第6章

Everythingcameasalesson—phrase，form，aspect，andcombination；

nothingescapedunvalued。Thepoeticphaseofthingsparticularlyimpressedhim。OnceatadinnerwithGoodman，whenthelamp—lightfromthechandelierstruckdownthroughtheclaretonthetableclothinagreatredstain，hepointedtoitdramatically"Look，Joe，"hesaid，"theangrytintofwine。"

Itwasatoneoftheseprivatesessions，latein’62，thatClemensproposedtoreportthecomingmeetingoftheCarsonlegislature。Heknewnothingofsuchworkandhadsmallknowledgeofparliamentaryproceedings。FormerlyithadbeendonebyamannamedGillespie，butGillespiewasnowclerkofthehouse。Goodmanhesitated；then，rememberingthatwhetherClemensgotthereportsrightornot，hewouldatleastmakethemreadable，agreedtolethimundertakethework。

XL

"MARKTWAIN"

TheearlyNevadalegislaturewasaninterestingassembly。AllStatelegislaturesarethat，andthiswasaminingfrontier。Noattemptcanbemadetodescribeit。Itwaschieflydistinguishedforalargeignoranceofprocedure，awidelatitudeofspeech，anobleappreciationofhumor，andplentyofbrains。HowfortunateMaskTwainwasinhisschooling，tobekeptawayfrominstitutionaltraining，tobeplacedinoneafteranotherofthoseuniversitiesoflifewherethesolecurriculumisthestudyofthenativeinclinationsandactivitiesofmankind！Sometimes，inafter—years，heusedtoregretthelackofsystematictraining。Wellforhim——andforus——thatheescapedthatblight。

ForthestudyofhumannaturetheNevadaassemblywasaveritablelecture—room。Inithisunderstanding，hiswit，hisphrasing，hisself—

assurednessgrewlikeJack’sbean—stalk，whichintimewasreadytobreakthroughintoalandabovethesky。Hemadesomecuriousblundersinhisreports，inthebeginning；buthewassofrankinhisignoranceandinhisconfessionofitthattheveryunsophisticationofhisearlylettersbecametheirchiefcharm。Gillespiecoachedhimonparliamentarymatters，andintimethereportsbecametechnicallyaswellasartisticallygood。ClemensinreturnchristenedGillespie"Young，Jefferson’sManual，"atitlewhichhebore，ratherproudlyindeed，formanyyears。

Another"entitlement"growingoutofthoseearlyreports，andpossiblylesssatisfactorytoitsowner，wastheoneaccordedtoClementT。Rice，oftheVirginiaCityUnion。RiceknewthelegislativeworkperfectlyandconcludedtopokefunattheEnterpriseletters。

Butthiswasamistake。ClemensinhisnextletterdeclaredthatRice’sreportsmightbeparliamentaryenough，butthattheycoveredwithglitteringtechnicalitiesthemostfesteringmassofmisstatement，andevencrime。Heavowedthattheywerewhollyuntrustworthy；dubbedtheauthorofthem"TheUnreliable，"andinfuturelettersneverreferredtohimbyanyotherterm。CarsonandtheComstockandthepapersoftheCoastdelightedinthisburlesquejournalisticwarfare，andRicewas"TheUnreliable"forlife。

RiceandClemens，itshouldbesaid，thoughrivals，werethebestoffriends，andtherewasneveranyrealanimositybetweenthem。

Clemensquicklybecameafavoritewiththemembers；hissharpletters，withtheiramusingturnofphraseandtheirsincerity，wongeneralfriendship。JackSimmons，speakerofthehouse，andBillyClagget，theHumboldtdelegation，werehisspecialcroniesandkepthimontheinsideofthepoliticalmachine。ClaggethadremainedinUnionvilleaftertheminingventure，warnedhisKeokuksweetheart，andsettleddownintopoliticsandlaw。InduetimehewouldbecomealeadinglightandgotoCongress。Hewasalreadyanotablefigureofforcefuleloquenceandtousled，unkempthair。Simmons，Clagget，andClemenswereeasilythethreeconspicuousfiguresofthesession。

ItmusthavebeengratifyingtotheformerprospectorandminertocomebacktoCarsonCityapersonofconsequence，wherelessthanayearbeforehehadbeenregardedasnomorethananamusingindolentfellow，afiguretosmileat，butunimportant。ThereisaphotographextantofClemensandhisfriendsClaggetandSimmonsinagroup，andwegatherfromitthathenowarrayedhimselfinalongbroadclothcloak，astarchedshirt，andpolishedboots。Oncemorehehadbecometheglassoffashionthathehadbeenontheriver。HemadehisresidencewithOrion，whosewifeandlittledaughterJenniehadbythistimecomeoutfromtheStates。"SisterMollie，"aswifeoftheactinggovernor，waspresentlysocialleaderofthelittlecapital；herbrilliantbrother—in—lawitschiefornament。Hismerrimentandsongsandgoodnaturemadehimafavoriteguest。Hislineshadfalleninpleasantplaces；hecouldaffordtosmileatthehardEsmeraldadays。

Hewasnotaltogethersatisfied。Hisletters，copiedandquotedallalongtheCoast，wereunsigned。Theywereeasilyidentifiedwithoneanother，butnotwithapersonality。Herealizedthattobuildareputationitwasnecessarytofastenittoanindividuality，aname。

Hegavethematteragooddealofthought。Hedidnotconsidertheuseofhisownname；the’nomdeplume’wasthefashionofthetime。Hewantedsomethingbrief，crisp，definite，unforgettable。Hetriedoveragoodmanycombinationsinhismind，butnoneseemedconvincing。Justthen——thiswasearlyin1863——newscametohimthattheoldpilothehadwoundedbyhissatire，IsaiahSellers，wasdead。Atoncethepen—nameofCaptainSellersrecurredtohim。Thatwasit；thatwasthesortofnamehewanted。Itwasnottrivial；ithadallthequalities——Sellerswouldneverneeditagain。Clemensdecidedhewouldgiveitanewmeaningandnewassociationinthisfar—awayland。HewentuptoVirginiaCity。

"Joe，"hesaid，toGoodman，"Iwanttosignmyarticles。Iwanttobeidentifiedtoawideraudience。"

"Allright，Sam。Whatnamedoyouwanttouse’Josh’？"

"No，Iwanttosignthem’MarkTwain。’Itisanoldriverterm，aleads—

man’scall，signifyingtwofathoms——twelvefeet。Ithasarichnessaboutit；itwasalwaysapleasantsoundforapilottohearonadarknight；

itmeantsafewater。"

HedidnotthenmentionthatCaptainIsaiahSellershadusedanddroppedthename。Hewasashamedofhispartinthatepisode，andtheoffensewasstilltoorecentforconfession。Goodmanconsideredamoment：

"Verywell，Sam，"hesaid，"thatsoundslikeagoodname。"

Itwasindeedagoodname。Inallthenomenclatureoftheworldnomoreforcefulcombinationofwordscouldhavebeenselectedtoexpressthemanforwhomtheystood。ThenameMarkTwainisasinfinite，asfundamentalasthatofJohnSmith，withoutthelatter’swastingdistributionofstrength。IfalltheprestigeinthenameofJohnSmithwerecombinedinasingleindividual，itsdynamicenergymightgiveitthecarryingpowerofMarkTwain。Letthisbeasitmay，ithasproventhegreatest’nomdeplume’everchosen——anameexactlyinaccordwiththeman，hiswork，andhiscareer。

ItisnotsurprisingthatGoodmandidnotrecognizethisatthemoment。

Weshouldnotguesstheforcethatliesinatwelve—inchshellifwehadneverseenonebeforeorheardofitsseismicdestruction。Weshouldhavetowaitandseeitfired，andtakeaccountoftheresult。

ItwasfirstsignedtoaCarsonletterbearingdateofFebruary2，1863，andfromthattimewasattachedtoallSamuelClemens’swork。Theworkwasneitherbetternorworsethanbefore，butithadsuddenlyacquiredidentificationandspecialinterest。MembersofthelegislatureandfriendsinVirginiaandCarsonimmediatelybegantoaddresshimas"Mark。"ThepapersoftheCoasttookitup，andwithinaperiodtobemeasuredbyweekshewasnolonger"Sam"or"Clemens"or"thatbrightchapontheEnterprise，"but"Mark"——"MarkTwain。"No’nomdeplume’waseversoquicklyandgenerallyacceptedasthat。DeQuille，returningfromtheEastafteranabsenceofseveralmonths，foundhisroomanddeskmatewiththedistinctionofanewnameandfame。

Itiscuriousthatintheletterstothehomefolkspreservedfromthatperiodthereisnomentionofhisnewtitleanditssuccess。Infact，thewriterrarelyspeaksofhisworkatall，andismoreinclinedtotelloftheminingshareshehasaccumulated，theirpresentandprospectivevalues。However，manyofthelettersareundoubtedlymissing。Suchashavebeenpreservedareratherairyepistlesfullofhisaboundingjoyoflifeandgoodnature。Alsotheybearevidenceoftherenewalofhisoldriverhabitofsendingmoneyhome——twentydollarsineachletter，withintervalsofaweekorsobetween。

XLI

THECREAMOFCOMSTOCKHUMOR

Withtheadjournmentofthelegislature，SamuelClemensreturnedtoVirginiaCitydistinctlyanotability——MarkTwain。HewasregardedasleadingmanontheEnterprise——whichinitselfwashighdistinctionontheComstock——whilehisimproveddressandincreasedprosperitycommandedadditionalrespect。Whenvisitorsofnotecamealong——well—knownactors，lecturers，politicians——hewasintroducedasoneoftheComstockfeatureswhichitwaspropertosee，alongwiththeOphirandGouldandCurrymines，andthenewhundred—stampquartz—mill。

