithoutprice，distributerichesmorevaluablethananytheywouldeverdigoutofthoseEsmeraldaHills。Atothertimeshetalkedlittleornotatall，butsatinonecornerandwrote，whollyobliviousofhissurroundings。Theythoughthewaswritingletters，thoughletterswerenotmanyandonlytoOrionduringthisperiod。Itwastheoldliteraryimpulsestirringagain，thedesiretosetthingsdownfortheirownsake，thenaturalhungerforprint。OneortwoofhisearlierlettershomehadfoundtheirwayintoaKeokukpaper——

the’GateCity’。CopiescontainingthemhadgonebacktoOrion，whohadshownthemtoarepresentativeoftheTerritorialEnterprise，ayoungmannamedBarstow，whothoughtthemamusing。TheEnterprisereprintedatleastoneoftheseletters，orportionsofit，andwiththisencouragementtheauthorofitsentanoccasionalcontributiondirecttothatpaperoverthepen—name"Josh。"Hedidnotcaretosignhisownname。Hewasaminerwhowassoontobeamagnate；hehadnodesiretobeknownasacampscribbler。

Hereceivednopayfortheseofferings，andexpectednone。Theyweresketchesofabroadlyburlesquesort，therobusthorse—playkindofhumorthatbelongstothefrontier。Theywerenotespeciallypromisingefforts。Oneofthemwasaboutanoldrackabonesofahorse，asortofpreliminarystudyfor"Oahu，"oftheSandwichIslands，or"Baalbec"and"Jericho，"ofSyria。Ifanyonehadtoldhim，orhadtoldanyreaderofthissketch，thattheauthorofitwasknockingatthedoorofthehouseoffamesuchaperson’sjudgmentorsinceritywouldhavebeenopentodoubt。Nevertheless，itwastrue，thoughtheknockwastimidandhaltingandthesummonstocrossthethresholdlongdelayed。

Awintermining—campisthemostbleakandcomfortlessofplaces。Thesaloonandgambling—housefurnishedtheonlyrealwarmthandcheer。OurAuroraminerswouldhavebeenlessthanhuman，ormore，iftheyhadnotfounddiversionnowandtheninthehappyharborsofsin。Oncetherewasagreatballgivenatanewlyopenedpavilion，andSamClemensissaidtohavedistinguishedhimselfbyhisunrestrainedandspontaneousenjoymentofthetrippingharmony。CalHigbie，whowaspresent，writes：

Inchangingpartners，wheneverhesawahandraisedhewouldgraspitwithgreatpleasureandsailoffintoanotherset，oblivioustohissurroundings。Sometimeshewouldactasthoughtherewasnouseintryingtogorightortodancelikeotherpeople，andwithhiseyesclosedhewoulddoahoe—downoradouble—shuffleallalone，talkingtohimselfandsayingthatheneverdreamedtherewassomuchpleasuretobeobtainedataball。Itwasallasnaturalasachild’splay。Bythesecondset，alltheladieswerefallingoverthemselvestogethimforapartner，andmostofthecrowd，toofullofmirthtodance，werestandingorsittingaround，dyingwithlaughter。

Whatachildhealwayswas——always，totheveryend？Withthefirstbreakofwintertheexcitementthathadbeenfermentingandstewingaroundcampstovesoverflowedintothestreets，washedupthegullies，andassailedthehills。Therecamethenaperiodofmadness，besidewhichtheHumboldtexcitementhadbeenmereintoxication。Higbiesays：

ItwasamazinghowwildthepeoplebecamealloverthePacificcoast。InSanFranciscoandotherlargecitiesbarbers，hack—

drivers，servant—girls，merchants，andnearlyeveryclassofpeoplewouldclubtogetherandsendagentsrepresentingallthewayfrom$5，000to$500，000ormoretobuymines。Theywouldbuyanything。

intheshapeofquartz，whetheritcontainedanymineralvalueornot。

TheletterswhichwentfromtheAuroraminertoOrionarehumanlydocumentary。Theyarelikelytobestaccatointheirmovement；theyshownervoushasteintheircomposition，eagerness，andsuppressedexcitement；

theyarenotalwayscoherent；theyareseldomhumorous，exceptinasavageway；theyareoftenprofane；theyarelikelytobeviolent。Eventhehandwritinghasaterselook；theflourishofyouthhasgoneoutofit。Altogethertheyrevealthetenseanxietyofthegamblingmaniaofwhichminingistheultimateform。AnextractfromaletterofAprilisafairexhibit：

Worknotyetbegunonthe"HoratioandDerby"——haven’tseenityet。

Itisstillinthesnow。Shallbeginonitwithin3or4weeks——

striketheledgeinJuly：Guessitisgood——worthfrom$30to$50afootinCalifornia……

MannamedGebhartshothereyesterdaywhiletryingtodefendaclaimonLastChanceHill。Expecthewilldie。

Thesemillsherearenotworthad——n——exceptClayton’s——anditisnotinfullworkingtrimyet。

Sendme$40or$50——bymail—immediately。Igotoworkto—morrowwithpickandshovel。Something’sgottocome，byG——，beforeIletgohere。

BytheendofAprilworkhadbecomeactiveinthemines，thoughthesnowinplaceswasstilldeepandthegroundstonywithfrost。Onthe28thhewrites：

Ihavebeenatworkalldayblastinganddigging，andd——ningoneofournewclaims——"Dashaway"——whichIdon’tthinkagreatdealof，butwhichIamwillingtotry。Wearedown，now，10or12afeet。Wearefollowingdownundertheledge，butnottakingitout。Ifwegetupawindlassto—morrowweshalltakeouttheledge，andseewhetheritisworthanythingornot。

