第13章

Nextmorning，sittinginthewriting—roomofYoung’sHotel，hewroteacuriouslettertoMrs。Clemens，thoughintendedasmuchforHowellsandAldrichasforher。Itwasdatedsixty—oneyearsahead，andwasasortofLookingBackwards，thoughthatnotablebookhadnotyetbeenwritten。

ItpresupposedamonarchyinwhichthenameofBostonhasbeenchangedto"Limerick，"andHartfordto"Dublin。"Init，Twichellhasbecomethe"ArchbishopofDublin，"Howells"DukeofCambridge，"Aldrich"MarquisofPonkapog，"Clemensthe"EarlofHartford。"Itwastoowhimsicalanddelightfulafancytobeforgotten。——[ThisremarkableandamusingdocumentwillbefoundunderAppendixM，attheendoflastvolume。]

Alongtimeafterward，thirty—fouryear，hecameacrossthisletter。Hesaid：

"ItseemscuriousnowthatIshouldhavebeendreamingdreamsofafuturemonarchyandneversuspectthatthemonarchywasalreadypresentandtheRepublicathingofthepast。"

Whathemeant，wasthepoliticalsuccessionthathadfosteredthosecommercialtrustswhich，inturn，hadestablishedpartydominion。

ToHowells，onhisreturn，Clemenswrotehisacknowledgments，andadded：

Mrs。Clemensgetsuponthevergeofswearing，andgoestearingaroundinanunseemlyfurywhenIenlargeuponthedelightfultimewehadinBoston，andshenottheretohavehershare。IhavetriedhardtoreproduceMrs。Howellstoher，andhaveprobablynotmadeashiningsuccessofit。

XCVIII

"OLDTIMESONTHEMISSISSIPPI"

HowellshadbeenurgingClemenstodosomethingmorefortheAtlantic，specificallysomethingfortheJanuarynumber。Clemenscudgeledhisbrains，butfinallydeclaredhemustgiveitup：

Mrs。Clemenshasdiligentlypersecutedmedaybydaywithurgingstogotoworkanddothatsomething，butit’snouse。IfindIcan’t。

Weareinsuchastateofworryandendlessconfusionthatmyheadwon’tgo。

Twohourslaterhesentanotherhastyline：

ItakebacktheremarkthatIcan’twritefortheJanuarynumber，forTwichellandIhavehadalongwalkinthewoods，andIgottotellinghimaboutoldMississippidaysofsteam—boatinggloryandgrandeurasIsawthem(duringfouryears)fromthepilot—house。Hesaid，"Whatavirginsubjecttohurlintoamagazine！"Ihadn’tthoughtofthatbefore。Wouldyoulikeaseriesofpaperstorunthroughthreemonthsorsixornine——oraboutfourmonths，say？

Howellswelcomedthisofferasanechoofhisownthought。Hehadcomefromapilotingfamilyhimself，andknewtheinterestthatMarkTwaincouldputintosuchaseries。

Actingpromptlyunderthenewinspiration，Clemensforthwithsentthefirstchapterofthatmonumental，thatabsolutelyunique，seriesofpapersonMississippiRiverlife，whichto—dayconstitutesoneofhischiefclaimstoimmortality。

Hisfirstnumberwasinthenatureofanexperiment。Perhaps，afterall，theideawouldnotsuittheAtlanticreaders。

"Cutit，scarifyit，rejectit，handleitwithentirefreedom，"hewrote，andawaitedtheresult。

The"result"wasthatHowellsexpressedhisdelight：

ThepieceabouttheMississippiiscapital。Italmostmadethewaterinourice—pitchermuddyasIreadit。Idon’tthinkIshallmeddlemuchwithit，eveninthewayofsuggestion。Thesketchofthelow—livedlittletownwassogoodthatIcouldhavewishedtherewasmoreofit。Iwantthesketches，ifyoucanmakethem，everymonth。

MarkTwainwasnowreallyinterestedinthisnewliteraryventure。Hewasfairlysaturatedwithmemories。Hewaswritingonthethemethatlaynearesttohisheart。Withintendayshereportedthathehadfinishedthreeofthepapers，andhadbegunthefourth。

AndyetIhavespokenofnothingbutpilotingasasciencesofar，andI

doubtifIevergetbeyondthatportionofmysubject。AndIdon’tcareto。AnyMugginscanwriteaboutolddaysontheMississippioffivehundreddifferentkinds，butIamtheonlymanalivethatcanscribbleaboutthepilotingofthatday，andnomanhasevertriedtoscribbleaboutityet。Itsnewnesspleasesmeallthetime，anditisabouttheonlynewsubjectIknowof。

HebecamesoenthusiasticpresentlythathewantedtotakeHowellswithhimonatripdowntheMississippi，withtheirwivesforcompany，togoovertheoldgroundagainandobtainaddedmaterialenoughforabook。

Howellswaswillingenough——agreedtogo，infact——butfoundithardtogetaway。Hebegantotemporizeandfinallybackedout。ClemenstriedtoinveigleOsgoodintothetrip，butwithoutsuccess；alsoJohnHay，butHayhadanewbabyathishousejustthen——"threedaysold，andwithavoicebeyondprice，"hesaid，offeringitasanexcusefornon—

acceptance。Sotheplanforrevisitingtheriverandtheconclusionofthebookwereheldinabeyancefornearlysevenyears。

Thoseearlypilotingchapters，astheyappearedintheAtlantic，constitutedMarkTwain’sbestliteraryexhibituptothattime。Insomerespectstheyarehisbestliteratureofanytime。Aspicturesofanintenselyinterestingphaseoflife，theyaresoconvincing，soreal，andatthesametimeofsuchextraordinarycharmandinterest，thatiftheEnglishlanguageshouldsurviveathousandyears，ortentimesaslong，theywouldbeasfreshandvividattheendofthatperiodasthedaytheywerepenned。Inthemtheatmosphereof，theriveranditsenvironment——itspictures，itsthousandaspectsoflife——arereproducedwithwhatisnolessthanliterarynecromancy。Notonlydoeshemakeyousmelltheriveryoucanfairlyhearitbreathe。OntheappearanceofthefirstnumberJohnHaywrote：

"Itisperfect；nomorenorless。Idon’tseehowyoudoit，"andadded，"youknowwhatmyopinionisoftimenotspentwithyou。"

Howellswrote：

Youaredoingthescienceofpilotingsplendidly。Everywordinteresting，anddon’tyoudroptheseriestillyou’vegoteverybitofanecdoteandreminiscenceintoit。

HeletClemenswritethearticlestosuithimself。Oncehesaid：

IfImightputinmyjawatthispointIshouldsay，sticktoactualfactandcharacterinthethingandgivethingsindetail。Allthatbelongstotheoldriverlifeisnovel，andisnowmostlyhistorical。Don’twriteatanysupposedAtlanticaudience，butyarnitoffasifintomysympatheticear。

ClemensrepliedthathehadnodreadoftheAtlanticaudience；hedeclareditwastheonlyaudiencethatdidnotrequireahumoristto"painthimselfstripedandstandonhisheadtoamuseit。"

The"OldTimes"papersranthroughsevennumbersoftheAtlantic。Theywerereprintedeverywherebythenewspapers，whointhatdayhadlittlerespectformagazinecopyrights，andwerepromptlypiratedinbookforminCanada。TheyaddedvastlytoMarkTwain’sliterarycapital，thoughHowellsinformsusthattheAtlanticcirculationdidnotthriveproportionately，forthereasonthatthenewspapersgavethearticlestotheirreadersfromadvancedsheetsofthemagazine，evenbeforethelattercouldbeplacedonsale。ItsohappenedthatintheJanuaryAtlantic，whichcontainedthefirstoftheMississippipapers，thereappearedRobertDaleOwen’sarticleon"Spiritualism，"whichbroughtsuchhumilitybothtoauthorandpublisherbecauseoftheexposureofthemediumKatieKing，whichcamealongwhilethemagazinewasinpress。

ClemenshaswrittenthismarginalnoteontheopeningpageofthecopyatQuarryFarm：

WhilethisnumberoftheAtlanticwasbeingprintedtheKatieKingmanifestationswerediscoveredtobethecheapest，wretchedestshamsandfrauds，andwereexposedinthenewspapers。TheawfulhumiliationofitunseatedRobertDaleOwen’sreason，andhediedinthemadhouse。

XCIX

ATYPEWRITER，ANDAJOKEONALDRICH

ItwasduringthetriptoBostonwithTwichellthatMarkTwainsawforthefirsttimewhatwasthen——abrand—newinvention，atypewriter；oritmayhavebeenduringasubsequentvisit，aweekortwolater。Atallevents，hehadthemachineandwaspractisingonitDecember9，1874，forhewrotetwolettersonitthatday，onetoHowellsandtheothertoOrionClemens。Inthelatterhesays：

Iamtryingtogetthehangofthisnew—fangledwriting—machine，butamnotmakingashiningsuccessofit。However，thisisthefirstattemptIeverhavemade，andyetIperceivethatIshallsooneasilyacquireafinefacilityinitsuse。IsawthethinginBostontheotherdayandwasgreatlytakenwithit。

Hegoesontoexplainthenewwonder，andonthewholehisfirstattemptisaverycreditableperformance。Withhisusualenthusiasmoveraninnovation，hebelievesitisgoingtobeagreathelptohim，andproclaimsitsadvantages。