Hewasrathergrievedandhurt，therefore，when，afterseveralcollectionshadbeentakenupintheEnterpriseofficetopresentvariousmembersofthestaffwithmeerschaumpipes，nonehadcometohim。HementionedthisapparentslighttoSteveGillis：

"Nobodyevergivesmeameerschaumpipe，"hesaid，plaintively。"Don’tI

deserveoneyet？"

Unhappyday！Tothatremorselesscreature，SteveGillis，thiswasagoldenopportunityfordeviltryofakindthatdelightedhissoul。Thisisthestory，preciselyasGillishimselftoldittothewriteroftheseannalsmorethanagenerationlater：

"TherewasaGermankeptacigarstoreinVirginiaCityandalwayshadafineassortmentofmeerschaumpipes。Thesepipesusuallycostanywherefromfortytoseventy—fivedollars。

"OnedayDenisMcCarthyandIwerewalkingbytheoldGerman’splace，andstoppedtolookinatthedisplayinthewindow。Amongotherthingstherewasonelargeimitationmeerschaumwithahighbowlandalongstem，markedadollarandahalf。

"IdecidedthatthatwouldbejustthepipeforSam。Wewentinandboughtit，alsoaverymuchlongerstem。Ithinkthestemalonecostthreedollars。ThenwehadalittleGerman—silverplateengravedwithMark’snameonitandbywhompresented，andmadepreparationsforthepresentation。CharliePope——[afterwardproprietorofPope’sTheater，St。Louis]——wasplayingattheOperaHouseatthetime，andweengagedhimtomakethepresentationspeech。

"ThenweletinDandeQuille，Mark’sclosestfriend，toactthepartofJudas——totellMarkprivatelythathe，wasgoingtobepresentedwithafinepipe，sothathecouldhaveaspeechpreparedinreplytoPope’s。

Itwasawfullow—downinDan。WearrangedtohavetheaffaircomeoffinthesaloonbeneaththeOperaHouseaftertheplaywasover。

"Everythingwentoffhandsomely；butitwasaprettyremorsefuloccasion，andsomeofushadahang—doglook；forSamtookitinsuchsincerity，andhadpreparedoneofthemostbeautifulspeechesIeverheardhimmake。Pope’spresentation，too，wasbeautifullydone。HetoldSamhowhisfriendsalllovedhim，andthatthispipe，purchasedatsogreatanexpense，wasbutasmalltokenoftheiraffection。ButSam’sreply，whichwassupposedtobeimpromptu，actuallybroughtthetearstotheeyesofsomeofus，andhewasinterruptedeveryotherminutewithapplause。Ineverfeltsosorryforanybody。

"Still，wewerebentonseeingthethingthrough。AfterSam’sspeechwasfinished，heorderedexpensivewines——champagneandsparklingMoselle。

Thenwewentouttodothetown，andkeptthingsgoinguntilmorningtodrownoursorrow。

"Well，nextday，ofcourse，hestartedintocolorthepipe。Itwouldn’tcoloranymorethanapieceofchalk，whichwasaboutallitwas。Samwouldsmokeandsmoke，andcomplainthatitdidn’tseemtotasteright，andthatitwouldn’tcolor。FinallyDenissaidtohimoneday：

"’Oh，Sam，don’tyouknowthat’sjustadamnedoldegg—shell，andthattheboysboughtitforadollarandahalfandpresentedyouwithitforajoke？’

"ThenSamwasfurious，andwelaidthewholethingonDandeQuille。Hehadathunder—cloudonhisfacewhenhestartedupfortheLocalRoom，whereDanwas。Hewentinandclosedthedoorbehindhim，andlockedit，andputthekeyinhispocket——anawfulsign。Danwastherealone，writingathistable。

"Samsaid，’Dan，didyouknow，whenyouinvitedmetomakethatspeech，thatthosefellowsweregoingtogivemeaboguspipe？’

"TherewasnowayforDantoescape，andheconfessed。Samwalkedupanddownthefloor，asiftryingtodecidewhichwaytoslayDan。Finallyhesaid：

"’Oh，Dan，tothinkthatyou，mydearestfriend，whoknewhowlittlemoneyIhad，andhowhardIwouldworktoprepareaspeechthatwouldshowmygratitudetomyfriends，shouldbethetraitor，theJudas，tobetraymewithakiss！Dan，Ineverwanttolookonyourfaceagain。

YouknewIwouldspendeverydollarIhadonthosepirateswhenI

couldn’taffordtospendanything；andyetyouletmedoit；youaidedandabettedtheirdiabolicalplan，andyouevengotmetogetupthatdamnedspeechtomakethethingstillmoreridiculous。’

"OfcourseDanfeltterribly，andtriedtodefendhimselfbysayingthattheywerereallygoingtopresenthimwithafinepipe——agenuineone，thistime。ButSamatfirstrefusedtobecomforted；andwhen，afewdayslater，Iwentinwiththepipeandsaid，’Sam，here’sthepipetheboysmeanttogiveyouallthetime，’andtriedtoapologize，helookedaroundalittlecoldly，andsaid：

"’Isthatanotherofthosebogusoldpipes？’

"Heacceptedit，though，andgeneralpeacewasrestored。Oneday，soonafter，hesaidtome：

"’Steve，doyouknowthatIthinkthatthatboguspipesmokesaboutaswellasthegoodone？’"

Manyyearslater(thiswasinhishomeatHartford，andJoeGoodmanwaspresent)MarkTwainonedaycameupontheoldimitationpipe。

"Joe，"hesaid，"thatwasacruel，crueltricktheboysplayedonme；

but，forthefeelingIhadduringthemomentwhentheypresentedmewiththatpipeandwhenCharliePopewasmakinghisspeechandIwasmakingmyreplytoit——forthememoryofthatfeeling，now，thatpipeismoreprecioustomethananypipeintheworld！"

Eighteenhundredandsixty—threewasflood—tideontheComstock。Everyminewasworkingfullblast。Everymillwasroaringandcrunching，turningoutstreamsofsilverandgold。Alittlewhileagoanoldresidentwrote：

WhenIclosemyeyesIhearagaintherespirationsofhoisting—

enginesandtheroarofstamps；Icanseethe"camels"aftermidnightpackinginsalt；IcanseeagainthejamofteamsonC

Streetandheartheanathemasofthedrivers——allthemightyworkthatwentoninordertolurethetreasuresfromthedeepchambersofthegreatlodeandtobringenlightenmenttothedesert。

Thosewerelivelytimes。InthemidstofoneofhislettershomeMarkTwaininterruptshimselftosay："Ihavejustheardfivepistol—shotsdownthestreet——assuchthingsareinmyline，Iwillgoandseeaboutit，"andinapostscriptaddedafewhourslater：

5A。M。Thepistol—shotdiditsworkwell。Oneman，aJacksonCountyMissourian，shottwoofmyfriends(policeofficers)throughtheheart——bothdiedwithinthreeminutes。Themurderer’snameisJohnCampbell。

"MarkandIhadourhandsfull，"saysDeQuille，"andnograssgrewunderourfeet。"Inanswertosomestraycriticismoftheirpolicy，theyprintedasortofeditorialmanifesto：

Ourdutyistokeeptheuniversethoroughlypostedconcerningmurdersandstreetfights，andballs，andtheaters，andpack—trains，andchurches，andlectures，andschool—houses，andcitymilitaryaffairs，andhighwayrobberies，andBiblesocieties，andhay—wagons，andthethousandotherthingswhichitisintheprovinceoflocalreporterstokeeptrackofandmagnifyintoundueimportancefortheinstructionofthereadersofagreatdailynewspaper。

ItiseasytorecognizeMarkTwain’shandinthatcompendiumoflabor，which，inspiteofitsamusingapposition，wasliterallytrue，andsointended，probablywithnospecialthoughtofhumorinitsconstruction。

Itmaybesaid，aswellhereasanywhere，thatitwasnotMarkTwain’shabittostriveforhumor。Hesawfactsatcuriousanglesandphrasedthemaccordingly。InVirginiaCityhemingledwiththeturmoiloftheComstockandsetdownwhathesawandthought，inhisnativespeech。TheComstock，readytolaugh，founddelightinhisexpressionanddiscoveredavasthumorinhismostearneststatements。

Ontheotherhand，thereweretimeswhenthehumorwasintendedandmisseditspurpose。Wehavealreadyrecalledtheinstanceofthe"PetrifiedMan"hoax，whichwastakenseriously；butthe"EmpireCityMassacre"burlesquefoundanacceptancethatevenitsauthorconsideredseriousforatime。Itisrememberedto—dayinVirginiaCityasthechiefincidentofMarkTwain’sComstockcareer。

Thisliterarybombreallyhadtwoobjects，oneofwhichwastopunishtheSanFranciscoBulletinforitspersistentattacksonWashoeinterests；

theother，thoughthiswasmerelyincidental，todirectanunpleasantattentiontoacertainCarsonsaloon，theMagnolia，whichwassupposedtodispensewhiskyofthe"fortyrod"brand——thatis，aliquorwarrantedtokillatthatrange。ItwastheBulletinthatwastobemadeespecially。

ridiculous。Thispaperhadbeenparticularlydisagreeableconcerningthe"dividend—cooking"systemofcertainoftheComstockmines，atthesametimecallinginvidiousattentiontosaferinvestmentsinCaliforniastocks。SamuelClemens，with"halfatrunkful"ofComstockshares，hadcultivatedadistasteforCaliforniathingsingeneral：Inaletterofthattimehesays：

"HowIhateeverythingthatlooksortastesorsmellslikeCalifornia！"