Itmusthavebeenhardworkpickingawayattheflintyledgesinthecold；andthe"Dashaway"wouldseemtohaveprovenadisappointment，forthereisnopromisingmentionofitagain。Instead，wehearofthe"Flyaway；"and"Annipolitan"andthe"LiveYankee"andofadozenothers，eachofwhichholdsoutthebeaconofhopeforalittlewhileandthenpassesfromnoticeforever。InMayitisthe"Monitor"thatissuretobringaffluence，thoughrealizationisnolongerregardedasimmediate。

TouseaFrenchexpression，Ihave"gotmyd———dsatisfy"atlast。

Twoyears’timewillmakeuscapitalists，inspiteofanything。

Thereforeweneedfretandfumeandworryanddoubtnomore，butjustliestillandputupwithprivationforsixmonths。Perhaps3

monthswill"letusout。"Then，ifgovernmentrefusestopaytherentonyournewofficewecandoitourselves。Wehavegottowaitsixweeks，anyhow，foradividend——maybelonger——butthatitwillcomethereisnoshadowofadoubt。Ihavegotthethingsifteddowntoadeadmoralcertainty。Iownone—eighthofthenew"MonitorLedge，ClemensCompany，"andmoneycan’tbuyafootofit；

becauseIknowittocontainourfortune。Theledgeissixfeetwide，andoneneedsnoglasstoseegoldandsilverinit……

WhenyouandIcameoutherewedidnotexpect’63or’64tofindusrichmen——andifthatpropositionhadbeenmadewewouldhaveaccepteditgladly。Now，itismade。Iamwilling，now，that"Neary’stunnel"oranybodyelse’stunnelshallsucceed。Someofthemmaybeatusafewmonths，butweshallbeonhandinthefullnessoftime，assureasfate。Iwouldhatetoswapchanceswithanymemberofthetribe……

Itisthesamemanwhotwenty—fiveyearslaterwouldfastenhisfaithandcapitaltoatype—settingmachineandrefusetoexchangestockinit，shareforshare，withtheMergenthalerlinotype。Headds：

ButIhavestruckmytentinEsmeralda，andIcarefornominesbutthosewhichIcansuperintendmyself。Iamacitizenherenow，andIamsatisfied，althoughRatioandIare"strapped"andwehaven’tthreedays’rationsinthehouse……Ishallworkthe"Monitor"andtheotherclaimswithmyownhands。Iprospected3/4ofapoundof"Monitor"yesterday，andRaishreduceditwiththeblow—pipe，andgotaboutioor112centsingoldandsilver，besidestheotherhalfofitwhichwespiltontheflooranddidn’tget……

Itriedtobreakahandsomechunkfromahugepieceofmydarling"Monitor"whichwebroughtfromthecroppingsyesterday，butitallsplinteredup，andIsendyouthescraps。Icallthat"choice"——anyd———dfoolwould。

Don’taskifithasbeenassayed，forithasn’t。Itdon’tneedit。

Itissimplyabletospeakforitself。Itissixfeetwideontop，andtraversedthroughwithveinswhosecolorproclaimstheirworth。

Whatthedevildoesamanwantwithanymorefeetwhenheownsintheinvinciblebomb—proof"Monitor"？

Thereismuchmoreofthis，andothersuchletters，mostofthemendingwithdemandsformoney。Theliving，thetools，theblasting—powder，andthehelpeatitupfasterthanOrion’ssalarycangrow。

"Sendme$50or$100，allyoucanspare；putaway$150subjecttomycall——weshallneeditsoonforthetunnel。"Thelettersarefullofsuchadmonition，andOrion，moreinsane，ifanything，thanhisbrother，isscrapinghisdollarsandpenniestogethertokeeptheminesgoing。Heisconstantlywarnedtobuynoclaimsonhisownaccountandpromisesfaithfully，butcannotresistnowandthenwhenluringbaitsarelaidbeforehim，thoughsuchventuresinvariablyresultinviolentandprofaneprotestsfromAurora。

"ThepickandshovelaretheonlyclaimsIhaveanyconfidenceinnow，"

theminerconcludes，afteronefierceoutburst。"Mybackissore，andmyhandsareblisteredwithhandlingthemto—day。"

Buteventhepickandshoveldidnotinspireconfidencealittlelater。

Hewritesthattheworkgoesslowly，veryslowly，butthattheystillhopetostrikeitsomeday。"But——ifwestrikeitrich——I’velostmyguess，that’sall。"Thenheadds："Couldn’tgoonthehillto—day。Itsnowed。Italwayssnowshere，Iexpect"；andthefinalheart—sickline，"Don’tyousupposetheyhaveprettymuchquitwritingathome？"

Thisismidsummer，andsnowstillinterfereswiththework。Onefeelsthedrearyuselessnessofthequest。

Yetresolutiondidnotwhollydie，orevenenthusiasm。Thesethingswereasrecurrentasnewprospects，whichwereplentifulenough。Inastillsubsequentletterhedeclaresthathewillneverlookuponhismother’sfaceagain，orhissister’s，orgetmarried，orrevisitthe"BannerState，"untilheisarichman，thoughthereislessassurancethandesperationinthewords。

