第5章

Thereisanotherletterwrittenjustatthistimewhichofalllettersmustnotbeomittedhere。OnlyfiveyearsearlierMarkTwain，poor，andcomparativelyunknown，hadbeencarryingwaterwhileJimGillisandDickStokerwashedoutthepansofdirtinsearchofthegoldpocketwhichtheydidnotfind。ClemensmusthavereceivedaletterfromGillisreferringtosomeparticularoccasion，butithasdisappeared；thereply，however，alwaysremainedoneofJamesGillis”streasuredpossessions。 ToJamesGillis，inhiscabinonJackassHill，TuolumneCo。，California： ELMIRA，N。Y。Jan。26，”70。 DEARJIM，——Irememberthatoldnightjustaswell！AndsomewhereamongmyrelicsIhaveyourremembrancestoredaway。Itmakesmyheartacheyettocalltomindsomeofthosedays。Still，itshouldn”t——forrightinthedepthsoftheirpovertyandtheirpocket-huntingvagabondagelaythegermofmycominggoodfortune。YouremembertheonegleamofjollitythatshotacrossourdismalsojournintherainandmudofAngels”CampImeanthatdaywesataroundthetavernstoveandheardthatchaptellaboutthefrogandhowtheyfilledhimwithshot。Andyourememberhowwequotedfromtheyarnandlaughedoverit，outthereonthehillsidewhileyouanddearoldStokerpannedandwashed。Ijottedthestorydowninmynote-bookthatday，andwouldhavebeengladtogettenorfifteendollarsforit——Iwasjustthatblind。Butthenweweresohardup！ Ipublishedthatstory，anditbecamewidelyknowninAmerica，India，China，England——andthereputationitmadeformehaspaidmethousandsandthousandsofdollarssince。FourorfivemonthsagoIboughtintotheExpress(Ihaveordereditsenttoyouaslongasyoulive——andifthebookkeepersendsyouanybills，youletmehearofit。)Iwentheavilyindebtnevercouldhavedaredtodothat，Jim，ifwehadn”theardthejumpingFrogstorythatday。 Andwouldn”tIlovetotakeoldStokerbythehand，andwouldn”tIlovetoseehiminhisgreatspecialty，hiswonderfulrenditionof“Rinalds“ inthe“BurningShame！“WhereisDickandwhatishedoing？Givehimmyferventloveandwarmoldremembrances。 AweekfromtodayIshallbemarriedtoagirlevenbetter，andlovelierthanthepeerless“ChapparalQuails。”Youcan”tcomesofar，Jim，butstillIcordiallyinviteyoutocome，anyhow——andIinviteDick，too。 Andifyoutwoboysweretolandhereonthatpleasantoccasion，wewouldmakeyourightroyallywelcome。 Trulyyourfriend，SAMLL。CLEMENS。 P。S。“Californiaplumsaregood，Jim——particularlywhentheyarestewed。” SteveGillis，whosentacopyofhislettertothewriter，added： “DickStoker——dear，gentleunselfisholdDick-diedoverthreeyearsago，aged78。IamsureitwillbeamelancholypleasuretoMarktoknowthatDicklivedincomfortallhislaterlife，sincerelylovedandrespectedbyallwhoknewhim。HeneverleftJackassHill。Hestruckapocketyearsagocontainingenoughnotonlytobuildhimselfacomfortablehousenearhisoldcabin，buttolasthim，withoutwork，tohispainlessend。HewasaMason，andwasburiedbytheOrderinSonora。 “The”Quails”——thebeautiful，theinnocent，thewildlittleQuails—— livedwayoutintheChapparal；onalittleranchneartheStanislausRiver，withtheirfatherandmother。Theywerefamousfortheirbeautyandhadmanysuitors。” Thementionof“Californiaplums“referstosomeinediblefruitwhichGillisonce，outofpuregoodnessofheart，boughtofapoorwanderingsquaw，andthen，toconcealhismotive，declaredthattheyweresomethingrareandfine，andpersistedineatingthem，thoughevenwhenstewedtheynearlychokedhim。 