Withhiscustomaryficklenessofsoul，hewasglorifyingCalifornialessthanayearlater，butforthemomenthecouldseenogoodinthatNazareth。Tohisgreatsatisfaction，oneoftheleadingCaliforniacorporations，theSpringValleyWaterCompany，"cooked"adividendofitsownaboutthistime，resultingindisastertoanumberofguilelessinvestorswhowereonthewrongsideofthesubsequentcrash。Thisaffordedaninvitingopportunityforreprisal。WithGoodman’sconsentheplannedfortheCaliforniapapers，andtheBulletininparticular，apunishmentwhichhedeterminedtomakesufficientlysevere。HebelievedthepapersofthatStatehadforgottenhisearlieroffenses，andtheresultwouldshowhewasnotmistaken。

TherewasapointontheCarsonRiver，fourmilesfromCarsonCity，knownas"DutchNick’s，"andalsoasEmpireCity，thetwobeingidentical。

Therewasnoforestthereofanysortnothingbutsage—brush。Intheonecabintherelivedabachelorwithnohousehold。EverybodyinVirginiaandCarson，ofcourse，knewthesethings。

MarkTwainnowpreparedamostluridandgraphicaccountofhowonePhillipHopkins，living"justattheedgeofthegreatpineforestwhichliesbetweenEmpireCityand"DutchNick’s，"hadsuddenlygoneinsaneandmurderouslyassaultedhisentirefamilyconsistingofhiswifeandtheirninechildren，ranginginagesfromonetonineteenyears。Thewifehadbeenslainoutright，alsosevenofthechildren；theothertwomightrecover。Themurderhadbeencommittedinthemostbrutalandghastlyfashion，afterwhichHopkinshadscalpedhiswife，leapedonahorse，cuthisownthroatfromeartoear，andriddenfourmilesintoCarsonCity，droppingdeadatlastinfrontoftheMagnoliasaloon，thered—hairedscalpofhiswifestillclutchedinhisgoryhand。ThearticlefurtherstatedthatthecauseofMr。Hopkins’sinsanitywaspecuniaryloss，hehavingwithdrawnhissavingsfromsafeComstockinvestmentsand，throughtheadviceofarelative，oneoftheeditorsoftheSanFranciscoBulletin，investedthemintheSpringValleyWaterCompany。Thisabsurdtalewithstartlinghead—linesappearedintheEnterprise，initsissueofOctober28，1863。

ItwasnotexpectedthatanyoneinVirginiaCityorCarsonCitywouldforamomenttakeanystockinthewildinvention，yetsographicwasitthatnineoutoftenonfirstreadingneverstoppedtoconsidertheentireimpossibilityofthelocalityandcircumstance。Evenwhenthesethingswerepointedoutmanyreadersatfirstrefusedtoconfessthemselvessold。AsfortheBulletinandotherCaliforniapapers，theyweretaken—incompletely，andwerefurious。Manyofthemwroteanddemandedtheimmediatedischargeofitsauthor，announcingthattheywouldnevercopyanotherlinefromtheEnterprise，orexchangewithit，orhavefurtherrelationswithapaperthathadMarkTwainonitsstaff。

Citizensweremad，too，andcutofftheirsubscriptions。Thejokerwasindespair。

"Oh，Joe，"hesaid，"Ihaveruinedyourbusiness，andtheonlyreparationIcanmakeistoresign。YoucanneverrecoverfromthisblowwhileIamonthepaper。"

"Nonsense，"repliedGoodman。"Wecanfurnishthepeoplewithnews，butwecan’tsupplythemwithsense。Onlytimecandothat。Theflurrywillpass。Youjustgoahead。We’llwinoutinthelongrun。"

Buttheoffenderwasintorture；hecouldnotsleep。"Dan，Dan，"hesaid，"Iambeingburnedaliveonbothsidesofthemountains。"

"Mark，"saidDan。"Itwillallblowover。ThisitemofyourswillberememberedandtalkedaboutwhentherestofyourEnterpriseworkisforgotten。"

BothGoodmanandDeQuillewereright。Inamonthpapersandpeoplehadforgottentheirhumiliationandlaughed。"TheDutchNickMassacre"gavetoitsperpetratorandtotheEnterpriseanaddedvogue。

——[Forfulltextofthe"DutchNick"hoaxseeAppendixC，attheendoflastvolume：also，forananecdoteconcerningareportingexcursionmadebyAlf。DotenandMarkTwain。]——

XLII

REPORTORIALDAYS

ReferencehasalreadybeenmadetothefashionamongVirginiaCitypapersofpermittingreporterstousetheeditorialcolumnsforridiculeofoneanother。ThiscustomwasespeciallyinvogueduringtheperiodwhenDandeQuilleandMarkTwainandTheUnreliableweretheshiningjournalisticlightsoftheComstock。ScarcelyaweekwentbythatsomeapparentlyvenomoussquiborflingorlongburlesqueassaultdidnotappeareitherintheUnionortheEnterprise，withoneofthosejokersasitsauthorandanotherasitstarget。Inoneofhis"home"lettersofthatyearMarkTwainsays：

IhavejustfinishedwritingupmyreportforthemorningpaperandgivingTheUnreliableacolumnofadviceabouthowtoconducthimselfinchurch。

Theadvicewassuchastocallforareprisal，butitapparentlymadenodifferenceinpersonalrelations，forafewweekslaterheiswithTheUnreliableinSanFrancisco，seeinglifeinthemetropolis，fairlyswimminginitsdelights，unabletoresistreportingthemtohismother。

Wefagourselvescompletelyouteverydayandgotosleepwithoutrockingeverynight。WhenIgodownMontgomeryStreetshakinghandswithTom，Dick，andHarry，itisjustlikebeingonMainStreetinHannibalandmeetingtheoldfamiliarfaces。IdohatetogobacktoWashoe。WetaketripsacrossthebaytoOakland，anddowntoSanLeandroandAlameda，andwegoouttotheWillowsandHayesParkandFortPoint，anduptoBenicia；andyesterdaywewereinvitedoutonayachtingexcursion，andhadasailinthefastestyachtonthePacificcoast。Ricesays："Ohno——wearenothavinganyfun，Mark——

ohno——Ireckonit’ssomebodyelse——it’sprobablythegentlemaninthewagon"(popularslangphrase)，andwhenIinviteRicetotheLickHousetodinnertheproprietorsendsuschampagneandclaret，andthenwedoputonthemostdisgustingairs。TheUnreliablesaysourcaliberistoolight——wecan’tstandittobenoticed。

Threedayslaterheaddsthatheisgoingsorrowfully"tothesnowsandthedesertsofWashoe，"butthathehas"livedlikealordtomakeupfortwoyearsofprivation。"

Twentydollarsisinclosedineachoftheseletters，probablyasabribetoJaneClemenstobelenientwithhisprodigalities，whichinhisyouthfulloveofdisplayhecouldnotbringhimselftoconceal。Butapparentlythesalvewasfutile，forinanotherletter，amonthlater，hecomplainsthathismotheris"slinginginsinuations"athimagain，suchas"wheredidyougetthatmoney"and"thecompanyIkeptinSanFrancisco。"Heexplains：

Why，IsoldWildCatmininggroundthatwasgivenme，andmycreditwasalwaysgoodatthebankfor$2，000or$3，000，andInevergambleinanyshapeormanner，andneverdrinkanythingstrongerthanclaretandlagerbeer，whichconductisregardedasmiraculouslytemperateinthisplace。Asforcompany，IwentintheverybestcompanytobefoundinSanFrancisco。IalwaysmoveinthebestsocietyinVirginiaandhaveareputationtopreserve。

Heclosesbyassuringherthathewillbemorecarefulinfutureandthatsheneedneverfearbutthathewillkeepherexpensespaid。Thenhecannotrefrainfromaddingonemoreitemofhislavishlife：

"Putinmywashing，anditcostsmeonehundreddollarsamonthtolive。"

DeQuillehadnotmissedtheopportunityofhiscomrade’sabsencetopayoffsomeoldscores。AttheendoftheeditorialcolumnoftheEnterpriseonthedayfollowinghisdeparturehedenouncedtheabsentoneandhis"protege，"TheUnreliable，aftertheintemperatefashionoftheday。

Itistoberegrettedthatsuchscrubsareeverpermittedtovisitthebay，astheinevitableeffectwillbetodestroythatexaltedopinionofthemannersandmoralityofourpeoplewhichwasinspiredbytheconductofoursenioreditor——[whichistosay，Danhimself]——。

Thediatribeclosedwithareallygracefulpoem，andthewholewasnodoubthighlyregardedbytheEnterprisereaders。

WhatrevengeMarkTwaintookonhisreturnhasnotbeenrecorded，butitwasprobablypromptandadequate；orhemayhaveleftittoTheUnreliable。Itwasclearlyamistake，however，toleavehisownlocalworkinthehandsofthatproperlynamedpersonalittlelater。Clemenswaslaidupwithacold，andRiceassuredhimonhissacredhonorthathewouldattendfaithfullytotheEnterpriselocals，alongwithhisownUnionitems。Hedidthis，buthehadbeennursingoldinjuriestoolong。

WhatwasMarkTwain’samazementonlookingovertheEnterprisenextmorningtofindundertheheading"Apologetic"astatementoverhisownnomdeplume，purportingtobeanapologyforallthesinsofridiculetothevariousinjuredones。