In’RoughingIt’theauthortellsusthat，whenflourhadreachedonedollarapoundandhecouldnolongergetthedollar，heabandonedminingandwenttomilling"asacommonlaborerinaquartz—millattendollarsaweek。"Thisstatementrequiresmodification。Itwasnotentirelyforthemoneythatheundertookthelaborioustaskofwashing"riffles"and"screeningtailings。"Themoneywaswelcomeenough，nodoubt，butthegreaterpurposewastolearnrefining，sothatwhenhisminesdevelopedhecouldestablishhisownmillandpersonallysuperintendthework。Itislikehimtowishustobelievethathewasobligedtogiveupbeingaminingmagnatetobecomealaborerinaquartz—mill，forthereisagrimhumorintheconfession。Thatheabandonedthemillingexperimentattheendofaweekisatruestatement。Hegotaviolentcoldinthedampplace，andcameneargettingsalivated，hesaysinaletter，"workinginthequicksilverandchemicals。IhardlythinkIshalltrytheexperimentagain。Itisaconfiningbusiness，andIwillnotbeconfinedforloveormoney。"

Asrecreationafterthistryingexperience，Higbietookhimonatour，prospectingforthetraditional"CementMine，"alostclaimwhere，inadepositofcementrock，goldnuggetsweresaidtobeasthickasraisinsinafruitcake。Theydidnotfindthemine，buttheyvisitedMonoLake——

thatghastly，lifelessalkaliseaamongthehills，whichin’RoughingIt’

hehassovividlypictured。Itwasgoodtogetawayfromthestressofthings；andtheyrepeatedtheexperiment。TheymadeawalkingtriptoYosemite，carryingtheirpacks，campingandfishinginthatfar，tremendousisolation，whichinthosedaysfewhumanbeingshadevervisitedatall。Suchtripsfurnishedadeliciousrespitefromthefeveredstrugglearoundtunnelandshaft。Amidmountain—peaksandgiantforestsandbytumblingfallsthequestforgoldhardlyseemedworthwhile。Morethanoncethatsummerhewentaloneintothewildernesstofindhisbalanceandtogetawayentirelyfromhumankind。

XXXVI

LASTMININGDAYS

ItwaslateinJulywhenhewrote：

IfIdonotforgetit，Iwillsendyou，pernextmail，apinchofdecom。(decomposedrock)whichIpinchedwiththumbandfingerfromWideWestledgeawhileago。RaishandIhavesecured200outofacompanywith400ft。init，whichperhaps(theledge，Imean)isaspurfromtheW。W。——ourshaftisabout100ft。fromtheW。W。

shaft。Inordertogetin，weagreedtosink30ft。Wehavesublettoanothermanfor50ft。，andwepayforpowderandsharpeningtools。

Thiswasthe"BlindLead"claimofRoughingIt，buttheepisodeassetdowninthatbookissomewhatdramatized。ItisquitetruethathevisitedandnursedCaptainNyewhileHigbiewasofffollowingthe"Cement"’ignusfatuus’andthatthe"WideWest"holdingswereforfeitedthroughneglect。Butifthelosswasregardedasaheavyone，thelettersfailtoshowit。Itisamatterofdisputeto—daywhetherornottheclaimwaseverofanyvalue。Awell—knownCaliforniaauthor——[EllaSterlingCummins，authorofTheStoryoftheFiles，etc]——declares：

Nooneneedtofearthatherananychanceofbeingamillionairethroughthe"WideWest"mine，forthewriter，asachild，playedoverthathistoricspotandsawonlyashut—downmillanddesolateholeinthegroundtomarkthespotwhereover—hopefulmenhadsunkthousandsandthousands，thattheyneverrecovered。

The"BlindLead"episode，asrelated，ispresumablyataleofwhatmighthavehappened——apossibilityratherthananactuality。Itisvividlytrueinatmosphere，however，andformsastrongandnaturalclimaxforclosingtheminingepisode，whiletheliteraryprivilegewarrantsanylibertieshemayhavetakenforart’ssake。

Inrealitythecloseofhisminingcareerwasnotsuddenandspectacular；

itwasalingeringclose，areluctantandgradualsurrender。The"Josh"

letterstotheEnterprisehadawakenedatleastameasureofinterest，andOrionhadnotfailedtoidentifytheirauthorwhenanypromisingoccasionoffered；asaresultcertaintentativeovertureshadbeenmadeforsimilarmaterial。Orioneagerlycommunicatedsuchchances，forthemoneysituationwasbecomingadesperateone。AletterfromtheAuroraminerwrittenneartheendofJulypresentsthesituationveryfully。Anextractortwowillbesufficient：

MydebtsaregreaterthanIthoughtfor——Ibought$25worthofclothingandsent$25toHigbie，inthecementdiggings。Ioweabout$45or$50，andhavegotabout$45inmypocket。Buthowintheh——lIamgoingtoliveonsomethingover$100untilOctoberorNovemberissingular。Thefactis，Imusthavesomethingtodo，andthatshortly，too……NowwritetotheSacramentoUnionfolks，ortoMarsh，andtellthemI’llwriteasmanylettersaweekastheywantfor$10aweek。Myboardmustbepaid。TellthemIhavecorrespondedwiththeN。OrleansCrescentandotherpapers——andtheEnterprise。

Iftheywantlettersfromhere——who’llrunfrommorningtillnightcollectingmaterialcheaper？I’llwriteashortlettertwiceaweek，forthepresentforthe’Age’，for$5perweek。NowithasbeenalongtimesinceIcouldn’tmakemyownliving，anditshallbealongtimebeforeIloafanotheryear。