ThisisthelettertoHowells，withtheerrorspreserved：

Youneedn’tanswerthis；Iamonlypracticingtogetthree；anotheslip—upthere；onlypractici？ngtigetthehangofthething。I

noticeImissfire&getinagoodmanyunnecessaryletters&

punctuationmarks。Iamsimplyusingyouforatargettobangat。

Blamemycats，butthisthingrequiresgeniusinordertoworkitjustright。

InanarticlewrittenlongafterhetellshowhewaswithNasbywhenhefirstsawthemachineinBostonthroughawindow，andhowtheywentintoseeitperform。Inthesamearticlehestatesthathewasthefirstpersonintheworldtoapplythetype—machinetoliterature，andthathethinksthestoryofTomSawyerwasthefirsttype—copiedmanuscript。

——[TomSawyerwasnotthencomplete，andhadbeenlaidaside。Thefirsttype—copiedmanuscriptwasprobablyearlychaptersoftheMississippistory，twodiscardedtypewrittenpagesofwhichstill—exist]

Thenewenthusiasmranitscourseanddied。Threemonthslater，whentheRemingtonmakerswrotehimforarecommendationofthemachine，herepliedthathehadentirelystoppedusingit。Thetypewriterwasnotperfectinthosedays，andthekeysdidnotalwaysrespondreadily。

Hedeclareditwasruininghismorals——thatitmadehim"wanttoswear。"

HeofferedittoHowellsbecause，hesaid，Howellshadnomoralsanyway。

Howellshesitated，soClemenstradedthemachinetoBlissforaside—

saddle。ButperhapsBlissalsobecameafraidofitsinfluence，forinduetimehebroughtitback。Howells，againtempted，hesitated，andthistimewaslost。Whateventuallybecameofthemachineisnothistory。

Oneofthose，happyAtlanticdinnerswhichHowellstellsofcameabouttheendofthatyear。ItwasattheParkerHouse，andEmersonwasthere；

andAldrich，andtherestofthatgroup。

"Don’tyoudaretorefusetheinvitation，"saidHowells，andnaturallyClemensdidn’t，andwroteback：

IwantyoutoaskMrs。HowellstoletyoustayallnightattheParkerHouseandtellliesandhaveanimprovingtime，andtakebreakfastwithmeinthemorning。Iwillhaveagoodroomforyouandafire。Can’tyoutellheritalwaysmakesyousicktogohomelateatnightorsomethinglikethat？ThatsortofthingarousesMrs。Clemens’ssympathieseasily。

Twomemoriesofthatolddinnerremainto—day。AldrichandHowellswerenotsatisfiedwiththekindofnecktiesthatMarkTwainwore(theold—

fashionedblack"string"tie，aWesternsurvival)，sotheymadehimapresentoftwocravatswhenhesetoutonhisreturnforHartford。Nextdayhewrote：

YouandAldrichhavemadeonewomandeeplyandsincerelygrateful——

Mrs。Clemens。Formonths——Imayevensayyears——shehasshownanunaccountableanimositytowardmynecktie，evengettingupinthenighttotakeitwiththetongsandblackguardit，sometimesalsogettingsofarastothreatenit。

WhenIsaidyouandAldrichhadgivenmetwonewneckties，andthattheywereinapaperinmyovercoatpocket，shewasinafeverofhappinessuntilshefoundIwasgoingtoframethem；thenallthevenominhernaturegathereditselftogether；insomuchthatI，beingneartoadoor，wentwithout，perceivingdanger。

Itisrecordedthateventuallyheworetheneckties，andreturnednomoretotheearliermode。

AnothermemoryofthatdinnerislinkedtoademandthatAldrichmadeofClemensthatnight，forhisphotograph。Clemens，returningtoHartford，putupfifty—twodifferentspecimensinasmanyenvelopes，withtheideaofsendingoneaweekforayear。Thenheconcludedthatthiswastooslowaprocess，andforaweeksentoneeverymorningto"HisGraceofPonkapog。"

Aldrichstooditforafewdays，thenprotested。"Thepolice，"hesaid，"areinthehabitofswoopingdownuponapublicationofthatsort。"

OnNew—Year’snolessthantwentypicturescameatonce——photographsandprintsofMarkTwain，hishouse，hisfamily，hisvariousbelongings。

AldrichsentawarningthenthattheperpetratorofthisoutragewasknowntothepoliceasMarkTwain，alias"TheJumpingFrog，"awell—knownCaliforniadesperado，whowouldbespeedilyarrestedandbroughttoPonkapogtofacehisvictim。Thisletterwassigned"T。Bayleigh，ChiefofPolice，"andontheoutsideoftheenvelopetherewasastatementthatitwouldbeuselessforthatpersontosendanymoremail—matter，asthepost—officehadbeenblownup。Thejollyfarceclosedthere。Itwasthesortofthingthatbothmenenjoyed。

AldrichwaswritingastoryatthistimewhichcontainedsomeWesternminingincidentandenvironment。HesentthemanuscripttoClemensfor"expert"considerationandadvice。Clemenswrotehimatgreatlengthandincarefuldetail。HewasfondofAldrich，regardinghimasoneofthemostbrilliantofmen。Once，toRobertLouisStevenson，hesaid：

"Aldrichhasneverhadhispeerforpromptandpithyandwittyandhumoroussayings。Nonehasequaledhim，certainlynonehassurpassedhim，inthefelicityofphrasingwithwhichheclothedthesechildrenofhisfancy。Aldrichisalwaysbrilliant；hecan’thelpit；heisafire—opalsetroundwithrosediamonds；whenheisnotspeakingyouknowthathisdaintyfanciesaretwinklingandglimmeringaroundinhim；whenhespeaksthediamondsflash。Yes，heisalwaysbrilliant，hewillalwaysbebrilliant；hewillbebrilliantinhell—youwillsee。"

Stevenson，smilingachucklysmile，said，"Ihopenot。"

"Well，youwill，andhewilldimeventhoseruddyfiresandlooklikeatransfiguredAdonisbackedagainstapinksunset。"——[NorthAmericanReview，September，1906。]

C

RAYMOND，MENTALTELEGRAPHY，ETC。

TheSellersplaywasgiveninHartford，inJanuary(1875)，toasmanypeopleascouldcrowdintotheOperaHouse。Raymondhadreachedtheperfectionofhisartbythattime，andthetownsmenofMarkTwainsawtheplayandtheactorattheirbest。KateFieldplayedthepartofLauraHawkins，andtherewasaHartfordgirlinthecompany；alsoaHartfordyoungman，whowouldonedaybeaboutaswellknowntoplaygoersasanyplaywrightoractorthatAmericahasproduced。HisnamewasWilliamGillette，anditwaslargelyduetoMarkTwainthattheauthorofSecretServiceandofthedramatic"SherlockHolmes"gotafairpublicstart。ClemensandhiswifeloanedGillettethethreethousanddollarswhichtidedhimthroughhisperiodofdramaticeducation。Theirfaithinhisabilitywasjustified。

Hartfordwouldnaturallybeenthusiasticonafirst"Sellers—Raymond"

night。Attheendofthefourthacttherewasanurgentdemandfortheauthoroftheplay，whowassupposedtobepresent。Hewasnotthereinperson，buthadsentaletter，whichRaymondread：

MYDEARRAYMOND，——Iamawarethatyouaregoingtobewelcomedtoourtownbygreataudiencesonbothnightsofyourstaythere，andIbegtoaddmyheartywelcomealso，throughthisnote。Icannotcometothetheateroneitherevening，Raymond，becausethereissomethingsotouchingaboutyouractingthatIcan’tstandit。

(Idonotmentionacoupleofcoldsinmyhead，becauseIhardlymindthemasmuchasIwouldtheerysipelas，butbetweenyouandmeIwouldpreferitiftheywererightsandlefts。)

Andthenthereisanotherthing。IhavealwaystakenaprideinearningmylivinginoutsideplacesandspendingitinHartford；Ihavesaidthatnogoodcitizenwouldliveonhisownpeople，butgoforthandmakeitsultryforothercommunitiesandfetchhometheresult；andnowatthislatedayIfindmyselfinthecrushedandbleedingpositionoffatteningmyselfuponthespoilsofmybrethren！CanIsupportsuchgriefasthis？

(Thisisliteraryemotion，youunderstand。Takethemoneyatthedoorjustthesame。)

OncemoreIwelcomeyoutoHartford，Raymond，butasformeletmestayathomeandblush。

Yourstruly，MARK。

Theplaywasequallysuccessfulwhereveritwent。Itmadewhatinthatdaywasregardedasafortune。Onehundredthousanddollarsishardlytoolargeanestimateoftheamountdividedbetweenauthorandactor。

Raymondwasagreatactorinthatpart，asheinterpretedit，thoughhedidnotinterpretitfully，oralwaysinitsbestway。Thefinerside，thesubtle，tendersideofColonelSellers，hewaslikelytooverlook。

Yet，withanaturalhumanself—estimate，RaymondbelievedhehadcreatedamuchgreaterpartthanMarkTwainhadwritten。Doubtlessfromthepointofviewofanumberofpeoplethiswasso，thoughtheidea，wasnaturallyobnoxioustoClemens。Incourseoftimetheirpersonalrelationsceased。

ClemensthatwintergaveanotherbenefitforFatherHawley。Inreplytoaninvitationtoappearinbehalfofthepoor，hewrotethathehadquitthelecturefield，andwouldnotreturntotheplatformunlessdriventherebylackofbread。Butheadded：

BythespiritofthatremarkIamdebarredfromdeliveringthisproposedlecture，andsoIfallbackupontheletterofit，andemergeupontheplatformforthislastandfinaltimebecauseIamconfrontedbyalackofbread—amongFatherHawley’sflock。

Hemadeanintroductoryspeechatanold—fashionedspelling—bee，givenattheAsylumHillChurch；abreezy，charmingtalkofwhichthefollowingisasample：