ToMayorArick，Hon。Wm。Stewart，MarshalPerry，Hon。J。B。Winters，Mr。Olin，andSamuelWetherill，besidesahostofotherswhomwehaveridiculedfrombehindtheshelterofourreportorialposition，wesaytothesegentlemenweacknowedgeourfaults，and，inallweaknessandhumilityuponourbendedmarrowbones，weasktheirforgiveness，promisingthatinfuturewewillgivethemnocauseforanythingbutthebestoffeelingtowardus。To"YoungWilson"andTheUnreliable(aswehavewickedlytermedthem)，wefeelthatnoapologywecanmakebeginstoatoneforthemanyinsultswehavegiventhem。Towardthesegentlemenwehavebeenasmeanasamancouldbe——andwehavealwayspridedourselvesonthisbasequality。

Wefeelthatwearetheleastofallhumanity，asitwere。Wewillnowgoinsack—clothandashesforthenextfortydays。

Thisinhisownpaperoverhisownsignaturewasabodyblow；butithadtheeffectofcuringhiscold。Hewasbackintheofficeforthwith，andinthenextmorning’sissuedenouncedhisbetrayer。

WearetoblameforgivingTheUnreliableanopportunitytomisrepresentus，andthereforerefrainfromrepiningtoanygreatextentattheresult。Wesimplyclaimtherighttodenythetruthofeverystatementmadebyhiminyesterday’spaper，toannulallapologieshecoinedascomingfromus，andtoholdhimuptopubliccommiserationasareptileendowedwithnomoreintellect，nomorecultivation，nomoreChristianprinciplethananimatesandadornsthesportivejackass—rabbitoftheSierras。Wehavedone。

ThesewerethethingsthatenlivenedComstockjournalism。OnceinaboxingboutMarkTwaingotablowonthenosewhichcausedittoswelltoanunusualsizeandshape。Hewentoutoftownforafewdays，duringwhichDeQuillepublishedanextravagantaccountofhismisfortune，describingthenoseanddwellingontheabsurdityofMarkTwain’seversupposinghimselftobeaboxer。

DeQuillescoredheavilywiththisitembuthisowndoomwaswritten。

Soonafterwardhewasoutridingandwasthrownfromhishorseandbruisedconsiderably。

ThiswasMark’sopportunity。HegaveanaccountofDan’sdisaster；then，commenting，hesaid：

TheideaofaplebeianlikeDansupposinghecouldeverrideahorse！He！why，eventhecatsandthechickenslaughedwhentheysawhimgoby。Ofcourse，hewouldbethrownoff。Ofcourse，anywell—bredhorsewouldn’tletacommon，underbredpersonlikeDanstayonhisback！Whentheygatheredhimuphewasjustabagofscraps，buttheyputhimtogether，andyou’llfindhimathisoldplaceintheEnterpriseofficenextweek，stilllaboringunderthedelusionthathe’sanewspaperman。

Theauthorof’RoughingIt’tellsofaliteraryperiodicalcalledtheOccidental，startedinVirginiaCitybyaMr。F。Thiswasthesilver—

tonguedTomFitch，oftheUnion，anablespeakerandwriter，vastlypopularontheCoast。FitchcametoClemensonedayandsaidhewasthinkingofstartingsuchaperiodicalandaskedhimwhathethoughtoftheventure。Clemenssaid：

"Youwouldsucceedifanyonecould，butstartaflower—gardenonthedesertofSahara；setuphoisting—worksonMountVesuviusforminingsulphur；startaliterarypaperinVirginiaCity；h——l！"

Whichwasacorrectestimateofthesituation，andthepaperperishedwiththethirdissue。Itwasofnoconsequenceexceptthatitcontainedwhatwasprobablythefirstattemptatthatmodernliteraryabortion，thecompositenovel。Also，itdiedtoosoontopublishMarkTwain’sfirstversesofanypretension，thoughstillofmodestmerit——"TheAgedPilotMan"——whichweretherebysavedfor’RoughingIt。’

VisitingVirginianow，itseemscuriousthatanyofthesethingscouldhavehappenedthere。TheComstockhasbecomelittlemorethanamemory；

VirginiaandGoldHillaresoquiet，sovoiceless，astoconstitutescarcelyanechoofthepast。TheInternationalHotel，thatoncesosplendidedifice，throughwhoseportalsthetideofopulentlifethenebbedandflowed，isallbutdesertednow。Onemaywanderatwillthroughitsdingycorridorsandamongitsfadedfripperies，seekinginvainforattendanceorhospitality，thelavishwelcomeofavanishedday。

Thosethingswerenotlackingonce，andthestreamofwealthtossedupanddownthestairandbillowedupCStreet，anebullienttideofmetalsandmenfromwhichmillionaireswouldbestruckout，andindividualsknowninnationalaffairs。WilliamM。StewartwhowouldonedaybecomeaUnitedStatesSenator，wasthere，anunnoticedunit；andJohnMackayandJamesG。Fair，oneasenatorbyandby，andbothmillionaires，butpoorenoughthen——FairwithapickonhisshoulderandMackay，too，atfirst，thoughhepresentlybecameaminesuperintendent。OnceinthosedaysMarkTwainbanteringlyofferedtotradebusinesseswithMackay。

"No，"Mackaysaid，"Ican’ttrade。Mybusinessisnotworthasmuchasyours。Ihaveneverswindledanybody，andIdon’tintendtobeginnow。"

Neitherofthosemencoulddreamthatwithintenyearstheirnameswouldbeinternationalproperty；thatinduecourseNevadawouldproposestatuestotheirmemory。

SuchthingscameoutoftheComstock；suchthingsspringoutofeveryturbulentfrontier。

XLIII

ARTEMUSWARD

MadameCaprell’swarningconcerningMarkTwain’shealthattwenty—eightwouldseemtohavebeenjustified。High—strungandneurotic，thestrainofnewspaperworkandthetumultoftheComstockhadtoldonhim。Asinlaterlife，hewassubjecttobronchialcolds，andmorethanoncethatyearhefounditnecessarytodropallworkandrestforatimeatSteamboatSprings，aplacenearVirginiaCity，wheretherewereboilingspringsandsteamingfissuresinthemountain—side，andacomfortablehotel。Hecontributedfromtheresketchessomewhatmoreliteraryinformthananyofhispreviouswork。"CuringaCold"isamoreorlessexaggeratedaccountofhisills。

——[IncludedinSketchesNewandOld。"InformationfortheMillion，"

and"AdvicetoGoodLittleGirls，"includedinthe"JumpingFrog"

Collection，1867，butomittedfromtheSketches，arealsobelievedtobelongtothisperiod。]——

Aportionofaplayfullettertohismother，writtenfromthesprings，stillexists。

Youhavegivenmyvanityadeadlythrust。Behold，IampronetoboastofhavingthewidestreputationasalocaleditorofanymanonthePacificcoast，andyougravelycomeforwardandtellme"ifI

workhardandattendcloselytomybusiness，ImayaspiretoaplaceonabigSanFranciscodailysomeday。"There’sacommentonhumanvanityforyou！Why，blastit，IwasundertheimpressionthatI

couldgetsuchasituationasthatanytimeIaskedforit。ButI

don’twantit。NopaperintheUnitedStatescanaffordtopaymewhatmyplaceontheEnterpriseisworth。IfIwerenotnaturallyalazy，idle，good—for—nothingvagabond，Icouldmakeitpayme$20，000ayear。ButIdon’tsupposeIshalleverbeanyaccount。I

leadaneasylife，though，andIdon’tcareacentwhetherschoolkeepsornot。Everybodyknowsme，andIfarelikeaprincewhereverIgo，beitonthissideofthemountainortheother。AndIamproudtosayIamthemostconceitedassintheTerritory。

Youthinkthatpicturelooksold？Well，Ican’thelpit——inrealityI’mnotasoldasIwaswhenIwaseighteen。

Whichwasatruestatement，sofarashisgeneralattitudewasconcerned。

Ateighteen，inNewYorkandPhiladelphia，hislettershadbeengrave，reflective，advisory。Nowtheyweremostlybanterandfroth，lightlyindifferenttotheserioussideofthings，thoughperhapsonlypretendedlyso，forthepicturedidlookold。Fromtheshockandcircumstanceofhisbrother’sdeathhe——hadneverrecovered。Hewasbarelytwenty—eight。Fromthepicturehemighthavebeenamanofforty。

ItwasthatyearthatArtemusWard(CharlesF。Browne)cametoVirginiaCity。Therewasafineopera—houseinVirginia，andanyattractionthatbilledSanFranciscodidnotfailtoplaytotheComstock。Wardintendedstayingonlyafewdaystodeliverhislectures，butthewhirloftheComstockcaughthimlikeamaelstrom，andheremainedthreeweeks。

HemadetheEnterpriseofficehisheadquarters，andfairlyreveledinthecompanyhefoundthere。HeandMarkTwainbecamebooncompanions。Eachrecognizedintheotherakindredspirit。WithGoodman，DeQuille，andMcCarthy，alsoE。E。Hingston——Ward’sagent，acompanionablefellow——theyusuallydinedatChaumond’s，Virginia’shigh—tonedFrenchrestaurant。

ThosewerethreememorableweeksinMarkTwain’slife。ArtemusWardwasintheheightofhisfame，andheencouragedhisnew—foundbrother—

humoristandprophesiedgreatthingsofhim。Clemens，onhisside，measuredhimselfbythismanwhohadachievedfame，andperhapswithgoodreasonconcludedthatWard’sestimatewascorrect，thathetoocouldwinfameandhonor，oncehegotastart。IfhehadlackedambitionbeforeWard’svisit，thelatter’sunqualifiedapprovalinspiredhimwiththatpricelessarticleofequipment。Heputhissoulintoentertainingthevisitorduringthosethreeweeks；anditwasapparenttotheirassociatesthathewasatleastWard’sequalinmentalstatureandoriginality。