Nothingcameofthesepossibilities，butaboutthistimeBarstow，oftheEnterprise，conferredwithJosephT。Goodman，editorandownerofthepaper，astotheadvisabilityofaddingtheauthorofthe"Josh"letterstotheirlocalstaff。JoeGoodman，whohadaskeenaliteraryperceptionasanymanthateverpitchedajournalistictentonthePacificcoast(andtherecouldbenohigherpraisethanthat)，lookedoverthelettersandagreedwithBarstowthatthemanwhowrotethemhad"somethinginhim。"Twoofthesketchesinparticularhethoughtpromising。Oneofthemwasaburlesquereportofanegotisticallecturerwhowasreferredtoas"ProfessorPersonalPronoun。"Itclosedbystatingthatitwas"impossibletoprinthislectureinfull，asthetype—caseshadrunoutofcapitalI’s。"ButitwastheothersketchwhichsettledGoodman’sdecision。Itwasalsoaburlesquereport，thistimeofaFourth—of—Julyoration。Itopened，"IwassiredbytheGreatAmericanEagleandfoaledbyacontinentaldam。"Thiswasfollowedbyastringofstockpatrioticphrasesabsurdlyarranged。ButitwastheopeningitselfthatwonGoodman’sheart。

"Thatisthesortofthingwewant，"hesaid。"Writetohim，Barstow，andaskhimifhewantstocomeuphere。"

Barstowwrote，offeringtwenty—fivedollarsaweek，atemptingsum。ThiswasattheendofJuly，1862。

In’RoughingIt’weareledtobelievethattheauthorregardedthisasagiftfromheavenandaccepteditstraightaway。Asamatteroffact，hefastedandprayedagoodwhileoverthe"call。"ToOrionhewroteBarstowhasofferedmethepostaslocalreporterfortheEnterpriseat$25aweek，andIhavewrittenhimthatIwilllethimknownextmail，ifpossible。

Therewasnodesperateeagerness，yousee，tobreakintoliterature，evenunderthoseurgentconditions。Itmeantthesurrenderofallhopeinthemines，theconfessionofanotherfailure。OnAugust7thhewroteagaintoOrion。HehadwrittentoBarstow，hesaid，askingwhentheythoughthemightbeneeded。Hewasplayingfortimetoconsider。

Now，Ishallleaveatmidnightto—night，aloneandonfoot，forawalkof60or70milesthroughatotallyuninhabitedcountry，anditisbarelypossiblethatmailfacilitiesmayproveinfernally"slow。"ButdoyouwriteBarstowthatIhavelefthereforaweekorso，andincaseheshouldwantme，hemustwritemehere，orletmeknowthroughyou。

Sohehadgoneintothewildernesstofightouthisbattlealone。Buteightdayslater，whenhehadreturned，therewasstillnodecision。InalettertoPamelaofthisdateherefersplayfullytothediscomfortsofhiscabinandmentionsahopethathewillspendthewinterinSanFrancisco；butthereisnoreferenceinittoanynewspaperprospects——

nortothemines，forthatmatter。Phillips，Howland，andHigbiewouldseemtohavegivenupbythistime，andhewascampingwithDanTwingandadog，acombinationamusinglydescribed。Itisapleasantenoughletter，butthenoteofdiscouragementcreepsin：

Ididthinkforawhileofgoinghomethisfall——butwhenIfoundthatthatwas，andhadbeen，thecherishedintentionandthedarlingaspirationeveryyearoftheseoldcare—wornCaliforniansfortwelvewearyyears，Ifeltalittleuncomfortable，soIstoleamarchonDisappointmentandsaidIwouldnotgohomethisfall。Thiscountrysuitsme，anditshallsuitmewhetherorno。

Hewasdyinghard，desperatelyhard；howcouldheknow，toparaphrasetheoldformofChristiancomfort，thathisendasaminerwouldmean，inanothersphere，"abrighterresurrection"thanevenhisrainbowimaginationcouldpaint？

XXXVII

THENEWESTATE

Itwastheafternoonofahot，dustyAugustdaywhenaworn，travel—

stainedpilgrimdriftedlagginglyintotheofficeoftheVirginiaCityEnterprise，theninitsnewbuildingonCStreet，and，looseningaheavyrollofblanketsfromhisshoulders，droppedwearilyintoachair。Heworearustyslouchhat，nocoat，afadedblueflannelshirt，aNavyrevolver；histrouserswerehangingonhisboottops。Atangleofreddish—brownhairfellonhisshoulders，andamassoftawnybeard，dingywithalkalidust，droppedhalf—waytohiswaist。

AuroralayonehundredandthirtymilesfromVirginia。Hehadwalkedthatdistance，carryinghisheavyload。EditorGoodmanwasabsentatthemoment，buttheotherproprietor，DenisE。McCarthy，signifiedthatthecallermightstatehiserrand。Thewandererregardedhimwithafar—awaylookandsaid，absentlyandwithdeliberation：

"Mystarboardlegseemstobeunshipped。I’dlikeaboutonehundredyardsofline；IthinkIamfallingtopieces。"Thenheadded："IwanttoseeMr。Barstow，orMr。Goodman。MynameisClemens，andI’vecometowriteforthepaper。"

Itwasthemasteroftheworld’swidestestatecometoclaimhiskingdom：

WilliamWright，whohadwonawidecelebrityontheCoastasDandeQuille，wasintheeditorialchairandtookchargeofthenewarrival。

HewasgoingonatriptotheStatessoon；itwasmainlyonthisaccountthatthenewmanhadbeenengaged。The"Josh"letterswereverygood，inDan’sopinion；hegavetheirauthoracordialwelcome，andtookhimaroundtohisboarding—place。ItwasthebeginningofanassociationthatcontinuedduringSamuelClemens’sstayinVirginiaCityandofafriendshipthatlastedmanyyears。

TheTerritorialEnterprisewasoneofthemostremarkablefrontierpaperseverpublished。Itseditor—in—chief，JosephGoodman，wasamanwithrareappreciation，widehumanunderstanding，andacomprehensivenewspaperpolicy。Beingayoungman，hehadnopolicy，infact，beyondthegeneralpurposethathispapershouldbeaforumforabsolutelyfreespeech，providedanyseriousstatementitcontainedwasbaseduponknowledge。