Idon’tseeanyuseinspellingawordright——andneverdid。ImeanIdon’tseeanyuseinhavingauniformandarbitrarywayofspellingwords。Wemightaswellmakeallclothesalikeandcookalldishesalike。Samenessistiresome；varietyispleasing。I

haveacorrespondentwhoselettersarealwaysarefreshmenttome；

thereissuchabreezy，unfetteredoriginalityabouthisorthography。Healwaysspells"kow"withalarge"K。"Nowthatisjustasgoodastospellitwithasmallone。Itisbetter。Itgivestheimaginationabroaderfield，awiderscope。Itsuggeststothemindagrand，vague，impressivenewkindofacow。

Hetookpartinthecontest，andinspiteofhisearlyreputation，wasspelleddownontheword"chaldron，"whichhespelled"cauldron，"ashehadbeentaught，whilethedictionaryusedasauthoritygavethatformassecondchoice。

Anothertimethatwinter，ClemensreadbeforetheMondayEveningClubapaperon"UniversalSuffrage，"whichisstillrememberedbythesurvivingmembersofthattime。Aparagraphortwowillconveyitspurport：

Ourmarvelouslatter—daystatesmanshiphasinventeduniversalsuffrage。Thatisthefinestfeatherinourcap。Allthatwerequireofavoteristhatheshallbeforked，wearpantaloonsinsteadofpetticoats，andbearamoreorlesshumorousresemblancetothereportedimageofGod。Heneednotknowanythingwhatever；

hemaybewhollyuselessandacumbereroftheearth；hemayevenbeknowntobeaconsummatescoundrel。Nomatter。Whilehecansteerclearofthepenitentiaryhisvoteisasweightyasthevoteofapresident，abishop，acollegeprofessor，amerchantprince。Webragofouruniversal，unrestrictedsuffrage；butweareshamsafterall，forwerestrictwhenwecometothewomen。

TheMondayEveningClubwasanorganizationwhichincludedthebestmindsofHartford。Dr。HoraceBushnell，Prof。CalvinE。Stowe，andJ。HammondTrumbullfoundeditbackinthesixties，anditincludedsuchmenasRev。

Dr。Parker，Rev。Dr。Burton，CharlesH。Clark，oftheCourant，Warner，andTwichell，withothersoftheirkind。ClemenshadbeenelectedafterhisfirstsojourninEngland(February，1873)，andhadthenreadapaperonthe"LicenseofthePress。"TheclubmetalternateMondays，fromOctobertoMay。Therewasonepaperforeachevening，and，aftertheusualfashionofsuchclubs，thereadingwasfollowedbydiscussion。

MembersofthattimeagreethatMarkTwain’sassociationwiththeclubhadatendencytogiveitalife，oratleastanexhilaration，whichithadnotpreviouslyknown。Hispaperswereseriousintheirpurposehealwayspreferredtobeserious——buttheyevidencedthemagicgiftwhichmadewhateverhetouchedturntoliteraryjewelry。

PsychictheoriesandphenomenaalwaysattractedMarkTwain。Inthought—

transference，especially，hehadafrankinterest——aninterestawakenedandkeptalivebycertainphenomena——psychicmanifestationswecallthemnow。InhisassociationwithMrs。Clemensitnotinfrequentlyhappenedthatonespoketheother’sthought，orperhapsalong—procrastinatedlettertoafriendwouldbringananswerasquicklyasmailed；butthesearethingsfamiliartousall。Amorestartlingexampleofthought—

communicationdevelopedatthetimeofwhichwearewriting，anexamplewhichraisedtoafever—pointwhateverinteresthemayhavehadinthesubjectbefore。(Hewasalwayshavingthesevehementinterests——rageswemaycallthem，foritwouldbeinadequatetospeakofthemasfads，inasmuchastheytendedinthedirectionofhumanenlightenment，orprogress，orreform。)

Clemensonemorningwaslyinginbedwhen，ashesays，suddenlyared—hotnewideacamewhistlingdownintomycamp。"TheideawasthatthetimewasripeforabookthatwouldtellthestoryoftheComstock—oftheNevadasilvermines。ItseemedtohimthatthepersonbestqualifiedfortheworkwashisoldfriendWilliamWright——DandeQuille。HehadnotheardfromDan，orofhim，foralongtime，butdecidedtowriteandurgehimtotakeuptheidea。Hepreparedtheletter，goingfullyintothedetailsofhisplan，aswasnaturalforhimtodo，thenlaiditasideuntilhecouldseeBlissandsecurehisapprovaloftheschemefromapublishingstandpoint。Justaweeklater，itwasthe9thofMarch，alettercame——athickletterbearingaNevadapostmark，andaddressedinahandwritingwhichhepresentlyrecognizedasDeQuille’s。Toavisitorwhowaspresenthesaid：

"NowIwilldoamiracle。Iwilltellyoueverythingthislettercontains——date，signature，andallwithoutbreakingtheseal。"

Hestatedwhathebelievedwasintheletter。Thenheopeneditandshowedthathehadcorrectlygivenitscontents，whichwerethesameinallessentialdetailsasthoseofhisownletter，notyetmailed。

Inanarticleon"MentalTelegraphy"(heinventedthename)herelatesthisinstance，withothers，andin’FollowingtheEquator’andelsewhereherecordsothersuchhappenings。Itwasoneofthe"mysteries"inwhichheneverlostinterest，thoughhisconcerninitintimebecameapassiveone。

TheresultoftheDeQuillemanifestation，however，hehasnotrecorded。

Clemensimmediatelywrote，urgingDantocometoHartfordforanextendedvisit。DeQuillecame，andputinahappyspringinhisoldcomrade’sluxurioushome，writing’TheBigBonanza’，whichBlisssuccessfullypublishedayearlater。

MarkTwainwascontinuallyinvitingoldfriendstosharehissuccesswithhim。Anycomradeofformerdaysfoundwelcomeinhishomeasoftenashewouldcome，andforaslongashewouldstay。Clemensdroppedhisownaffairstoadviseintheirundertakings；andiftheirundertakingswereliteraryhefoundthemapublisher。HedidthisforJoaquinMillerandforBretHarte，andhewasalwaysurgingGoodmantomakehishouseahome。

TheBeecher—Tiltontrialwasthesensationofthespringof1875，andClemens，incommonwithmanyothers，wasgreatlyworkedupoverit。TheprintedtestimonyhadlefthimdecidedlyindoubtastoBeecher’sinnocence，thoughhisblamewouldseemtohavebeenlessforthepossibleoffensethanbecauseofthegreatleader’sattitudeinthematter。ToTwichellhesaid：

"Hisquibblingwasfatal。Innocentorguilty，heshouldhavemadeanunqualifiedstatementinthebeginning。"

Togethertheyattendedoneofthesessions，onadaywhenBeecherhimselfwasonthewitness—stand。Thetensionwasverygreat；theexcitementwaspainful。TwichellthoughtthatBeecherappearedwellunderthestressofexaminationandwasdeeplysorryforhim；Clemenswasfarfromconvinced。

ThefeelingwasespeciallystronginHartford，whereHenryWardBeecher’srelativeswereprominent，andanimositiesgrewoutofit。Theyareallforgottennow；mostofthosewhocherishedbitternessaredead。AnyfeelingthatClemenshadinthematterlastedbutalittlewhile。

Howellstellsusthatwhenhemethimsomemonthsafterthetrialended，andwastemptedtomentionit，Clemensdiscouragedanydiscussionoftheevent。SaysHowells：

Hewouldonlysaythemanhadsufferedenough；asifthemanhadexpiatedhiswrong，andhewasnotgoingtodoanythingtorenewhispenalty。Ifoundthatverycurious，verydelicate。Hiscontinuedblamecouldnotcometothesufferer’sknowledge，buthefeltithisdutytoforbearit。

Itwasonehundredyears，that19thofApril，sincethebattlesofLexingtonandConcord，andtherewastobeagreatcelebration。TheHowellseshadvisitedHartfordinMarch，andtheClemenseswereinvitedtoCambridgeforthecelebration。OnlyClemenscouldgo，whichintheeventprovedagoodthingperhaps；forwhenClemensandHowellssetoutforConcordtheydidnotgoovertoBostontotakethetrain，butdecidedtowaitforitatCambridge。ApparentlyitdidnotoccurtothemthatthetrainwouldbejammedthemomentthedoorswereopenedattheBostonstation；butwhenitcamealongtheysawhowhopelesswastheirchance。

TheyhadspecialinvitationsandpassagefromBoston，butthesewereonlymockeriesnow。Ityeascoldandchilly，andtheyforlornlysetoutinsearchofsomesortofaconveyance。Theytrampedaroundinthemudandrawwind，butvehicleswereeitherfilledorengaged，anddriversandoccupantswereinclinedtojeeratthem。Clemenswastakenwithanacuteattackofindigestion，whichmadehimratherdismalandsavage。Theireffortfinallyendedwithhistryingtorundownatally—howhichwasemptyinsideandhadapartyofHarvardstudentsridingatop。Thestudents，whodidnotrecognizetheirwould—befare，enjoyedtherace。

Theyencouragedtheirpursuer，andperhapstheirdriver，withmerrimentandcheers。Clemenswashandicappedbyhavingtorunintheslipperymud，andsoon"droppedbythewayside。"

"Iamglad，"saysHowells，"Icannotrecallwhathesaidwhenhecamebacktome。"

Theyhungaboutalittlelonger，thendraggedthemselveshome，slippedintothehouse，andbuiltupafine，cheerfulfireonthehearth。TheyproposedtopractiseadeceptiononMrs。HowellsbypretendingtheyhadbeentoConcordandreturned。Butitwasnouse。Theirstatementswereflimsy，andguiltwasplainlywrittenontheirfaces。Howellsrecallsthisincidentdelightfully，andexpressesthebeliefthatthehumorofthesituationwasfinallyagreaterpleasuretoClemensthantheactualvisittoConcordwouldhavebeen。