GoodmanandtheothersbegantorealizethatforMarkTwaintherewardsofthefutureweretobemeasuredonlybyhisresolutionandabilitytoholdout。OnChristmaseveArtemuslecturedinSilverCityandafterwardcametotheEnterpriseofficetogivetheboysafarewelldinner。TheEnterprisealwayspublishedaChristmascarol，andGoodmansatathisdeskwritingit。HewasjustfinishingasWardcamein：

"Slave，slave，"saidArtemus。"Comeoutandletmebanishcarefromyou。"

TheygottheboysandallwentovertoChaumond’s，whereWardcommandedGoodmantoorderthedinner。Whenthecocktailscameon，Artemusliftedhisglassandsaid：

"IgiveyouUpperCanada。"

Thecompanyrose，drankthetoastinserioussilence；thenGoodmansaid：

"Ofcourse，Artemus，it’sallright，butwhydidyougiveusUpperCanada？"

"BecauseIdon’twantitmyself，"saidWard，gravely。

Thenbeganarisingtideofhumorthatcouldhardlybematchedintheworldto—day。MarkTwainhadawakenedtoafullerpower；ArtemusWardwasinhisprime。TheyweregiantsofaracethatbecameextinctwhenMarkTwaindied。Theyouth，thewine，thewhirloflightsandlife，thetumultoftheshoutingstreet—itwasasifanelectricstreamofinspirationpouredintothosetwohumandynamosandsentthemintoadazzling，scintillatingwhirl。Allgone——asevanescent，asforgotten，asthelightningsofthatvanishedtime；outofthatvastfeastingandentertainmentonlyatriflingmorselremains。WardnowandthenaskedGoodmanwhyhedidnotjoininthebanter。Goodmansaid：

"I’mpreparingajoke，Artemus，butI’mkeepingitforthepresent。"

ItwasneardaybreakwhenWardatlastcalledforthebill。Itwastwohundredandthirty—sevendollars。

"What"’exclaimedArtemus。

"That’smyjoke。"saidGoodman。

"ButIwasonlyexclaimingbecauseitwasnottwiceasmuch，"returnedWard。

Hepaiditamidlaughter，andtheywentoutintotheearlymorningair。

Itwasfreshandfineoutside，notyetlightenoughtoseeclearly。

Artemusthrewhisfaceuptotheskyandsaid：

"Ifeelglorious。Ifeellikewalkingontheroofs。"

Virginiawasbuiltonthesteephillside，andtheeavesofsomeofthehousesalmosttouchedthegroundbehindthem。

"Thereisyourchance，Artemus，"Goodmansaid，pointingtoarowofthesehousesallaboutofaheight。

ArtemusgrabbedMarkTwain，andtheysteppedoutuponthelongstringofroofsandwalkedtheirfulllength，arminarm。Presentlytheothersnoticedalonelypolicemancockinghisrevolverandgettingreadytoaimintheirdirection。Goodmancalledtohim：

"Waitaminute。Whatareyougoingtodo？"

"I’mgoingtoshootthoseburglars，"hesaid。

"Don’tforyourlife。Thosearenotburglars。That’sMarkTwainandArtemusWard。"

Theroof—walkersreturned，andthepartywentdownthestreettoacorneracrossfromtheInternationalHotel。Asaloonwastherewithabarrellyinginfront，used，perhapsforasortofsign。Artemusclimbedastridethebarrel，andsomebodybroughtabeer—glassandputitinhishand。VirginiaCitylooksoutovertheEastwardDesert。Morningwasjustbreakinguponthedistantrange—thesceneasbeautifulaswhenthesunrisebeamsacrosstheplainofMemnon。Thecitywasnotyetawake。

Theonlylivingcreaturesinsightwerethegroupofbelateddiners，withArtemusWard，asKingGambrinus，pouringalibationtothesunrise。

Thatwasthebeginningofaweekofglory。Thefarewelldinnerbecameaseries。AtthecloseofoneconvivialsessionArtemuswenttoaconcert—

hall，the"Melodeon，"blackedhisface，anddeliveredaspeech。HegotawayfromVirginiaaboutthecloseoftheyear。

AdayortwolaterhewrotefromAustin，Nevada，tohisnew—foundcomradeas"MydearestLove，"recallingthehappinessofhisstay：

"IshallalwaysrememberVirginiaasabrightspotinmyexistence，asallothersmustorrathercannotbe，asitwere。"

Thenreflectivelyheadds：

"Someofthefinestintellectsintheworldhavebeenbluntedbyliquor。"

RareArtemusWardandrareMarkTwain！Ifthereliessomewhereaplaceofmeetingandremembrance，theyhavenotfailedtorecalltherethoseclosingdaysof’63。

XLIV

GOVERNOROFTHE"THIRDHOUSE"

WithArtemusWard’sencouragement，Clemensbegantothinkofextendinghisaudienceeastward。TheNewYorkSundayMercurypublishedliterarymatter。Wardhadurgedhimtotrythismarket，andpromisedtowriteaspeciallettertotheeditors，introducingMarkTwainandhiswork。

ClemenspreparedasketchoftheComstockvariety，scarcelyrefinedincharacterandfullofpersonalallusion，ahumornotsuitedtothepresent—dayreader。Itsgeneralsubjectwaschildren；itcontainedsomeabsurdremedies，supposedlysenttohisoldpilotfriendZebLeavenworth，andwaswrittenasmuchforajokeonthatgood—naturedsoulasforprofitorreputation。

"IwroteitespeciallyforBeckJolly’suse，"theauthordeclares，inalettertohismother，"sohecouldpesterZebwithit。"

Wecannotknowto—daywhetherZebwaspesteredornot。Afadedclippingisallthatremainsoftheincident。Asliteraturethearticle，properlyenough，islosttotheworldatlarge。Itisonlyworthrememberingashismetropolitanbeginning。Yethemusthavethoughtratherhighlyofit(hisestimationofhisownworkwasalwaysunsafe)，forintheletterabovequotedheadds：

IcannotwriteregularlyfortheMercury，ofcourse，Isha’n’thavetime。ButsometimesIthrowoffapearl(thereisnoself—conceitaboutthat，Ibegyoutoobserve)whichoughtfortheeternalwelfareofmyracetohaveamoreextensivecirculationthanisaffordedbyalocaldailypaper。

AndifFitzhughLudlow(authorofthe’HasheeshEater’)comesyourway，treathimwell。HepublishedahighencomiumuponMarkTwain(thesamebeingeminentlyjustandtruthful，Ibeseechyoutobelieve)inaSanFranciscopaper。ArtemusWardsaidthatwhenmygorgeoustalentswerepubliclyacknowledgedbysuchhighauthorityI

oughttoappreciatethemmyself，leavesage—brushobscurity，andjourneytoNewYorkwithhim，ashewantedmetodo。ButI

preferrednottoburstupontheNewYorkpublictoosuddenlyandbrilliantly，soIconcludedtoremainhere。

HewasinCarsonCitywhenthiswaswritten，preparingfortheopeningofthenextlegislature。Hewasbeyondquestionnowthemostconspicuousfigureofthecapital；alsothemostwholesomelyrespected，forhisinfluencehadbecomeverylarge。Itwassaidthathecouldcontrolmorevotesthananylegislativemember，andwithhisfriends，SimmonsandClagget，couldpassordefeatanybilloffered。TheEnterprisewasapowerfulorgan——tobecourtedanddreaded——andMarkTwainhadbecomeitschieftribune。Thathewasfearless，merciless，andincorruptible，withoutdoubthadasalutaryinfluenceonthatlegislativesession。Hereveledinhispower；butitisnotrecordedthatheeverabusedit。Hegotabillpassed，largelyincreasingOrion’sofficialfees，butthiswasacryingneedandwassorecognized。Hemadenosecretpromises，noneatallthathedidnotintendtofulfill。"Sam’swordwasasfixedasfate，"Orionrecords，anditmaybeaddedthathewasmorallyasfearless。

ThetwoHousesofthelastterritoriallegislatureofNevadaassembledJanuary12，1864。——[NevadabecameaStateOctober31，1864。]——

Afewdayslatera"ThirdHouse"wasorganized——aninstitutionquiteinkeepingwiththehappyatmosphereofthatdayandlocality，foritwasaburlesqueorganization，andMarkTwainwasselectedasits"Governor。"

ThenewHousepreparedtomakeapublicoccasionofthisfirstsession，anditsGovernorwasrequiredtofurnishamessage。Thenitwasdecidedtomakeitachurchbenefit。Thelettersexchangedconcerningthispropositionstillexist；theyexplainthemselves：

CARSONCITY，January23，1864。

GOV。MARKTWAIN，UnderstandingfromcertainmembersoftheThirdHouseoftheterritorialLegislaturethatthatbodywillhaveeffectedapermanentorganizationwithinadayortwo，andbereadyforthereceptionofyourThirdAnnualMessage，——[Therehadbeennoformermessage。Thiswasregardedasagreatjoke。]——wedesiretoaskyourpermission，andthatoftheThirdHouse，toturntheaffairtothebenefitoftheChurchbychargingtoll—roads，franchises，andotherpersonsadollarapiecefortheprivilegeoflisteningtoyourcommunication。

S。PIXLEY，G。A。SEARS，Trustees。

CARSONCITY，January23，1864。

GENTLEMEN，——Certainly。Ifthepubliccanfindanythinginagravestatepaperworthpayingadollarfor，Iamwillingtheyshouldpaythatamount，oranyother；andalthoughIamnotaverydustyChristianmyself，Itakeanabsorbinginterestinreligiousaffairs，andwouldwillinglyinflictmyannualmessageupontheChurchitselfifitmightderivebenefitthereby。Youcanchargewhatyouplease；