Hisinstructionstothenewreporterwereaboutasfollows：

"Neversaywelearnsoandso，oritisrumored，orweunderstandsoandso；butgotoheadquartersandgettheabsolutefacts；thenspeakoutandsayitissoandso。Intheonecaseyouarelikelytobeshot，andintheotheryouareprettycertaintobe；butyouwillpreservethepublicconfidence。"

GoodmanwasnotnewtotheWest。HehadcometoCaliforniaasaboyandhadbeenaminer，explorer，printer，andcontributorbyturns。Earlyin’61，whentheComstockLode——[Namedforitsdiscoverer，HenryT。P。

Comstock，ahalf—crazyminer，whorealizedverylittlefromhisstupendousfind。]——wasnewandVirginiainthefirstflushofitsmonsterboom，heandDenisMcCarthyhadscrapedtogetherafewdollarsandboughtthepaper。Ithadbeenahand—to—handstruggleforawhile，butinabrieftwoyears，fromastarvingsheetinashantytheEnterprise，withnewbuilding，newpresses，andacorpsofswiftcompositorsbroughtupfromSanFrancisco，hadbecomealtogethermetropolitan，aswellasthemostwidelyconsideredpaperontheCoast。

IthadbeenborneupwardbytheComstocktide，thoughitsfearless，picturesqueutterancewouldhavegivenitdistinctionanywhere。Goodmanhimselfwasafine，forcefulwriter，andDandeQuilleandR。M。Daggett(afterwardUnitedStatesministertoHawaii)wererepresentativeofEnterprisemen。——[TheComstockofthatdaybecamefamousforitsjournalism。AssociatedwiththeVirginiapapersthenorsoonafterwardweresuchmenasTomFitch(thesilver—tonguedorator)，AlfDoten，W。J。

Forbes，C。C。Goodwin，H。R。Mighels，ClementT。Rice，ArthurMcEwen，andSamDavis——agreatarrayindeedforanewTerritory。]——

SamuelClemensfittedpreciselyintothisgroup。Headdedthefresh，ruggedvigorofthoughtandexpressionthatwastheveryessenceoftheComstock，whichwaslikeeveryotherfrontiermining—camp，onlyonamorelavish，moreoverwhelmingscale。

TherewasnouncertaintyabouttheComstock；thesilverandgoldwerethere。FlankingthefootofMountDavidson，thetownsofGoldHillandVirginiaandthelongstreetbetweenwerefairlyunderburrowedandunderpinnedbythegiganticminingconstructionofthatopulentlodewhosetreasureswereactuallygluttingthemineralmarketsoftheworld。

Thestreetsoverheadseethedandswarmedwithminers，mineowners，andadventurers——riotous，rollickingchildrenoffortune，alwaysreadytodrinkandmakemerry，aseagerintheirpursuitofpleasureasofgold。

Comstockerswouldalwayslaughatajoke；therougherthebetter。ThetownofVirginiaitselfwasjustahugejoketomostofthem。Everybodyhad，money；everybodywantedtolaughandhaveagoodtime。TheEnterprise，"Comstocktothebackbone，"didwhatitcouldtohelpthingsalong。

Itwasasortoffreering，witheveryoneforhimself。Goodmanlettheboyswriteandprintinaccordancewiththeirownideasanduponanysubject。Oftentheywroteofeachother——squibsandburlesques，whichgratifiedtheComstockfarmorethanmerenews。——[Theindifferenceto’news’wasnoble——nonethelesssobecauseitwassoblissfullyunconscious。EditorsMarkorDanwoulddismissamurderwithacoupleofinchesandsitdownandfillupacolumnwithafancysketch。"ArthurMcEwen]——Itwastheproperclass—roomforMarkTwain，anencouragingaudienceandfreeutterance：fortunecouldhavedevisednothingbetterforhimthanthat。

Hewaspeculiarlyfittedfortheposition。Unspoiledhumanityappealedtohim，andtheComstockpresentedhumannatureinitsearliestlandscapeforms。Furthermore，theComstockwasessentiallyoptimistic——sowashe；

anyholeinthegroundtohimheldapossible，evenaprobable，fortune。

Hispilotmemorybecameavaluableassetinnews—gathering。Rememberingmarks，banks，sounding，andotherriverdetailbelongedapparentlyinthesamecategoryofattainmentsasrememberingitemsandlocalitiesofnews。

Hecouldtravelalldaywithoutanote—bookandatnightreproducetheday’sbudgetoratleastthepicturesquenessofit，withouterror。Hewaspresentlyaccountedagoodreporter，exceptwherestatistics——

measurementsandfigures——wereconcerned。Thesehegave"alickandapromise，"accordingtoDeQuille，whowroteafterwardoftheirassociations。DeQuillesaysfurther：

MarkandIagreedwellinourwork，whichwedividedwhentherewasarushofevents；butweoftencruisedincompany，hetakingtheitemsofnewshecouldhandlebest，andIsuchasIfeltcompetenttoworkup。However，wewroteatthesametableandfrequentlyhelpedeachotherwithsuchsuggestionsasoccurredtousduringthebriefconsultationsweheldinregardtothehandlingofanymattersofimportance。Neverwasthereanangrywordbetweenusinallthetimeweworkedtogether。

DeQuilletellshowClemensclippeditemswithaknifewhentherewerenoscissorshandy，andslashedthroughonthetopofhisdesk，whichintimetookonthesemblance"ofahugepolarstar，spiritedlydashingforthathousandrays。"

Theauthorof’RoughingIt’hasgivenusabetterpictureoftheVirginiaCityofthosedaysandhisworktherethananyoneelsewilleverwrite。