Twichelldidnothaveanysuchtroubleinattendingthecelebration。Hehadadventures(hewasalwayshavingadventures)，buttheywereofamoresuccessfulkind。ClemensheardthetaleofthemwhenhereturnedtoHartford。HewroteittoHowells：

JoeTwichellpreachedmorningandeveningherelastSunday；tookmidnighttrainforBoston；gotanearlybreakfastandstartedbyrailat7。30A。M。forConcord；swelledaroundthereuntil1P。M。，seeingeverything；thentraveledontopofatraintoLexington；saweverythingthere；traveledontopofatraintoBoston(withhundredsincompany)，delugedwithdust，smoke，andcinders；yelledandhurrahedallthewaylikeaschool—boy；layflatdown，tododgenumerousbridges，andsailedintothedepothowlingwithexcitementandasblackasachimneysweep；gottoYoung’sHotelat7P。M。；satdowninthereading—roomandimmediatelyfellasleep；waspromptlyawakenedbyaporter，whosupposedhewasdrunk；wanderedaroundanhourandahalf；thentook9P。M。train，satdowninasmoking—car，andrememberednothingmoreuntilawakenedbyconductorasthetraincameintoHartfordat1。30A。M。Thinkshehadsimplyaglorioustime，andwouldn’thavemissedtheCentennialfortheworld。HewouldhaverunouttoseeusamomentatCambridgebuthewastoodirty。Iwouldn’thavewantedhimthere；hisappallingenergywouldhavebeenaninsufferablereproachtomildadventurerslikeyouandme。

CI

CONCLUDING"TOMSAWYER"——MARKTWAIN’s"EDITORS"

Meantimethe"inspirationtank，"asClemenssometimescalledit，hadfilledupagain。HehadreceivedfromsomewherenewafflatusforthestoryofTomandHuck，andwasworkingonitsteadily。ThefamilyremainedinHartford，andearlyinJuly，underfullheadofsteam，hebroughtthestorytoaclose。Onthe5thhewroteHowells：

Ihavefinishedthestoryanddidn’ttakethechapbeyondboyhood。

Ibelieveitwouldbefataltodoitinanyshapebutautobiographically，likeGilBlas。Iperhapsmadeamistakeinnotwritingitinthefirstperson。IfIwentonnow，andtookhimintomanhood，hewouldjustlie，likealltheone—horsemeninliterature，andthereaderwouldconceiveaheartycontemptforhim。

Itisnotaboy’sbookatall。Itwillonlybereadbyadults。Itisonlywrittenforadults。

HewouldliketoseethestoryintheAtlantic，hesaid，butdoubtedthewisdomofserialization。

"ByandbyIshalltakeaboyoftwelveandrunhimthroughlife(inthefirstperson)，butnotTamSawyer，hewouldnotmakeagoodcharacterforit。"FromwhichwegetthefirstglimpseofHuck’slateradventures。

OfcoursehewantedHowellstolookatthestory。Itwasatremendousfavortoask，hesaid，andadded，"ButIknowofnootherpersonwhosejudgmentIcouldventuretotake，fullyandentirely。Don’thesitatetosayno，forIknowhowyourtimeistaxed，andIwouldhavehonestneedtoblushifyousaidyes。"

"SendonyourMS。，"wroteHowells。"You’venoideawhatImayaskyoutodoformesomeday。"

ButClemens，conscience—stricken，"blushedandweakened，"ashesaid。

WhenHowellsinsisted，hewrote：

ButIwillgladlysendittoyouifyouwilldoasfollows：

dramatizeit，ifyouperceivethatyoucan，andtake，foryourremuneration，halfofthefirst$6，000whichIreceiveforitsrepresentationonthestage。Youcouldaltertheplotentirelyifyouchose。Icouldhelpintheworkmostcheerfullyafteryouhadarrangedtheplot。IhavemyeyeupontwoyounggirlswhocanplayTomandHuck。

Howellsinhisreplyurged。Clemenstodotheplaywritinghimself。Hecouldneverfindtime，hesaid，andhedoubtedwhetherhecouldenterintothespiritofanotherman’sstory。Clemensdidbeginadramatizationthenoralittlelater，butitwasnotcompleted。Mrs。

Clemens，towhomhehadreadthestoryasitproceeded，wasasanxiousasherhusbandforHowells’sopinion，foritwasthefirstextendedpieceoffictionMarkTwainhadundertakenalone。HecarriedthemanuscriptovertoBostonhimself，andwhatevertheirdoubtsmayhavebeen，Howells’ssubsequentlettersetthematrest。Hewrotethathehadsatuptilloneinthemorningtogettotheendofit，simplybecauseitwasimpossibletoleaveoff。

ItisaltogetherthebestboystoryIeverread。Itwillbeanimmensesuccess，butIthinkyououghttotreatitexplicitlyasaboy’sstory；

grown—upswillenjoyitjustasmuchifyoudo，andifyoushouldputitforthasastoryofboys’characterfromthegrown—uppointofviewyougivethewrongkeytoit。

Viewedinthelightoflaterevents，therehasneverbeenanybetterliteraryopinionthanthat——nonethathasbeenmorefullyjustified。

Clemenswasdelighted。Hewroteconcerningapointhereandthere，oneinquiryreferringtotheuseofacertainstrongword。Howells’sreplyleftnodoubt：

I’dhavethatswearingoutinaninstant。IsupposeIdidn’tnoticeitbecausethelocationwassofamiliartomyWesternsense，andsoexactlythethingHuckwouldsay，butitwon’tdoforchildren。

Itwasinthelastchapter，whereHuckrelatestoTomthesorrowsofreformandtellshowtheycombhim"alltothunder。"Intheoriginal，"Theycombmealltohell，"saysHuck；whichstatement，onemustagree，ismoreeffective，morethethingHuckwouldbelikelytosay。

Clemens’sacknowledgmentofthecorrectionwascharacteristic：

Mrs。Clemensreceivedthemailthismorning，andthenextminuteshelitintothestudywithdangerinhereyeandthisdemandonhertongue，"WhereistheprofanityMr。Howellsspeaksof？"ThenIhadtomiserablyconfessthatIhadleftitoutwhenreadingtheMS。toher。Nothingbutalmostinspiredlyinggotmeoutofthisscrapewithmyscalp。Doesyourwifegiveyourats，likethat，whenyougoalittleone—sided？

TheClemensfamilydidnot，gotoElmirathatyear。Thechildren’shealthseemedtorequirethesea—shore，andinAugusttheywenttoBateman’sPoint，RhodeIsland，whereClemensmostofthetimeplayedtenpinsinanalleythathadgonetoruin。Theballswouldnotstayonthetrack；thepinsstoodatinebriateangles。Itremindedhimoftheoldbilliard—tablesofWesternmining—camps，andfurnishedthesameuncertaintyofplay。Itwashisdelight，afterhehadbecomeaccustomedtotheeccentricitiesofthealley，toinviteinastrangerandwatchhissufferingandhisfranticefforttoscore。

CII

SKETCHESNEWANDOLD"

Thelong—delayedbookofSketches，contractedforfiveyearsbefore，wasissuedthatautumn。"TheJumpingFrog，"whichhehadboughtfromWebb，wasincludedinthevolume，alsotheFrenchtranslationwhichMadameBlanc(Th。Bentzon)hadmadefortheRevuedesdeuxmondes，withMarkTwain’sretranslationbackintoEnglish，amostastonishingperformanceinitsliteralrenditionoftheFrenchidiom。Oneexamplewillsufficehere。ItiswherethestrangersaystoSmiley，"Idon’tseenop’intsaboutthatfrogthat’sanybetter’nanyotherfrog。"

SaystheFrench，retranslated：

"Ehbien！Inosawnotthatthatfroghadnothingofbetterthaneachfrog"(Jenevoispasquecettegrenouilleaitmieuxqu’aucunegrenouille)。(Ifthatisn’tgrammargonetoseedthenIcountmyselfnojudge。——M。T。)

"Possiblethatyounotitsawnot，"saidSmiley；"possiblethatyouyoucomprehendfrogs；possiblethatyounotyoutherecomprehendnothing；

possiblethatyouhadoftheexperience，andpossiblethatyounotbebutanamateur。Ofallmanner(detoutemaniere)Ibetfortydollarsthatshebatterinjumping，nomatterwhichfrogofthecountyofCalaveras。"

HeincludedanumberofsketchesoriginallypublishedwiththeFrog，alsoaselectionfromthe"Memoranda"andBuffaloExpresscontributions，andheputinthestoryofAuntieCord，withsomematterwhichhadneverhithertoappeared。TrueWilliamsillustratedthebook，buteitheritfurnishedhimnoinspirationorhewasallowedtoomuchofanothersort，forthepicturesdonotcomparewithhisearlierwork。

Amongthenewmatterinthebookwere—"SomeFablesforGoodOldBoysandGirls，"inwhichcertainwoodcreaturesaresupposedtomakeascientificexcursionintoaplaceatsometimeoccupiedbymen。Itisthemostpretentiousfeatureofthebook，andinitswayaboutasgoodasany。