Ipromisethepublicnoamusement，butIdopromiseareasonableamountofinstruction。IamresponsibletotheThirdHouseonly，andIhopetobepermittedtomakeitexceedinglywarmforthatbody，withoutcaringwhetherthesympathiesofthepublicandtheChurchbeenlistedintheirfavor，andagainstmyself，ornot。

Respectfully，MARKTWAIN。

MarkTwain’sreplyiscloselyrelatedtohislaterstyleinphraseandthought。Itmighthavebeenwrittenbyhimatalmostanysubsequentperiod。PerhapshisassociationwithArtemusWardhadawakenedanewperceptionofthehumorousidea——ahumorofrepression，ofunderstatement。Heforgotthisoftenenough，thenandafterward，andgavehisriotousfancyfreerein；butonthewholethesimpler，lessfloridformseeminglybegantoattracthimmoreandmore。

HisaddressasGovernoroftheThirdHousehasnotbeenpreserved，butthosewhoattendedalwaysafterwardreferredtoitasthe"greatesteffortofhislife。"Perhapsforthataudienceandthattimethisverdictwasjustified。

Itwashisfirstgreatpublicopportunity。OnthestageabouthimsatthemembershipoftheThirdHouse；thebuildingitselfwaspacked，theaislesfull。Heknewhecouldlethimselfgoinburlesqueandsatire，andhedid。HewasunsparinginhisridiculeoftheGovernor，theofficialsingeneral，thelegislativemembers，andofindividualcitizens。Fromthebeginningtotheendofhisaddresstheaudiencewasinastormoflaughterandapplause。WiththeexceptionofthedinnerspeechmadetotheprintersinKeokuk，itwashisfirstpublicutterance——thebeginningofalifelongseriesoftriumphs。

Onlyonethingmarredhissuccess。LittleCarriePixley，daughterofoneofthe"trustees，"hadpromisedtobepresentandsitinaboxnextthestage。Itwaslikehimtobefondofthechild，andhehadpromisedtosendacarriageforher。Oftenduringhisaddressheglancedtowardthebox；butitremainedempty。Whentheaffairwasended，hedrovehomewithherfathertoinquirethereason。Theyfoundthelittlegirl，inallherfinery，weepingonthebed。Thenherememberedhehadforgottentosendthecarriage；andthatwaslikehim，too。

ForhisThirdHouseaddressJudgeA。W。(Sandy)BaldwinandTheodoreWinterspresentedhimwithagoldwatchinscribedto"GovernorMarkTwain。"Hewasmoreindemandnowthanever；nosocialoccasionwasregardedascompletewithouthim。Hisdoingswererelateddailyandhissayingsrepeatedonthestreets。Mostofthesethingshavepassedawaynow，butafewarestillrecalledwithsmiles。Once，whenconundrumswerebeingaskedataparty，hewasurgedtomakeone。

"Well，"hesand，"whyamIlikethePacificOcean？"

Severalguessesweremade，butnonesatisfiedhim。Finallyallgaveitup。

"Tellus，Mark，whyareyoulikethePacificOcean？"

"Idon’tknow，"hedrawled。"Iwasjustaskingforinformation。"

Atanothertime，whenayoungmaninsistedonsingingasongofeternallength，thechorusofwhichwas，"I’mgoinghome，I’mgoinghome，I’mgoinghometomorrow，"MarkTwainputhisheadinthewindowandsaid，pleadingly：

"ForGod’ssakegoto—night。"

Buthewasalsofondofquietersociety。Sometimes，aftertheturmoilofalegislativemorning，hewoulddropintoMissKeziahClapp’sschoolandlistentotheexercises，orwouldcallonColonelCurry——"oldCurry，oldAbeCurry"——andifthecolonelhappenedtobeaway，hewouldtalkwithMrs。Curry，amotherlysoul(stillaliveatninety—three，in1910)，andtellherofhisHannibalboyhoodorhisriverandhisminingadventures，andkeepherlaughinguntilthetearsran。

Hewasagreatpedestrianinthosedays。SometimeshewalkedfromVirginiatoCarson，stoppingatColonelCurry’sashecameinforrestandrefreshment。

"Mrs。Curry，"hesaidonce，"IhaveseentiredermenthanIam，andlaziermen，buttheyweredeadmen。"Helikedthehomefeelingthere——

thepeaceandmotherlyinterest。Deepdown，hewaslonelyandhomesick；

hewasalwayssoawayfromhisownkindred。

ClemensreturnednowtoVirginiaCity，and，likeallothermenwhoevermether，becamebrieflyfascinatedbythecharmsofAdahIsaacsMenken，whowasplayingMazeppaattheVirginiaOperaHouse。Allmen——kings，poets，priests，prize—fighters——fellunderMenken’sspell。DandeQuilleandMarkTwainenteredintoadailycontestastowhocouldlavishthemostfervidpraiseonherintheEnterprise。Thelattercarriedherhisliteraryworktocriticize。Heconfessesthisinoneofhishomeletters，perhapswithasortofpride。

ItookitovertoshowtoMissMenkentheactress，OrpheusC。Ken’swife。

Sheisaliterarycussherself。

Shehasabeautifulwhitehand，butherhandwritingisinfamous；shewritesfastandherchirographyisofthedoor—plateorder——herlettersareimmense。Igaveheraconundrum，thus：

"Mydearmadam，whyoughtyourhandtoretainitspresentgraceandbeautyalways？Becauseyoufoolawaydevilishlittleofitonyourmanuscript。"

ButMenkenwasgonepresently，andwhenhesawheragain，somewhatlater，inSanFrancisco，his"madness"wouldhaveseemedtohavebeenallayed。

XLV

ACOMSTOCKDUEL

Thesuccess——suchasitwas——ofhisoccasionalcontributionstotheNewYorkSundayMercurystirredMarkTwain’sambitionforawiderfieldoflabor。Circumstance，alwaysreadytomeethiswishes，offeredassistance，thoughinanunexpectedform。

Goodman，temporarilyabsent，hadleftClemensineditorialcharge。Asinthatearlierday，whenOrionhadvisitedTennesseeandreturnedtofindhispaperinahotpersonalwarfarewithcertaininjuredcitizens，sotheEnterprise，underthesamemanagement，hadstirreduptrouble。Itwasjustatthetimeofthe"FlourSackSanitaryFund，"thestoryofwhichisrelatedatlengthin’RoughingIt’。Inthegeneralhilarityofthisoccasion，certainEnterpriseparagraphsofcriticismorridiculehadincurredthedispleasureofvariousindividualswhosecausenaturallyenoughhadbeenespousedbyarivalpaper，theChronicle。Verysoontheoriginalgrievance，whateveritwas，waslostsightofinthefireworksandvitriol—throwingofpersonalrecriminationbetweenMarkTwainandtheChronicleeditor，thenaMr。Laird。

Apointhadbeenreachedatlengthwhenonlyacallforbloodshed——achallenge——couldsatisfyeitherthestafforthereadersofthetwopapers。Menwerekilledeveryweekformilderthingsthantheeditorshadspokeneachoftheother。JoeGoodmanhimself，notsolongbefore，hadfoughtaduelwithaUnioneditor——TomFitch——andshothimintheleg，somakingofhimafriend，andalameman，forlife。InJoe’sabsencetheprestigeofthepapermustbemaintained。

MarkTwainhimselfhastoldinburlesquethestoryofhisduel，keepingsomewhatnearertothefactthanwashiscustominsuchwriting，asmaybeseenbycomparingitwiththeaccountofhisabettorandsecond——ofcourse，SteveGillis。TheaccountisfromMr。Gillis’sownhand：

WhenJoewentaway，heleftSamineditorialchargeofthepaper。

Thatwasadangerousthingtodo。NobodycouldevertellwhatSamwasgoingtowrite。SomethinghesaidstirredupMr。Laird，oftheChronicle，whowroteareplyofaveryseverekind。HesaidsomethingsthatwetoldMarkcouldonlybewipedoutwithblood。ThosewerethedayswhenalmosteverymaninVirginiaCityhadfoughtwithpistolseitherimpromptuorpremeditatedduels。Ihadbeeninseveral，butthenminedidn’tcount。Mostofthemwereoftheimpromptukind。Markhadn’thadanyyet，andwethoughtitabouttimethathisbaptismtookplace。

Hewasnoteagerforit；hewasaversetoviolence，butwefinallyprevaileduponhimtosendLairdachallenge，andwhenLairddidnotsendareplyatonceweinsistedonMarksendinghimanotherchallenge，bywhichtimehehadmadehimselfbelievethathereallywantedtofight，asmuchaswewantedhimtodo。Lairdconcludedtofight，atlast。IhelpedMarkgetupsomeoftheletters，andamanwhowouldnotfightaftersuchlettersdidnotbelonginVirginiaCity——inthosedays。

Laird’sacceptanceofMark’schallengecamealongaboutmidnight，I

think，afterthepapershadgonetopress。Themeetingwastotakeplacenextmorningatsunrise。

OfcourseIwasselectedasMark’ssecond，andatdaybreakIhadhimupandoutforsomelessonsinpistolpracticebeforemeetingLaird。

Ididn’thavetowakehim。Hehadnotbeenasleep。Wehadbeentalkingsincemidnightovertheduelthatwascoming。IhadbeentellinghimofthedifferentduelsinwhichIhadtakenpart，eitherasprincipalorsecond，andhowmanymenIhadhelpedtokillandbury，andhowitwasagoodplantomakeawill，evenifonehadnotmuchtoleave。Italwayslookedwell，Itoldhim，andseemedtobeaproperthingtodobeforegoingintoaduel。SoMarkmadeawillwithasortofgloomysatisfaction，andassoonasitwaslightenoughtosee，wewentouttoalittleravinenearthemeeting—

place，andIsetupaboardforhimtoshootat。Hewouldstepout，raisethatbigpistol，andwhenIwouldcountthreehewouldshuthiseyesandpullthetrigger。Ofcoursehedidn’thitanything；hedidnotcomeanywherenearhittinganything。Justthenweheardsomebodyshootingoverinthenextravine。Samsaid：