Hehasmade"usfeelthegeneralspiritofaffluencethatprevailed；howtheproblemwasnottogetmoney，buttospendit；how"feet"inanyoneofahundredminescouldbehadfortheasking；howsuchshareswereofferedlikeapplesorcigarsorbonbons，asanaturalmatterofcourtesywhenonehappenedtohavehissupplyinview；howanyoneconnectedwithanewspaperwouldhavestocksthrustuponhim，andhowinabrieftimehehadacquiredatrunkfulofsuchrichesandusuallyhadsomethingtosellwhenanyoftheclaimsmadeastironthemarket。Hehastoldusofthedesperadoesandtheirtriflingregardforhumanlife，andpreservedotherelementalcharactersoftheseprodigaldays。ThefuneralofBuckFanshawthatamazingmasterpiece——isacompleteepitomeofthesocialfrontier。

ItwouldnotbethepartofwisdomtoattemptanotherinclusivepresentationofComstockconditions。Wemayonlyhopetoaddafewdetailsofhistory，justifiednowbytimeandcircumstances，tosupplementthepicturewithcertaindataofpersonalitypreservedfromthedriftofyears。

XXXVIII

ONEOFTHE"STAFF"

Thenewreporterfoundacquaintanceeasy。Theofficeforcewaslikeonefamilyamongwhichtherewasnolineofcaste。Proprietors，editors，andprintersweresocialequals；therewaslittleceremonyamongthem——noneatalloutsideoftheoffice。——["Thepaperwenttopressattwointhemorning，thenallthestaffandallthecompositorsgatheredthemselvestogetherinthecomposing—roomanddrankbeerandsangthepopularwar—

songsofthedayuntildawn。"——S。L。C。，in1908。]——SamuelClemensimmediatelybecame"Sam，"or"Josh，"tohisassociates，justasDeQuillewas"Dan"andGoodman"Joe。"HefoundthathedislikedthenameofJosh，and，ashedidnotsignitagain，itwaspresentlydropped。Theoffice，andVirginiaCitygenerally，quicklygrewfondofhim，delightinginhisoriginalityandmeasuredspeech。Enterprisereadersbegantoidentifyhiswork，thenunsigned，andtoenjoyitsfreshphrasing，evenwhenitwasonlytheusuallocalitemorminingnotice。Truetoitsnameandreputation，thepaperhadaddedanewattraction。

ItwasonlyabrieftimeafterhisarrivalinVirginiaCitythatClemensbegantheseriesofhoaxeswhichwouldcarryhisreputation，notalwaysinanenviablefashion，acrosstheSierrasanddownthePacificcoast。

Withoneexceptionthesearelostto—day，forsofarasknownthereisnotasinglefileoftheEnterpriseinexistence。Onlyafewstraycopiesandclippingsarepreserved，butweknowthestoryofsomeoftheseliterarypranksandoftheirresults。Theywereusuallyintendedasaspecialpunishmentofsomeparticularindividualorpaperorlocality；butvictimsweregatheredbythewholesaleintheirseductiveweb。MarkTwainhimself，inhisbookofSketches，hassetdownsomethingconcerningthefirstofthese，"ThePetrifiedMan，"andofanother，"MyBloodyMassacre，"butinneithercasehashetolditall。"ThePetrifiedMan"hoaxwasdirectedatanofficialnamedSewall，acoronerandjusticeofthepeaceatHumboldt，whohadbeenpompouslyindifferentinthematterofsupplyingnews。Thestory，toldwithgreatcircumstanceandapparentcareastodetail，relatedthefindingofapetrifiedprehistoricman，partiallyimbeddedinarock，inacaveinthedesertmorethanonehundredmilesfromHumboldt，andhowSewallhadmadetheperilousfive—dayjourneyinthealkaliwastetoholdaninquestoveramanthathadbeendeadthreehundredyears；alsohow，"withthatdelicacysocharacteristicofhim，"Sewallhadforbiddentheminersfromblastinghimfromhisposition。Theaccountfurtherstatedthatthehandsofthedeceasedwerearrangedinapeculiarfashion；andthedescriptionofthearrangementwassoskilfullywoveninwithothermattersthatatfirst，orevensecond，readingonemightnotseethatthepositionindicatedwastheancientonewhichbeginswiththethumbatthenoseandinmanyageshasbeenusedimpolitelytoexpressridiculeandtheword"sold。"Butthedescriptionwasashadetooingenious。TheauthorexpectedthattheexchangeswouldseethejoltandperhapsassistinthefunhewouldhavewithSewall。Hedidnotcontemplateajokeonthepapersthemselves。Asamatteroffact，noonesawthe"sell"andmostofthepapersprintedhisstoryofthepetrifiedmanasagenuinediscovery。Thiswasasurprise，andamomentarydisappointment；thenherealizedthathehadbuildedbetterthanheknew。HegatheredupabundleoftheexchangesandsentthemtoSewall；alsohesentmarkedcopiestoscientificmeninvariouspartsoftheUnitedStates。Thepapershadtakenitseriously；

perhapsthescientistswould。Someofthemdid，andSewall’sdaysbecameunhappybecauseoflettersreceivedaskingfurtherinformation。Asliterature，theeffortdidnotrankhigh，andasatrickonanobscureofficialitwashardlyworthwhile；but，asajokeontheCoastexchangesandpressgenerally，itwasgreatlyregardedanditsauthor，thoughasyetunnamed，acquiredprestige。

InquiriesbegantobemadeastowhowasthesmartchapinVirginiathatdidthesethings。ThepapersbecamewaryandreadEnterpriseitemstwicebeforeclippingthem。Clemensturnedhisattentiontoothermatterstolullsuspicion。Thegreat"DutchNickMassacre"didnotfollowuntilayearlater。