LikeGulliver’sTravels，itsobjectwassatire，butitsresultisalsointerest。

ClemenswasveryanxiousthatHowellsshouldbefirsttoreviewthisvolume。HehadasuperstitionthatHowells’sverdictswereechoedbythelesserreviewers，andthatabookwasmadeordamnedaccordingly；abeliefhardlywarranted，forthereviewhasseldombeenwrittenthatmeanttoanybookthedifferencebetweensuccessandfailure。Howells’sreviewofSketchesmaybeofferedasacaseinpoint。Itwashighlycommendatory，muchmoresothanthenoticeofthe’Innocents’hadbeen，oreventhatof’RoughingIt’，alsomoreextensivethanthelatter。Yetaftertheinitialsaleofsometwentythousandcopies，mainlyonthestrengthoftheauthor’sreputation，thebookmadeacomparativelypoorshowing，andsoonlaggedfarbehinditspredecessors。

Wecannotjudge，ofcourse，thetasteofthatday，butitappearsnowanunattractive，incoherentvolume。Thepictureswereabsurdlybad，thesketcheswereofunequalmerit。Manyofthemareamusing，someofthemdelightful，butmostofthemseemephemeral。Ifweexcept"TheJumpingFrog，"andpossibly"ATrueStory"(andthelatterwasaltogetheroutofplaceinthecollection)，thereisnoreasontosupposethatanyofitscontentswillescapeoblivion。Thegreaternumberofthesketches，asMarkTwainhimselfpresentlyrealizedanddeclared，wouldbetterhavebeenallowedtodie。

Howellsdid，however，takeoccasiontopointoutinhisreview，oratleasttosuggest，themoreserioussideofMarkTwain。Heparticularlycalledattentionto"ATrueStory，"whichthereviewers，atthetimeofitspublicationintheAtlantic，hadtreatedlightly，fearingalurkingjokeinit；oritmaybetheyhadnotreadit，forreviewersarebusypeople。Howellsspokeofitasthechoicestpieceofworkinthevolume，andofits"perfectfidelitytothetragicfact。"Heurgedthereadertoturntoitagain，andtoreaditasa"simpledramaticreportofreality，"suchashadbeenequaledbynootherAmericanwriter。

ItwasinthisvolumeofsketchesthatMarkTwainfirstspokeinprintconcerningcopyright，showingtheabsurdinjusticeofdiscriminatingagainstliteraryownershipbystatuteoflimitation。HedidthisintheformofanopenpetitiontoCongress，askingthatallproperty，realandpersonal，shouldbeputonthecopyrightbasis，itsperiodofownershiplimitedtoa"beneficenttermofforty—twoyears。"Generallythiswasregardedasajoke，asinasenseitwas；butlikemostofMarkTwain’sjokesitwasfoundedonreasonandjustice。

Theapprovalwithwhichitwasreceivedbyhisliteraryassociatesledhimtostillfurtherflights。Hebeganadeterminedcrusadeforinternationalcopyrightlaws。Itwasatranscendentalbeginning，butitcontainedthegermofwhat，inthecourseoftime，hewouldbelargelyinstrumentalinbringingtoaripeandmagnificentconclusion。InthisfirsteffortheframedapetitiontoenactlawsbywhichtheUnitedStateswoulddeclareitselftobeforrightandjustice，regardlessofothernations，andbecomeagoodexampletotheworldbyrefusingtopiratethebooksofanyforeignauthor。HewrotetoHowells，urginghimtogetLowell，Longfellow，Holmes，Whittier，andotherstosignthispetition。

Iwillthenputagentlemanlychapunderwages，andsendhimpersonallytoeveryauthorofdistinctioninthecountryandcorraltherestofthesignatures。ThenI’llhavethewholethinglithographed(aboutonethousandcopies)，andmoveuponthePresidentandCongressinperson，butinthesubordinatecapacityofthepartywhoismerelytheagentofbetterandwisermen，ormenwhomthecountrycannotventuretolaughat。

IwillaskthePresidenttorecommendthethinginhismessage(andifheshouldaskmetositdownandframetheparagraphforhimIshouldblush，butstillIwouldframeit)。AndthenifEuropechoosestogoonstealingfromuswewouldsay，withnobleenthusiasm，"Americanlawmakersdosteal，butnotfromforeignauthors——notfromforeignauthors，"……

IfweonlyhadsomeGodinthecountry’slaws，insteadofbeinginsuchasweattogetHimintotheConstitution，itwouldbebetterallaround。

ThepetitionneverreachedCongress。Holmesagreedtosignitwithasmile，andthecommentthatgovernmentswerenotinthehabitofsettingthemselvesupashighmoralexamples，exceptforrevenue。Longfellowalsopledgedhimself，asdidafewothers；butiftherewasanygeneralconcurrenceintheeffortthereisnomemoryofitnow。Clemensabandonedtheoriginalidea，butremainedoneofthemostpersistentandinfluentialadvocatesofcopyrightbetterment，andlivedtoseemostofhisdreamfulfilled。——[ForthepetitionconcerningcopyrighttermintheUnitedStates，seeSketchesNewandOld。Forthepetitionconcerninginternationalcopyrightandrelatedmatters，seeAppendixN，attheendoflastvolume。]

CIII

"ATLANTIC"DAYS

ItwasaboutthisperiodthatMarkTwainbegantoexhibitopenlyhismoreseriousside；thatistosayhisadvocacyofpublicreforms。Hispaperon"UniversalSuffrage"hadsoundedafirstnote，andhiscopyrightpetitionswereofthesamespirit。Inlateryearsheusedtosaythathehadalwaysfeltitwashismissiontoteach，tocarrythebannerofmoralreconstruction，andhereatfortywefindhimfurnishingevidencesofthisinclination。IntheAtlanticforOctober，1875，therewaspublishedanunsignedthree—pagearticleentitled，"TheCuriousRepublicofGondour。"Inthisarticlewasdevelopedtheideathatthevotingprivilegeshouldbeestimatednotbytheindividuals，butbytheirintellectualqualifications。TherepublicofGondourwasaUtopia，wherethisplanhadbeenestablished：

Itwasanoddideaandingenious。Youmustunderstandtheconstitutiongaveeverymanavote；thereforethatvotewasavestedright，andcouldnotbetakenaway。Buttheconstitutiondidnotsaythatcertainindividualsmightnotbegiventwovotesorten。

Soanamendatoryclausewasinsertedinaquietway，aclausewhichauthorizedtheenlargementofthesuffrageincertaincasestobespecifiedbystatute……

Thevictorywascomplete。Thenewlawwasframedandpassed。Underiteverycitizen，howsoeverpoororignorant，possessedonevote，souniversalsuffragestillreigned；butifamanpossessedagoodcommon—schooleducationandnomoneyhehadtwovotes，ahigh—schooleducationgavehimfour；ifhehadproperty，likewise，tothevalueofthreethousandsacoshewieldedonemorevote；foreveryfiftythousandsacosamanaddedtohisproperty，hewasentitledtoanothervote；aUniversityeducationentitledamantoninevotes，eventhoughheownednoproperty。

Theauthorgoesontoshowthebeneficentresultsofthisenaction；howthecountrywasbenefitedandglorifiedbythisstimulustowardenlightenmentandindustry。NooneeversuspectedthatMarkTwainwastheauthorofthisfable。Itcontainedalmostnotraceofhisusualliterarymanner。Neverthelesshewroteit，andonlywithheldhisname，ashedidinafewotherinstances，inthefearthattheworldmightrefusetotakehimseriouslyoverhisownsignatureornomdeplume。

Howellsurgedhimtofollowupthe"Gondour"paper；tosendsomemorereportsfromthatmodelland。ButClemenswasengagedinotherthingsbythattime，andwasnotpledgedaltogethertonationalreforms。

Hewaswritingaskitaboutabitofdoggerelwhichwasthenmakingnightsanddaysunhappyformanyundeservingpersonswhoinanevilmomenthadfallenuponitinsomestraynewspapercorner。Acertaincarlinehadrecentlyadoptedthe"punchsystem，"andpostedinitscars，fortheinformationofpassengersandconductor，thisplacard：

ABlueTripSlipforan8CentsFare，ABuffTripSlipfora6CentsFare，APinkTripSlipfora3CentsFare，ForCouponAndTransfer，PunchTheTickets。

NoahBrooksandIsaacBromleywereridingdown—townoneeveningontheFourthAvenueline，whenBromleysaid：

"Brooks，it’spoetry。ByGeorge，it’spoetry！"

BrooksfollowedthedirectionofBromley’sfingerandreadthecardofinstructions。Theybeganperfectingthepoeticcharacterofthenotice，givingitstillmoreofarhythmictwistandjingle；arrivedattheTribuneoffice，W。C。Wyckoff，scientificeditor，andMosesP。Handylentintellectualandpoeticassistance，withthisresult：

Conductor，whenyoureceiveafare，Punchinthepresenceofthepassenjare！

Abluetripslipforaneight—centfare，Abufftripslipforasix—centfare，Apinktripslipforathree—centfare。

Punchinthepresenceofthepassenjare！

CHORUS

Punch，brothers！Punchwithcare！

Punchinthepresenceofthepassenjare！

Itwasprinted，andstreet—carpoetrybecamepopular。Differentpapershadaturnatit，andeachusuallyprecededitsowneffortwithallotherexamples，asfarasperpetrated。Clemensdiscoveredthelines，andononeoftheirwalksrecitedthemtoTwichell。"ALiteraryNightmare"waswrittenafewdayslater。Inittheauthortellshowthejingletookinstantandentirepossessionofhimandwentwaltzingthroughhisbrain；

how，whenhehadfinishedhisbreakfast，hecouldn’ttellwhetherhehadeatenanythingornot；andhow，whenhewenttofinishthenovelhewaswriting，andtookuphispen，hecouldonlygetittosay：

Punchinthepresenceofthepassenjare。

Hefoundreliefatlastintellingittohisreverendfriend，thatis，Twichell，uponwhomheunloadeditwithsadresults。