"What’sthat，Steve？"

"Why，"Isaid，"that’sLaud。Hissecondsarepractisinghimoverthere。"

Itdidn’tmakemyprincipalanymorecheerfultohearthatpistolgooffeveryfewsecondsoverthere。JustthenIsawalittlemud—henlightonsomesage—brushaboutthirtyyardsaway。

"Mark，"Isaid，"letmehavethatpistol。I’llshowyouhowtoshoot。"

Hehandedittome，andIletgoatthebirdandshotitsheadoff，clean。AboutthattimeLairdandhissecondcameovertheridgetomeetus。IsawthemcomingandhandedMarkbackthepistol。Wewerelookingatthebirdwhentheycameup。

"Whodidthat？"askedLaird’ssecond。

"Sam，"Isaid。

"Howfaroffwasit？"

"Oh，aboutthirtyyards。"

"Canhedoitagain？"

"Ofcourse，"Isaid；"everytime。Hecoulddoittwicethatfar。"

Laud’ssecondturnedtohisprincipal。

"Laird，"hesaid，"youdon’twanttofightthatman。It’sjustlikesuicide。You’dbettersettlethisthing，now。"

Sotherewasasettlement。Lairdtookbackallhehadsaid；MarksaidhereallyhadnothingagainstLaird——thediscussionhadbeenpurelyjournalisticanddidnotneedtobesettledinblood。HesaidthatbothheandLairdwereprobablythevictimsoftheirfriends。IrememberoneofthethingsLairdsaidwhenhissecondtoldhimhehadbetternotfight。

"Fight！H——l，no！Iamnotgoingtobemurderedbythatd——ddesperado。"

SamhadsentanotherchallengetoamannamedCutler，whohadbeensomehowmixedupwiththemussandhadwrittenSamaninsultingletter；butCutlerwasoutoftownatthetime，andbeforehegotbackwehadreceivedwordfromJerryDriscoll，foremanoftheGrandjury，thatthelawjustpassed，makingaduelapenitentiaryoffenseforbothprincipalandsecond，wastobestrictlyenforced，andunlesswegotoutoftowninalimitednumberofhourswewouldbethefirstexamplestotestthenewlaw。

Weconcludedtogo，andwhenthestageleftnextmorningforSanFranciscowewereontheoutsideseat。JoeGoodmanhadreturnedbythistimeandagreedtoaccompanyusasfarasHennessPass。Wewereallingoodspiritsandgladwewerealive，soJoedidnotstopwhenhegottoHennessPass，butkepton。Nowandthenhewouldsay，"Well，Ihadbetterbegoingbackprettysoon，"buthedidn’tgo，andintheendhedidnotgobackatall，butwentwithuscleartoSanFrancisco，andwehadaroyalgoodtimealltheway。Ineverknewanyseriesofduelstoclosesohappily。

SoendedMarkTwain’scareerontheComstock。Hehadcometoitawearypilgrim，discouragedandunknown；hewasleavingitwithanewnameandfame——elate，triumphant，evenifafugitive。

XLVI

GETTINGSETTLEDINSANFRANCISCO

ThiswasneartheendofMay，1864。TheintentionofbothGillisandClemenswastoreturntotheStates；butonceinSanFranciscobothpresentlyacceptedplaces，ClemensasreporterandGillisascompositor，onthe’MorningCall’。

>From’RoughingIt’thereadergathersthatMarkTwainnowenteredintoalifeofbutterflyidlenessonthestrengthofprospectiverichestobederivedfromthe"halfatrunkfulofminingstocks，"andthatpresently，whentheminingbubbleexploded，hewasapauper。Butagoodmanylibertieshavebeentakenwiththehistoryofthisperiod。Undoubtedlyheexpectedopulentreturnsfromhisminingstocks，andwasdisappointed，particularlyinaninvestmentinHaleandNorcrossshares，heldtoolongforthelargeprofitwhichcouldhavebeenmadebysellingatthepropertime。

Thefactis，hespentnotmorethanafewdays——afortnightatmost——in"butterflyidleness，"attheLickHousebeforehewashardatworkonthe’Call’，livingmodestlywithSteveGillisinthequietestplacetheycouldfind，neverquietenough，butasfaraspossiblefromdogsandcatsandchickensandpianos，whichseemeddeterminedtomakethemorningshideous，whenawearynightreporterandcompositorwantedtorest。Theywentoutsocially，onoccasion，arrayedinconsiderableelegance；buttheirrecreationsweremorelikelytoconsistofprivatemidnightorgies，afterthepaperhadgonetopress——milddissipationsinwhatevertheycouldfindtoeatatthathour，withafewglassesofbeer，andperhapsagameofbilliardsorpoolinsomeall—nightresort。AprinterbythenameofWard——"LittleWard，"——[L。P。Ward；wellknownasanathleteinSanFrancisco。Helosthismindandfatallyshothimselfin1903。]——

theycalledhim——oftenwentwiththemfortheserefreshments。WardandGilliswerebothbantamgame—cocks，andsometimeswouldstiruptroublefortheveryjoyofcombat。Clemensnevercaredforthatsortofthinganddiscouragedit，butWardandGilliswereforwar。"Theyneverassistedeachother。Ifonehadofferedtoassisttheotheragainstsomeovergrownperson，itwouldhavebeenanaffront，andabattlewouldhavefollowedbetweenthatpairoflittlefriends。"——[S。L。C。，1906。]——

SteveGillisinparticular，wasfondofincidentalencounters，acharacteristicwhichwouldproveanimportantfactorsomewhatlaterinshapingMarkTwain’scareer。Ofcourse，themorestrenuousnightswerenotfrequent。Theirhome—goingwasusuallytameenoughandtheyweregladenoughtogetthere。

Clemens，however，wasneverquitereadyforsleep。Then，asever，hewouldprophimselfupinbed，lighthispipe，andlosehimselfinEnglishorFrenchhistoryuntilsleepconquered。Hisroom—matedidnotapproveofthishabit；itinterferedwithhisownrest，andwithhisfiendishtendencytomischiefhefoundreprisalinhisownfashion。Knowinghiscompanion’shighlyorganizednervoussystemhedevisedmeansoftorturewhichwouldinducehimtoputoutthelight。Oncehetiedanailtoastring；anarrangementwhichhekeptonthefloorbehindthebed。

Pretendingtobeasleep，hewouldholdtheendofthestring，andliftitgentlyupanddown，makingaslighttickingsoundonthefloor，maddeningtoanervousman。Clemenswouldlistenamomentandsay：

"Whatinthenationisthatnoise"

Gillis’spretendedsleepandthetickingwouldcontinue。

Clemenswouldsitupinbed，flingasidehisbook，andswearviolently。

"Steve，whatisthatd——dnoise？"hewouldsay。

Stevewouldpretendtorousesleepily。

"What’sthematter，Sam？Whatnoise？Oh，Iguessthatisoneofthosedeath—ticks；theydon’tlikethelight。Maybeitwillstopinaminute。"

Itusuallydidstopaboutthattime，andthereadingwouldbeapttocontinue。Butnosoonerwastherestillnessthanitbeganagain——tick，tick，tick。Withawildexplosionofblasphemy，thebookwouldgoacrossthefloorandthelightwoulddisappear。Sometimes，whenhecouldn’tsleep，hewoulddressandwalkoutinthestreetforanhour，whilethecruelStevesleptlikethecriminalthathewas。

Atlast，onenight，heoverdidthethingandwascaught。Historturedroom—mateatfirstreviledhim，thenthreatenedtokillhim，finallyputhimtoshame。Itwascurious，buttheyalwayslovedeachother，thosetwo；therewasneveranythingresemblinganestrangement，andtohislastdaysMarkTwainnevercouldspeakofSteveGilliswithouttenderness。

TheymovedagreatmanytimesinSanFrancisco。TheirmostsatisfactoryresidencewasonabluffonCaliforniaStreet。TheirwindowslookeddownonalotofChinesehouses——"tin—canhouses，"theywerecalled——smallwoodenshantiescoveredwithbeaten—outcans。SteveandMarkwouldlookdownonthesehouses，waitinguntilalltheChinamenwereinside；thenoneofthemwouldgrabanemptybeer—bottle，throwitdownonthosetincanroofs，anddodgebehindtheblinds。TheChinamenwouldswarmoutandlookupattherowofhousesontheedgeofthebluff，shaketheirfists，andpouroutChinesevituperation。Byandby，whentheyhadretiredandeverythingwasquietagain，theirtormentorswouldthrowanotherbottle。

ThiswastheirSundayamusement。

AtaplaceonMinnaStreettheylivedwithaprivatefamily。AtfirstClemenswasdelighted。

"Justlookatit，Steve，"hesaid。"Whatanice，quietplace。Notathingtodisturbus。"

Butnextmorningadogbegantohowl。Gilliswokethistime，tofindhisroom—matestandinginthedoorthatopenedoutintoabackgarden，holdingabigrevolver，hishandshakingwithcoldandexcitement。

"Camehere，Steve，"hesaid。"Comehereandkillhim。I’msochilledthroughIcan’tgetabeadonhim。"

"Sam，"saidSteve，"don’tshoothim。Justswearathim。Youcaneasilykillhimatthatrangewithyourprofanity。"