ReferencehasalreadybeenmadetotheComstock’sdelightinhumorofapositivesort。ThepracticaljokewaslegaltenderinVirginia。Onemightprotestandswear，buthemusttakeit。AnexampleofComstockhumor，regardedasthefinestassay，isanincidentstilltoldofLeslieBlackburnandPatHolland，twogaymenabouttown。TheywerecomingdownCStreetonemorningwhentheysawsomefinewatermelonsonafruit—standattheInternationalHotelcorner。Watermelonswererareandcostlyinthatdayandlocality，andthesewereworththreedollarsapiece。

Blackburnsaid：

"Pat，let’sgetoneofthosewatermelons。YouengagethatfellowinconversationwhileIstandatthecorner，whereIcansteparoundoutofsighteasily。Whenyouhavegothiminterested，pointtosomethingonthebackshelfandpitchmeamelon。"

ThisappealedtoHolland，andhecarriedouthispartoftheplanperfectly；butwhenhepitchedthewatermelonBlackburnsimplyputhishandsinhispockets，andsteppedaroundthecomer，leavingthemelonafearfuldisasteronthepavement。ItwasalmostimpossibleforPattoexplaintothefruit—manwhyhepitchedawayathree—dollarmelonlikethatevenafterpayingforit，anditwasstillmoretrying，alsomoreexpensive，toexplaintotheboysfacingthevariousbarsalongCStreet。

SamClemens，himselfapracticaljokerinhisyouth，foundahealthydelightinthisknock—downhumoroftheComstock。Itappealedtohisvigorous，elementalnature。Heseldomindulgedphysicallyinsuchthings；buthisprintedsquibsandhoaxesandhiskeenloveoftheridiculousplacedhiminthejokerclass，whilehisprompttemper，drollmanner，andraregiftofinvectivemadehimanenticingvictim。

AmongtheEnterprisecompositorswasonebythenameofStephenE。

Gillis(Steve，ofcourse——oneofthe"fightingGillises")，asmall，fearlessyoungfellow，handsome，quickofwit，witheyeslikeneedle—

points。

"Steveweighedonlyninety—fivepounds，"MarkTwainoncewroteofhim，"butitwaswellknownthroughouttheTerritorythatwithhisfistshecouldwhipanybodythatwalkedontwolegs，lethisweightandsciencebewhattheymight。"

ClemenswasfondofSteveGillisfromthefirst。Thetwobecamecloselyassociatedintime，andwerealwaysbosomfriends；butStevewasamercilessjoker，andneveraslongastheyweretogethercouldhe"resistthetemptationofmakingSamswear，"claimingthathisprofanitywasgranderthananymusic。

AwordhereaboutMarkTwain’sprofanity。Bornwithamatchlessgiftofphrase，theprinting—office，theriver，andthemineshaddevelopeditinarareperfection。Tohearhimdenounceathingwastogiveonethefierce，searchingdelightofgalvanicwaves。Everycharacterizationseemedthemostperfectfitpossibleuntilheappliedthenext。Andsomehowhisprofanitywasseldomanoffense。Itwasnotmereidleswearing；itseemedalwaysgenuineandserious。Hisselectionofepithetwasalwaysdignifiedandstately，fromwhateversource——anditmightbefromtheBibleorthegutter。Someonehasdefineddirtasmisplacedmatter。Itisperhapsthegreatestdefinitioneveruttered。Itisabsolutelyuniversalinitsapplication，anditrecursnow，rememberingMarkTwain’sprofanity。Foritwasrarelymisplaced；henceitdidnotoftenoffend。Itseemed，infact，thesafety—valveofhishigh—pressureintellectualengine。Whenhehadblownoffhewasalwayscalm，gentle；

forgiving，andeventender。Oncefollowinganoutbursthesaid，placidly：

"Incertaintryingcircumstances，urgentcircumstances，desperatecircumstances，profanityfurnishesareliefdeniedeventoprayer。"

Itseemspropertoaddthatitisnotthepurposeofthisworktomagnifyormodifyorexcusethatextremeexampleofhumankindwhichformsitschiefsubject；buttosethimdownashewasinadequately，ofcourse，butwithgoodconscienceandclearintent。

LedbySteveGillis，theEnterpriseforceusedtodevisetrickstosethimgoing。Oneofthesewastohidearticlesfromhisdesk。Hedetestedtheworknecessarytothecareofalamp，andwrotebythelightofacandle。Tohide"Sam’scandle"wasasurewaytogetpromptandvigorousreturn。Hewouldlookforitalittle；thenhewouldbeginaslow，circularwalk——ahabitacquiredinthelimitationsofthepilot—house——

andhisdenunciationofthethieveswaslikeagreatorchestrationofwrong。Byandbytheofficeboy，supposedlyinnocent，wouldfindanotherforhim，andallwouldbeforgotten。Hemadeaplacard，labeledwithfearfulthreatsandanathemas，warninganyoneagainsttouchinghiscandle；butonenightboththeplacardandthecandleweregone。

Now，amounghisVirginiaacquaintanceswasayoungminister，aMr。

Rising，"thefragile，gentlenewfledgling"oftheBuckFanshawepisode。

ClemensgreatlyadmiredMr。Rising’sevidentsincerity，andtheyoungministerhadquicklyrecognizedthenewreporter’ssuperiorityofmind。

Nowandthenhecametotheofficetocallonhim。Unfortunately，hehappenedtostepinjustatthatmomentwhen，infuriatedbythelatesttheftofhisproperty，SamuelClemenswasengagedinhisrotarydenunciationofthecriminals，obliviousofeveryothercircumstance。