Itwasanamusingandtimelyskit，andisworthreadingto—day。ItspublicationintheAtlantichadtheeffectofwakinguphorse—carpoetryallovertheworld。Howells，goingtodineatErnestLongfellow’sthedayfollowingitsappearance，heardhishostandTomAppletonurgingeachotherto"Punchwithcare。"TheLongfellowladieshaditbyheart。

Bostonwasdevastatedbyit。Athome，Howells’schildrenrecitedittohiminchorus。Thestreetswerefullofit；inHarvarditbecameanepidemic。

Itwastransformedintoothertongues。EvenSwinburne，themusical，issaidtohavedoneaFrenchversionforthe’Revuedesdeuxmondes’。*A

St。Louismagazine，TheWestern，foundreliefinaLatinanthemwiththischorus：

Pungite，fratres，pungite，Pungitecumamore，Pungiteprovectore，Diligentissimepungite。

*LECHANTDUCONDUCTEUR

Ayantetepaye，leconducteurPerceraenpleinevueduvoyageur，Quandilregoittroissousuncouponvert，Uncouponjaunepoursixsousc’est1’affaire，Etpourhuitsousc’estuncouponcouleurDerose，enpleinevueduvoyageur。

CHOEUR

Donc，percezsoigneusement，mesfreresToutenpleinevuedesvoyageurs，etc。

CIV

MARKTWAINANDHISWIFE

ClemensandhiswifetraveledtoBostonforoneofthosehappyfore—

gatheringswiththeHowellses，whichcontinued，atoneendofthejourneyoranother，forsomanyyears。TherewasaluncheonwithLongfellowatCraigieHouse，and，onthereturntoHartford，ClemensreportedtoHowellshowMrs。Clemenshadthrivedonthehappinessofthevisit。Alsoheconfesseshispunishmentfortheusualcrimes：

I"caughtit"forlettingMrs。Howellsbotherandbotherabouthercoffee，whenitwasa"gooddealbetterthanwegetathome。"I

"caughtit"forinterruptingMrs。C。atthelastmomentandlosinghertheopportunitytourgeyounottoforgettosendherthatMS。

whentheprintersaredonewithit。I"caughtit"oncemoreforpersonatingthatdrunkenColonelJames。I"caughtit"formentioningthatMr。Longfellow’spicturewasslightlydamaged；andwhen，afteralullinthestorm，Iconfessed，shamefacedly，thatI

hadprivatelysuggestedtoyouthatwehadn’tanyframes，andthatifyouwouldn’tmindhintingtoMr。Houghton，etc。，etc。，etc。，themadamwassimplyspeechlessforthespaceofaminute。Thenshesaid：

"Howcouldyou，Youth！TheideaofsendingMr。Howells，withhissensitivenature，uponsucharepulsiveer——"

"Oh，Howellswon’tmindit！Youdon’tknowHowells。Howellsisamanwho——"

Shewasgone。ButGeorgewasthefirstpersonshestumbledoninthehall，soshetookitoutofGeorge。Iamgladofthat，becauseitsavedthebabies。

Clemensusedtoadmit，atalaterday，thathiseducationdidnotadvancebyleapsandbounds，butgradually，verygradually；anditusedtogivehimapatheticreliefinthoseafter—years，whenthatsweetpresencehadgoneoutofhislife，totellthewayofit，toconfessover—fully，perhaps，whataresponsibilityhehadbeentoher。

Heusedtotellhow，foralongtime，heconcealedhisprofanityfromher；howonemorning，whenhethoughtthedoorwasshutbetweentheirbedroomandthebathroom，hewasintheredressingandshaving，accompanyingthesetryingthingswithlanguageintendedonlyforthestrictestprivacy；howpresently，whenhediscoveredabuttonofftheshirtheintendedtoputon，hehurleditthroughthewindowintotheyardwithappropriateremarks，followeditwithanothershirtthatwasinthesamecondition，andaddedcertaincollarsandnecktiesandbath—roomrequisites，decoratingtheshrubberyoutside，wherethepeopleweregoingbytochurch；howinthisextrememomentheheardaslightcoughandturnedtofindthatthedoorwasopen！Therewasonlyonedoortothebath—room，andheknewhehadtopassher。Hefeltpaleandsick，andsatdownforafewmomentstoconsider。Hedecidedtoassumethatshewasasleep，andtowalkoutandthroughtheroom，headup，asifhehadnothingonhisconscience。Heattemptedit，butwithoutsuccess。Half—

wayacrosstheroomheheardavoicesuddenlyrepeathislastterrificremark。Heturnedtoseehersittingupinbed，regardinghimwithalookaswitheringasshecouldfindinhergentlesoul。Thehumorofitstruckhim。

"Livy，"hesaid，"diditsoundlikethat？"

"Ofcourseitdid，"shesaid，"onlyworse。Iwantedyoutohearjusthowitsounded。"

"Livy，"hesaid，"itwouldpainmetothinkthatwhenIswearitsoundslikethat。Yougotthewordsright，Livy，butyoudon’tknowthetune。"

Yetheneverwillinglygaveherpain，andheadoredherandgloriedinherdominion，hislifelong。Howellsspeaksofhisbeautifulandtenderloyaltytoherasthe"mostmovingqualityofhismostfaithfulsoul。"

Itwasagreaterpartofhimthantheloveofmostmenfortheirwives，andshemeritedalltheworshiphecouldgiveher，allthedevotion，alltheimplicitobedience，byhersurpassingforceandbeautyofcharacter。

Sheguardedhisworksacredly；andreviewingthemanuscriptswhichhewasinducedtodiscard，andcertaineditedmanuscripts，onegetsapartialideaofwhatthereadingworldowestoOliviaClemens。Ofthediscarded。

manuscripts(heseemsseldomtohavedestroyedthem)thereareamultitude，andamongthemallscarcelyonethatisnotaproofofhersanityandhighregardforhisliteraryhonor。Theyareamusing——someofthem；theyareinteresting——someofthem；theyarestrongandvirile——

someofthem；buttheyareunworthy——mostofthem，thoughanumberremainunfinishedbecausethemeorinterestfailed。

MarkTwainwaslikelytowritenotwiselybuttoomuch，pilinguphundredsofmanuscriptpagesonlybecausehisbrainwasthrongingaswithamyriadoffireflies，aswarmofdarting，flashingideasdemandingrelease。Asoftenasnothebeganwritingwithonlyanebulousideaofwhatheproposedtodo。Hewouldstartwithafewcharactersandsituations，trustinginProvidencetosupplymaterialasneeded。Sohewaslikelytorunashoreanytime。Asforthoseotherattempts——stories"unavailable"foronereasonoranother——hewasjustasapttobeginthoseasthebettersort，forsomehowhecouldnevertellthedifference。

Thatisoneofthehall—marksofgenius——thethingwhichsharplydifferentiatesgeniusfromtalent。Geniusislikelytoratealiterarydisasterasitsbestwork。Talentrarelymakesthatmistake。

Amongtheabandonedliteraryundertakingsoftheseearlyyearsofauthorshipthereisthebeginningofwhatwasdoubtlessintendedtobecomeabook，"TheSecondAdvent，"astorywhichopenswithaverydoubtfulmiraculousconceptioninArkansas，andleadsonlytogrotesqueryandliterarydisorder。Thereisanother，"TheAutobiographyofaDamnFool，"aburlesqueonfamilyhistory，hopelesslyimpossible；yethebeganitwithvastenthusiasmand，untilheallowedhertoseethemanuscript，thoughtitespeciallygood。"Livywouldn’thaveit，"hesaid，"soIgaveitup。"Thereisanother，"TheMysteriousChamber，"strongandfineinconception，vividlyandintenselyinteresting；thestoryofayoungloverwhoisaccidentallylockedbehindasecretdoorinanoldcastleandcannotannouncehimself。Hewandersatlastdownintosubterraneanpassagesbeneaththecastle，andhelivesinthisisolationfortwentyyears。Thequestionofsustenancewastheweakpointinthestory。

Clemenscouldinventnowayofprovidingit，exceptbymeansofawasteorconduitfromthekitchenintowhichscrapsofmeat，bread，andotheritemsofgarbagewerethrown。Thishethoughtsufficient，butMrs。

Clemensdidnothighlyregardsuchaliterarydevice。Clemenscouldthinkofnogoodwaytoimproveuponit，sothisefforttoowasconsignedtothepenalcolony，asetofpigeonholeskeptinhisstudy。ToHowellsandothers，whentheycamealong，hewouldreadthediscardedyarns，andtheyweredelightfulenoughforsuchapurpose，asdelightfulasthesketcheswhicheveryartisthas，turnedfacetothewall。

"CaptainStormfield"layunderthebanformanyayear，thoughneverentirelyabandoned。ThismanuscriptwasevenrecommendedforpublicationbyHowells，whohassinceadmittedthatitwouldnothavedonethen；andindeed，initsoriginal，primitivenakednessitwouldhardlyhavedoneeveninthisdayofwidertoleration。

Itshouldbesaidherethatthereisnottheleastevidence(andthemanuscriptsarefullofevidence)thatMrs。Clemenswaseversuper—

sensitive，ornarrow，orunliteraryinherrestraints。Shebecamehispublic，asitwere，andnomaneverhadamoreopen—minded，clear—headedpublicthanthat。ForMarkTwain’sreputationitwouldhavebeenbetterhadsheexercisedhereditorialprerogativeevenmoreactively——if，inherloveforhimandherjealousyofhisreputation，shehadbeenevenmoresevere。Shedidallthatlayinherstrength，fromthebeginningtotheend，andifwedwelluponthisphaseoftheirlifetogetheritisbecauseitissolargeapartofMarkTwain’sliterarystory。Onherbirthdayintheyearwearenowclosing(1875)hewroteheraletterwhichconveysanacknowledgmentofhisdebt。