SteveGillisdeclaresthatMarkTwainthenletgosuchascorching，singeingblastthatthebrute’sownersoldhimnextdayforaMexicanhairlessdog。

Wegatherthattheymoved，onanaverage，aboutonceamonth。AhomeletterofSeptember25，1864，says：

Wehavebeenhereonlyfourmonths，yetwehavechangedourlodgingfivetimes。Weareverycomfortablyfixedwherewearenowandhavenofaulttofindwiththeroomsorthepeople。Wearetheonlylodgers—inawell—to—doprivatefamily……ButIneedchangeandmustmoveagain。

ThiswastheMinnaStreetplace——theplaceofthedog。InthesameletterhementionshavingmadeanewarrangementwiththeCall，bywhichheistoreceivetwenty—fivedollarsaweek，withnomorenight—work；hesaysfurtherthathehasclosedwiththeCalifornianforweeklyarticlesattwelvedollarseach。

XLVII

BOHEMIANDAYS

MarkTwain’spositiononthe’Call’wasuncongenialfromthestart。SanFranciscowasalargercitythanVirginia；theworktherewasnecessarilymoreimpersonal，morearoutineofnews—gatheringanddrudgery。Heoncesetdownhisownmemoriesofit：

AtnineinthemorningIhadtobeatthepolicecourtforanhourandmakeabriefhistoryofthesquabblesofthenightbefore。TheywereusuallybetweenIrishmenandIrishmen，andChinamenandChinamen，withnowandthenasquabblebetweenthetworaces，forachange。

Duringtherestofthedaywerakedthetownfromendtoend，gatheringsuchmaterialaswemight，wherewithtofillourrequiredcolumns；andiftherewerenofirestoreport，westartedsome。Atnightwevisitedthesixtheaters，oneaftertheother，sevennightsintheweek。Weremainedineachofthoseplacesfiveminutes，gotthemerestpassingglimpseofplayandopera，andwiththatforatextwe"wroteup"thoseplaysandoperas，asthephrasegoes，torturingoursoulseverynightintheefforttofindsomethingtosayaboutthoseperformanceswhichwehadnotsaidacoupleofhundredtimesbefore。

Itwasfearfuldrudgery—soullessdrudgery——andalmostdestituteofinterest。Itwasanawfulslaveryforalazyman。

OntheEnterprisehehadbeenfree，withalibertythatamountedtolicense。Hecouldwritewhathewished，andwaspersonallyresponsibletothereaders。OntheCallhewassimplyapartofanews—machine；

restrictedbyapolicy，thewholeapartofastillgreatermachine——

politics。OncehesawsomebutcherssettheirdogsonanunoffendingChinaman，apolicemanlookingonwithamusedinterest。Hewroteanindignantarticlecriticizingthecitygovernmentandrakingthepolice。

InVirginiaCitythiswouldhavebeenawelcomedelight；inSanFranciscoitdidnotappear。

Atanothertimehefoundapolicemanasleeponhisbeat。Goingtoanear—byvegetablestallheborrowedalargecabbage—leaf，camebackandstoodoverthesleeper，gentlyfanninghim。Itwouldbewastedefforttomakeanitemofthisincident；buthecouldpublishitinhisownfashion。Hestoodtherefanningthesleepingofficialuntilalargecrowdcollected。Whenhethoughtitwaslargeenoughhewentaway。Nextdaythejokewasalloverthecity。

Onlyoneoftheseveralseverearticleshewrotecriticizingofficialsandinstitutionsseemstohaveappeared——anattackonanundertakerwhoseestablishmentformedabranchofthecoroner’soffice。ThemanagementofthisplaceonedayrefusedinformationtoaCallreporter，andthenextmorningitsproprietorwasterrifiedbyascathingdenunciationofhisfirm。Itbegan，"Thosebody—snatchers"andcontinuedthroughhalfacolumnofsuchscorchingstricturesasonlyMarkTwaincoulddevise。TheCall’spolicyofsuppressionevidentlydidnotincludecriticismsofdeputycoroners。

Suchliberty，however，wastoorareforMarkTwain，andhelostinterest。

Heconfessedafterwardthathebecameindifferentandlazy，andthatGeorgeE。Barnes，oneofthepublishersoftheCall，atlastallowedhimanassistant。Heselectedfromthecounting—roomabig，hulkingyouthbythenameofMcGlooral，withtheacquiredprefixof"Smiggy。"ClemenshadtakenafancytoSmiggyMcGlooral——onaccountofhisnameandsizeperhaps——andSmiggy，devotedtohispatron，workedlikeaslavegatheringnewsnights——daytimes，too，ifnecessary——allofwhichwasdemoralizingtoamanwhohadsmallappetiteforhisplaceanyway。ItwasonlyaquestionoftimewhenSmiggyalonewouldbesufficientforthejob。

TherewereotherandpleasanterthingsinSanFrancisco。Thepersonalandliteraryassociationswereworthwhile。AthisrighthandintheCallofficesatFrankSoule——agentlespirit——agracefulversifierwhobelievedhimselfapoet。MarkTwaindeferredtoFrankSouleinthosedays。Hethoughthisversesexquisiteintheirworkmanship；awordofpraisefromSoulegavehimhappiness。Inaluxuriousofficeup—stairswasanothercongenialspirit——agifted，handsomefellowoftwenty—four，whowassecretaryoftheMint，andwhopresentlybecameeditorofanewliteraryweekly，theCalifornian，whichCharlesHenryWebbhadfounded。

Thisyoungman’snamewasFrancisBretHarte，originallyfromAlbany，lateraminerandschool—teacherontheStanislaus，stilllateracompositor，finallyacontributor，ontheGoldenEra。HisfamescarcelyreachedbeyondSanFranciscoasyet；butamongthelittlecoterieofwritingfolkthatclusteredabouttheEraofficehisrankwashigh。MarkTwainfraternizedwithBretHarteandtheEragroupgenerally。Hefeltthathehadreachedtheland——oratleasttheborderland——ofBohemia，thatUltimaThuleofeveryyoungliterarydream。

SanFranciscodid，infact，haveaverydefiniteliteraryatmosphereandaliteratureofitsown。Itscoterieofwritershaddriftedfromhereandthere，buttheyhadmergedthemselvesintoaCaliforniabody—poetic，quiteasindividualasthatofCambridge，eveniflessfamous，lessfortunateinemolumentsthantheBostongroup。JosephE。Lawrence，familiarlyknownas"Joe"Lawrence，waseditoroftheGoldenEra，——[TheGoldenEra，California’sfirstliterarypublication，wasfoundedbyRollinM。DaggettandJ。McDonoughFoardin1852。]——andhiskindnessandhospitalitywereaccountedsufficientrewardsevenwhenhispecuniaryacknowledgmentsweremodestenough。Hehadahandsomeoffice，andtheliterati，localandvisiting，usedtogatherthere。Namesthatwouldbewellknownlaterwereincludedinthatlittleband。JoaquinMillerrecallsfromanolddiary，keptbyhimthen，havingseenAdahIsaacsMenken，PrenticeMulford，BretHarte，CharlesWarrenStoddard，FitzhughLudlow，MarkTwain，OrpheusC。Kerr，ArtemusWard，GilbertDensmore，W。S。Kendall，andMrs。Hitchcockassembledthereatonetime。TheEraofficewouldseemtohavebeenasortofMountOlympus，orParnassus，perhaps；fortheseweremainlypoets，whohadscarcelyyetattainedtothedignityofgods。Millerwashardlymorethanayouththen，andthisgrandassemblageimpressedhim，asdidtheimposingappointmentsoftheplace。

TheEraroomswereelegant——[hesays]——，themostgrandlycarpetedandmostgorgeouslyfurnishedthatIhaveeverseen。Evennowinmymemorytheyseemtohavebeensimplypalatial。Ihaveseentheworldwellsincethen——allofitssplendorsworthseeing——yetthosecarpetedparlors，withJoeLawrenceandhisbrilliantsatellites，outshineallthingselse，asIturntolookback。

MorethananyothercitywestoftheAlleghanies，SanFranciscohasalwaysbeenaliterarycenter；andcertainlythatwasaremarkablegrouptobeoutthereunderthesunset，droppeddowntherebehindtheSierras，whichthetranscontinentalrailwaywouldnotclimbyet，forseveralyears。Theywereahappy—hearted，aspiringlot，andtheygotasmuchasfivedollarssometimesforanEraarticle，andwereasproudofitasifithadbeenagreatdealmore。Theyfeltthattheywerecreatingliterature，astheywere，infact；anewschoolofAmericanlettersmusteredthere。

MarkTwainandBretHarteweredistinctivefeaturesofthisgroup。Theywerealreadyrecognizedbytheirassociatesasbelonginginaclassbythemselves，thoughasyetneitherhaddoneanyoftheworkforwhichhewouldberememberedlater。Theywereagooddealtogether，anditwaswhenHartewasmadeeditoroftheCalifornianthatMarkTwainwasputontheweeklystaffatthethenunexampledtwelve—dollarrate。TheCalifornianmadelargerpretensionsthantheEra，andperhapshadaheavierfinancialbacking。WithMarkTwainonthestaffandBretHarteinthechair，himselfafrequentcontributor，iteasilyrankedasfirstofSanFranciscoperiodicals。AnumberofthesketchescollectedbyWebblater，inMarkTwain’sfirstlittlevolume，theCelebratedJumpingFrog，Etc。，appearedintheEraorCalifornianin1864and1865。Theyweresmart，bright，direct，notalwaysrefined，butprobablythebesthumoroftheday。Someofthemarestillpreservedinthisvolumeofsketches。