Mr。Risingstoodspellboundbythis，tohim，newphaseofgenius，andatlasthisfriendbecamedimlyawareofhim。Hedidnothaltinhisscathingtreadmillandcontinuedintheslowmonotoneofspeech：

"Iknow，Mr。Rising，Iknowit’swickedtotalklikethis；Iknowitiswrong。IknowIshallcertainlygotohellforit。Butifyouhadacandle，Mr。Rising，andthosethievesshouldcarryitoffeverynight，I

knowthatyouwouldsay，justasIsay，Mr。Rising，G—dd——ntheirimpenitentsouls，maytheyroastinhellforamillionyears。"

Thelittleclergymancaughthisbreath。

"MaybeIshould，Mr。Clemens，"hereplied，"butIshouldtrytosay，’Forgivethem，Father，theyknownotwhattheydo。’"

"Oh，well！ifyouputitonthegroundthattheyarejustfools，thataltersthecase，asIamoneofthatclassmyself。Comeinandwe’lltrytoforgivethemandforgetaboutit。"

——[MarkTwainhadagoodmanyexperienceswithyoungministers。Hewasalwaysfondofthem，andtheyoftensoughthimout。Once，longafterward，atahotel，hewantedaboytopolishhisshoes，andhadrunganumberoftimeswithoutgettinganyresponse。Presently，hethoughtheheardsomebodyapproachinginthehalloutside。Heflungopenthedoor，andasmall，youngish—lookingperson，whoseemedtohavebeenhesitatingatthedoor，madeamovementasthoughtodeparthastily。Clemensgrabbedhimbythecollar。

"Lookhere，"hesaid，"I’vebeenwaitingandringinghereforhalfanhour。NowIwantyoutotakethoseshoes，andpolishthem，quick。Doyouhear？"

Theslim，youthfulpersontrembledagooddeal，andsaid："Iwould，Mr。

Clemens，Iwouldindeed，sir，ifIcould。ButI’maministeroftheGospel，andI’mnotpreparedforsuchwork。"

XXXIX

PHILOSOPHYANDPOETRY

TherewasasidetoSamuelClemensthatinthosedaysfewofhisassociatessaw。Thiswasthepoetic，thephilosophic，thecontemplativeside。JosephGoodmanrecognizedthisphaseofhischaracter，and，whileheperhapsdidnotregarditasafutureliteraryasset，hedelightedinit，andintheirhoursofquietassociationtogetherencourageditsexhibition。ItisrathercuriousthatwithallhisliterarypenetrationGoodmandidnotdreamofafuturecelebrityforClemens。Heafterwardsaid：

"IfIhadbeenaskedtoprophesywhichofthetwomen，DandeQuilleorSam，wouldbecomedistinguished，IshouldhavesaidDeQuille。Danwastalented，industrious，and，forthattimeandplace，brilliant。Ofcourse，IrecognizedtheunusualnessofSam’sgifts，buthewaseccentricandseemedtolackindustry；itisnotlikelythatIshouldhaveprophesiedfameforhimthen。"

Goodman，likeMacFarlaneinCincinnati，halfadozenyearsbefore，thoughbyadifferentmethod，discoveredanddevelopedthedeepervein。Oftenthetwo，diningtogetherinaFrenchrestaurant，discussedlife，subtlerphilosophies，recalledvariousphasesofhumanhistory，rememberedandrecitedthepoemsthatgavethemespecialenjoyment。"TheBurialofMoses，"withitsnoblephrasingandmajesticimagery，appealedstronglytoClemens，andhereciteditwithgreatpower。Thefirststanzainparticularalwaysstirredhim，anditstirredhisheareraswell。Witheyeshalfclosedandchinlifted，alightedcigarbetweenhisfingers，hewouldlosehimselfinthemusicofthestatelylines。

ByNebo’slonelymountain，OnthissideJordan’swave，InavaleinthelandofMoab，Thereliesalonelygrave。

Andnomanknowsthatsepulchre，Andnomansawite’er，FortheangelsofGod，upturnedthesod，Andlaidthedeadmanthere。

Anotherstanzathathecaredforalmostasmuchwastheonebeginning：

Andhadhenothighhonor——

Thehill—sideforapall，TolieinstatewhileangelswaitWithstarsfortaperstall，Andthedarkrock—pines，liketossingplumes，Overhisbiertowave，AndGod’sownhandinthatlonelyland，Tolayhiminthegrave？

Withoutdoubthewasmovedtoemulatethesimplegrandeurofthatpoem，forheoftenrepeateditinthosedays，andsomewhatlaterwefinditcopiedintohisnotebookinfull。Itwouldseemtohavebecometohimasortofliterarytouchstone；andinsomemeasureitmayberegardedasaccountableforthefactthatinthefullnessoftime"hemadeuseofthepurestEnglishofanymodernwriter。"TheseareGoodman’swords，thoughWilliamDeanHowellshassaidthem，also，insubstance，andBranderMatthews，andmanyotherswhoknowaboutsuchthings。Goodmanadds，"Thesimplicityandbeautyofhisstylearealmostwithoutaparallel，exceptinthecommonversionoftheBible，"whichisalsotrue。OneisremindedofwhatMacaulaysaidofMilton：

"Therewouldseematfirstsighttobenomoreinhiswordsthaninotherwords。Buttheyarewordsofenchantment。Nosooneraretheypronouncedthanthepastispresentandthedistancenear。Newformsofbeautystartatonceintoexistence，andalltheburial—placesofthememorygiveuptheirdead。"

Onedriftsahead，rememberingthesethings。Thetriumphofwords，themasteryofphrases，layallbeforehimatthetimeofwhichwearewritingnow。Hewastwenty—seven。AtthatageRudyardKiplinghadreachedhismeridian。SamuelClemenswasstillintheclassroom。