LIVYDARLING，——SixyearshavegonebysinceImademyfirstgreatsuccessinlifeandwonyou，andthirtyyearshavepassedsinceProvidencemadepreparationforthathappysuccessbysendingyouintotheworld。Everydaywelivetogetheraddstothesecurityofmyconfidencethatwecanneveranymorewishtobeseparatedthanwecanimaginearegretthatwewereeverjoined。Youaredearertometo—day，mychild，thanyouwereuponthelastanniversaryofthisbirthday；youweredearerthenthanyouwereayearbefore；youhavegrownmoreandmoredearfromthefirstofthoseanniversaries，andIdonotdoubtthatthispreciousprogressionwillcontinueontotheend。

Letuslookforwardtothecominganniversaries，withtheirageandtheirgrayhairs，withoutfearandwithoutdepression，trustingandbelievingthatthelovewebeareachotherwillbesufficienttomakethemblessed。

So，withaboundingaffectionforyouandourbabiesIhailthisdaythatbringsyouthematronlygraceanddignityofthreedecades！

EndMarkTwain，ABiography，1875—1886

ByAlbertBigelowPaineVOLUMEII，Part1：1875—1886

CV

MARKTWAINATFORTY

InconversationwithJohnHay，HaysaidtoClemens：

"Amanreachesthezenithatforty，thetopofthehill。Fromthattimeforwardhebeginstodescend。Ifyouhaveanygreatundertakingahead，beginitnow。Youwillneverbesocapableagain。"

OfcoursethiswasonlyatheoryofHay’s，arulewhererulesdonotapply，whereintheendtheproblemresolvesitselfintoaquestionofindividualities。JohnHaydidasgreatworkafterfortyaseverbefore，sodidMarkTwain，andbothofthemgainedinintellectualstrengthandpublichonortotheveryend。

Yetitmusthaveseemedtomanywhoknewhim，andtohimself，likeenough，thatMarkTwainatfortyhadreachedthepinnacleofhisfameandachievement。Hisnamewasoneverylip；inwhateverenvironmentobservationandargumentwerelikelytobepointedwithsomesayingoranecdoteattributed，rightlyorotherwise，toMarkTwain。"AsMarkTwainsays，"or，"YouknowthatstoryofMarkTwain’s，"wereuniversalanddailycommonplaces。Itwasdazzling，toweringfame，notofthebestormostenduringkindasyet，butholdingsomewherewithinitthestructureofimmortality。

Hewasinaconstantstateofsiege，besoughtbyallvarietiesandconditionsofhumanityforfavorssuchasonlyhumanneedandabnormalingenuitycaninvent。Hisever—increasingmailpresentedamarvelousexhibitionofthehumanspeciesonundressparade。True，therewerehundredsofappreciativetributesfromreaderswhospokeonlyoutofaheart’sgratitude；buttherewerenearlyasgreatanumberwhocamewithacompliment，andaddedapetition，orademand，orasuggestion，usuallyunwarranted，oftenimpertinent。Politicians，publicspeakers，aspiringwriters，actors，elocutionists，singers，inventors(mostofthemhehadneverseenorheardof)cheerfullyaskedhimforarecommendationastotheirabilitiesandprojects。

Youngmenwroterequestingversesorsentimentstobeinscribedinyoungladies’autographalbums；younggirlswroteaskinghimtowritethestoryofhislife，tobeusedasaschoolcomposition；menstartingobscurepaperscoollyinvitedhimtolendthemhisnameaseditor，assuringhimthathewouldbeputtonotrouble，andthatitwouldhelpadvertisehisbooks；afruitfulhumoristwrotethathehadinventedsomefivethousandpuns，andinvitedMarkTwaintofatherthisterrificprogenyinbookformforashareofthereturns。Butthelistisendless。Hesaidonce：

"Thesymboloftheraceoughttobeahumanbeingcarryinganax，foreveryhumanbeinghasoneconcealedabouthimsomewhere，andisalwaysseekingtheopportunitytogrindit。"

EvenP。T。Barnumhadanax，thelargeaxofadvertising，andhewasperpetuallytryingtogrinditonMarkTwain’sreputation；inotherwords，tryingtogethimtowritesomethingthatwouldhelptopopularize"TheGreatestShowonEarth。"

Therewereagoodmanycuriousletters—lettersfromhumorists，would—beandgenuine。AbrightmaninDuluthsenthimanoldAllen"pepper—box"

revolverwiththestatementthatithadbeenfoundamongapileofbonesunderatree，fromthelimbofwhichwassuspendedalassoandabuffaloskull；thisasevidencethattheweaponwasthegenuineAllenwhichBemishadlostonthatmemorableOverlandbuffalo—hunt。MarkTwainenjoyedthat，andkepttheoldpepper—boxaslongashelived。Therewerelettersfrompeoplewithfads；lettersfromcranksofeverydescription；

curiouslettersevenfromfriends。ReginaldCholmondeley，thatlovelyeccentricofCondoverHall，whereMr。andMrs。Clemenshadspentsomehalcyondaysin1873，wrotehiminvitationstobeathiscastleonacertainday，namingthehour，andaddingthathehadaskedfriendstomeethim。Cholmondeleyhadafancyforbirds，andsparednothingtoimprovehiscollection。OncehewroteClemensaskinghimtocollectforhimtwohundredandfiveAmericanspecimens，namingthevarietiesandtheamountwhichhewastopayforeach。ClemenswastocatchthesebirdsandbringthemovertoEngland，arrivingatCondoveronacertainday，whentherewouldbefriendstomeethim，ofcourse。

ThentherewasareportwhichcamenowandthenfromanotherEnglishcastle——theminutesofacertain"MarkTwainClub，"allneatlyandelaboratelywrittenout，withthespeechofeachmemberandthediscussionswhichhadfollowed——thework，hefoundoutlater，ofanothereccentric；fortherewasnoMarkTwainClub，thereportsbeingjustthementaldiversionofarichyoungman，withnothingelsetodo。——[InFollowingtheEquatorClemenscombinedthesetwopleasantcharactersinonestory，withelaborations。]

Letterscamequeerlyaddressed。ThereisoneenvelopestillinexistencewhichbearsClemens’snameinelaboratedesignandaverygoodsilhouettelikeness，theworkofsometalentedartist。"MarkTwain，UnitedStates，"

wasacommonaddress；"MarkTwain，TheWorld，"wasalsoused；"MarkTwain，Somewhere，"mailedinaforeigncountry，reachedhimpromptly，and"MarkTwain，Anywhere，"founditswaytoHartfordindueseason。Thentherewasaletter(thoughthiswaslater；hewasabroadatthetime)，mailedbyBranderMatthewsandFrancisWilson，addressed，"MarkTwain，GodKnowsWhere。"Itfoundhimaftertravelinghalfaroundtheworldonitserrand，andinhisanswerhesaid，"Hedid。"Thensomeonesentaletteraddressed，"TheDevilKnowsWhere。"Whichalsoreachedhim，andheanswered，"Hedid，too。"

Surelythiswasthefarthesthorizonoffame。

CountlessMarkTwainanecdotesaretoldofthisperiod，ofeveryperiod，andwillbetoldandpersonallyvouchedforsolongasthelastsoulofhisgenerationremainsalive。Forseventyyearslonger，perhaps，therewillbethosewhowillrelate"personalrecollections"ofMarkTwain。

Manyofthemwillbeinteresting；someofthemwillbetrue；mostofthemwillbecomehistoryatlast。Itistoosoontomakehistoryofmuchofthisdriftnow。Itisonlysafetoadmitafewauthenticatedexamples。

Ithappensthatoneoftheoftenest—toldanecdoteshasbeentheleastelaborated。ItistheoneabouthiscallonMrs。Stowe。Twichell’sjournalentry，setdownatthetime，verifiesit：

Mrs。StowewasleavingforFloridaonemorning，andClemensranoverearlytosaygood—by。OnhisreturnMrs。Clemensregardedhimdisapprovingly：

"Why，Youth，"shesaid，"youhaven’tonanycollarandtie。"

Hesaidnothing，butwentuptohisroom，diduptheseitemsinaneatpackage，andsentitoverbyaservant，withaline：

"Herewithreceiveacallfromtherestofme。"

Mrs。Stowereturnedawittynote，inwhichshesaidthathehaddiscoveredanewprinciple，theprincipleofmakingcallsbyinstalments，andaskedwhether，inextremecases，amanmightnotsendhishat，coat，andbootsandbeotherwiseexcused。

Col。HenryWattersontellsthestoryofanafter—theatersupperattheBrevoortHouse，whereMuratHalstead，MarkTwain，andhimselfwerepresent。AreportersentinacardforColonelWatterson，whowasabouttodenyhimselfwhenClemenssaid：

"Giveittome；I’llfixit。"Andleftthetable。HecamebackinamomentandbeckonedtoWatterson。

"Heisyoungandasinnocentasalamb，"hesaid。"Irepresentedmyselfasyoursecretary。Isaidthatyouwerenothere，butifMr。HalsteadwoulddoaswellIwouldfetchhimout。I’llintroduceyouasHalstead，andwe’llhavesomefun。"

Now，whileWattersonandHalsteadwerealwaysgoodfriends，theywerepoliticalenemies。Itwasapoliticalseasonandthereporterwantedthatkindofaninterview。Wattersongaveittohim，repudiatingeveryprinciplethatHalsteadstoodfor，reversinghimineveryexpressedopinion。Halsteadwasforhardmoneyandgiventoflyingthe"bloodyshirt"ofsectionalprejudice；WattersonloweredthebloodyshirtanddeclaredforgreenbacksinHalstead’sname。ThenheandClemensreturnedtothetableandtoldfranklywhattheyhaddone。Ofcourse，nobodybelievedit。ThereportpassedtheWorldnight—editor，andappeared，nextmorning。Halsteadwokeup，then，andwroteanotetotheWorld，denyingtheinterviewthroughout。TheWorldprintedhisnotewiththeaddedline：

"WhenMr。Halsteadsawourreporterhehaddined。"

ItrequiredJohnHay(thenontheTribune)toplacethejokewhereitbelonged。

ThereisaLotosClubanecdoteofMarkTwainthatcarriestheinternalevidenceoftruth。SaturdayeveningattheLotosalwaysbroughtagatheringofthe"wits，"andoncertainevenings——"Hensandchickens"

nights——eachmanhadtotellastory，makeaspeech，orsingasong。Ononeeveningayoungman，aninvitedguest，wascalleduponandrecitedaverylongpoem。

Onebyonethosewhosatwithineasyreachofthevariousexitsmeltedaway，untilnooneremainedbutMarkTwain。Perhapshesawtheearnestnessoftheyoungman，andsympathizedwithit。Hemayhaverememberedatimewhenhewouldhavebeengratefulforonesuchattentiveauditor。Atallevents，hesatperfectlystill，nevertakinghiseyesfromthereader，nevershowingtheleastinclinationtowarddiscomfortorimpatience，butlistening，aswithraptattention，totheverylastline。

DouglasTaylor，oneofthefaithfulSaturday—nightmembers，saidtohimlater：

"Mark，howdidyoumanagetositthroughthatdreary，interminablepoem？"

"Well，"hesaid，"thatyoungmanthoughthehadadivinemessagetodeliver，andIthoughthewasentitledtoatleastoneauditor，soI

stayedwithhim。"

Wemaybelievethatforthatoneauditortheyoungauthorwaswillingtosacrificealltheothers。

Onemightcontinuetheseanecdotesforaslongastheyoungman’spoemlasted，andperhapsholdaslargeanaudience。Butanecdotesarenotallofhistory。Thesearesetdownbecausetheyreflectaphaseofthemanandanaspectofhislifeatthisperiod。Foratthemostwecanonlypresentananglehereandthere，andtellalittleofthestory，lettingeachreaderfromhisfancyconstructtherest。

CVI

HISFIRSTSTAGEAPPEARANCE

OncethatwintertheMondayEveningClubmetatMarkTwain’shome，andinsteadoftheusualessayhereadthemastory："TheFactsConcerningtheRecentCarnivalofCrimeinConnecticut。"Itwasthestoryofaman’swarfarewithapersonifiedconscience——a，sortof"WilliamWilson"

idea，thoughlessweird，lesssomber，andwithmoreactuality，moreverisimilitude。Itwas，infact，autobiographical，asetting—downoftheauthor’sdailyself—chidings。Theclimax，whereconscienceisslain，isastartlingpicturewhichappealstomostofhumanity。Sovividisitall，thatitisdifficultinplacesnottobelieveintherealityofthetale，thoughtheallegoryisalwayspresent。

Theclubwasdeeplyimpressedbythelittlefictionalsermon。OneofitsministerialmembersofferedhispulpitforthenextSundayifMarkTwainwoulddeliverittohiscongregation。HowellswelcomeditfortheAtlantic，andpublisheditinJune。Itwasimmenselysuccessfulatthetime，thoughforsomereasonitseemstobelittleknownorrememberedto—day。Nowandthenareadermentionsit，alwayswithenthusiasm。

Howellsreferredtoitrepeatedlyinhisletters，andfinallypersuadedClemenstoletOsgoodbringitout，with"ATrueStory，"indainty，bookletform。Ifthereaderdoesnotalreadyknowthetale，itwillpayhimtolookitupandreadit，andthentoreaditagain。

MeantimeTomSawyerremainedunpublished。

"GetBlisstohurryitup！"wroteHowells。"Thatboyisgoingtomakeaprodigioushit。"

ButClemensdelayedthebook，tofindsomemeanstooutwittheCanadianpirates，whothusfarhadlaidhandsoneverything，andnowwereclamoringattheAtlanticbecausetherewasnomoretosteal。

MoncureD。ConwaywasinAmerica，andagreedtotakethemanuscriptofSawyertoLondonandarrangeforitspublicationandcopyright。InConway’sMemoirshespeaksofMarkTwain’sbeautifulhome，comparingitanditssurroundingswiththehomesofSurrey，England。HetellsofanentertainmentgiventoHarrietBeecherStowe，asortofanimatedjarleywax—works。ClemensandConwaywentoverasiftopayacall，whenpresentlytheoldladywasratherstartledbyaninvasionofcostumed。

figures。Clemensroseandbeganintroducingtheminhisgay，fancifulfashion。Hebeganwithaknightinfullarmor，saying，asifinanaside，"Bringalongthattinshop，"andwentontotelltheromanceoftheknight’sachievements。

ConwayreadTomSawyerontheshipandwasgreatlyexcitedoverit。

Later，inLondon，helecturedonit，arrangingmeantimeforitspublicationwithChatto&Windus，thusestablishingafriendlybusinessrelationwiththatfirmwhichMarkTwaincontinuedduringhislifetime。

Clemenslenthimselftoanumberofinstitutionalamusementsthatyear，andonthe26thofApril，1876，madehisfirstpublicappearanceonthedramaticstage。

Itwasanamateurperformance，butnotoftheusualkind。TherewasgenuinedramatictalentinHartford，andtheoldplayofthe"LoanoftheLover，"withMarkTwainasPeterSpuykandMissHelenSmith——[NowMrs。

WilliamW。Ellsworth。]——asGertrude，withasupportsufficientfortheirneeds，gaveaperformancethatprobablyfurnishedasmuchentertainmentasthatpleasantoldplayiscapableofproviding。MarkTwainhadinhimthemakingofagreatactor。HenryIrvingoncesaidtohim：

"Youmadeamistakebynotadoptingthestageasaprofession。Youwouldhavemadeevenagreateractorthanawriter。"

Yetitisunlikelythathewouldeverhavebeensatisfiedwiththestage。

Hehadtoomanyoriginalliteraryideas。Hewouldneverhavebeensatisfiedtorepeatthesamepartoverandoveragain，nightafternightfromweektomonth，andfrommonthtoyear。Hecouldnotsticktotheauthor’slinesevenforonenight。Inhisperformanceoftheeasy—going，thick—headedPeterSpuykhisimpromptuadditionstothelinesmadeithardonthecompany，whofoundtheircuesallatsixesandsevens，butitdelightedtheaudiencebeyondmeasure。Nosuchimpersonationofthat。

characterwasevergivenbefore，oreverwillbegivenagain。ItwasrepeatedwithnewandastonishingvariationsonthepartofPeter，anditcouldhavebeenputonforalongrun。AugustinDalywroteimmediately，offeringtheFifthAvenueTheaterfora"benefit"performance，andagain，afewdayslater，urgingacceptance。"Notforonenight，butformany。"

Clemenswastempted，nodoubt。Perhaps，ifhehadyielded，hewouldtodayhavehadonemoreclaimonimmortality。

CVII

HOWELLS，CLEMENS，AND"GEORGE"

HowellsandClemenswerevisitingbackandforthratheroftenerjustthen。ClemenswasparticularlyfondoftheBostoncrowd——Aldrich，Fields，Osgood，andtherest——delightinginthoseluncheonsordinnerswhichOsgood，thathospitablepublisher，wasalwaysgivingononepretextoranother。NomaneverlovedcompanymorethanOsgood，ortoplaythepartofhostandpayfortheenjoymentofothers。Hisdinnerswereelaborateaffairs，wherethesagesandpoetsandwitsofthatday(andsometimestheirwives)gathered。Theywerehappyreunions，thosefore—

gatherings，thoughperhapsamoreintimateenjoymentwasfoundattheluncheons，whereonlytwoorthreewereinvited，usuallyAldrich，Howells，andClemens，andthetalkcontinuedthroughtheafternoonandintothedeepeningtwilight，suchcompanyandsuchtwilightassomehowoneseemsnevertofindanymore。

OnoneofthevisitswhichHowellsmadetoHartfordthatyearhetookhissonJohn，thenasmallboy，withhim。Johnwasaboutsixyearsoldatthetime，withhisheadfullofstoriesofAladdin，andofotherArabianfancies。Onthewayoverhisfathersaidtohim：

"Now，John，youwillseeaperfectpalace。"

Theyarrived，andJohnwasawedintosilencebythemagnificenceandsplendorsofhissurroundingsuntiltheywenttothebath—roomtowashoffthedustoftravel。Therehehappenedtonoticeacakeofpinksoap。

"Why，"hesaid，"they’veevengottheirsoappainted！"Nextmorninghewokeearly——theywereoccupyingthemahoganyroomonthegroundfloor——

andslippingoutthroughthelibrary，andtothedoorofthedining—room，hesawthecoloredbutler，George——theimmortalGeorge——settingthebreakfast—table。Hehurriedlytiptoedbackandwhisperedtohisfather：

"Comequick！Theslaveissettingthetable！"

ThisbeingthesecondmentionofGeorge，itseemsproperherethatheshouldbeformallypresented。ClemensusedtosaythatGeorgecameonedaytowashwindowsandremainedeighteenyears。HewaspreciselythesortofcharacterthatMarkTwainloved。Hehadformerlybeenthebody—