X。 LETTERS1870-71。MARKTWAININBUFFALO。MARRIAGE。THEBUFFALOEXPRESS。 “MEMORANDA。”LECTURES。ANEWBOOK SamuelL。ClemensandOliviaLangdonweremarriedintheLangdonhomeatElmira，February2，1870，andtookuptheirresidenceinBuffaloinabeautifulhome，aweddingpresentfromthebride”sfather。Thestoryoftheirwedding，andtheamusingcircumstancesconnectedwiththeirestablishmentinBuffalo，havebeentoldelsewhere——[MarkTwain：ABiography，chap。lxxiv。] MarkTwainnowbelievedthathewasthroughwithlecturing。TwoletterstoRedpath，hisagent，expresshiscomfortablecondition。 ToJamesRedpath，inBoston： BUFFALO，March22，1890。 DEARRED，——Iamnotgoingtolectureanymoreforever。Ihavegotthingsciphereddowntoafractionnow。IknowjustaboutwhatitwillcostustoliveandIcanmakethemoneywithoutlecturing。Thereforeoldman，countmeout。 Yourfriend，S。L。CLEMENS。 ToJamesRedpath，inBoston： ELMIRA，N。Y。May10，1870。 FRIENDREDPATH，——IguessIamoutofthefieldpermanently。 Havegotalovelywife；alovelyhouse，bewitchinglyfurnished；alovelycarriage，andacoachmanwhosestyleanddignityaresimplyawe- inspiring——nothingless——andIammakingmoremoneythannecessary——byconsiderable，andthereforewhycrucifymyselfnightlyontheplatform。 Thesubscriberwillhavetobeexcusedfromthepresentseasonatleast。 RemembermetoNasby，BillingsandFall——[Redpath”spartnerinthelecturelyceum。]——Lucktoyou！Iamgoingtoprintyourmenagerie，Partonandall，andmakecomments。 InnextGalaxyIgiveNasby”sfriendandminefromPhiladelphia(JohnQuill，aliterarythief)a“hyste。” Yoursalwaysandafter。 MARK。 ThereferencetotheGalaxyintheforegoingletterhastodowithadepartmentcalledMemoranda，whichhehadundertakentoconductforthenewmagazine。Thisworkaddedsubstantiallytohisincome，andhebelieveditwouldbecongenial。Hewasallowedfreehandtowriteandprintwhathechose，andsomeofhisbestworkatthistimewaspublishedinthenewdepartment，whichhecontinuedforayear。 MarkTwainnowseemedtohavehisaffairswellregulated。HismotherandsisterwerenolongerfarawayinSt。Louis。Soonafterhismarriagetheyhad，byhisadvice，takenupresidenceatFredonia，NewYork，wheretheycouldbeeasilyvisitedfromBuffalo。 Altogether，theoutlookseemedbrighttoMarkTwainandhiswife，duringthefirstmonthsoftheirmarriage。Thentherecameachange。InaletterwhichClemenswrotetohismotherandsisterwegetthefirstchapterofdisaster。 ToMrs。JaneClemens，andMrs。Moffett，inFredonia，N。Y。： ELMIRA，N。Y。June25，1870。 MYDEARMOTHERANDSISTER，——Wewerecalledheresuddenlybytelegram，3 daysago。Mr。Langdonisverylow。Wehavewell-nighlosthope——allofusexceptLivy。 Mr。Langdon，whosehopeisoneofhismostprominentcharacteristics，sayshimself，thismorning，thathisrecoveryisonlyapossibility，notaprobability。Hemadehiswillthismorning——thatis，appointedexecutors——nothingelsewasnecessary。ThehouseholdissadenoughCharleyisinBavaria。WetelegraphedMunroe&Co。Paris，tonotifyCharleytocomehome——theysentthemessagetoMunich。Ourmessagelefthereat8inthemorningandCharley”sanswerarrivedlessthaneighthoursafterward。Hesailedimmediately。 Hewillreachhometwoweeksfromnow。Thewholecityistroubled。AsI write(attheoffice，)adispatcharrivesfromCharleywhohasreachedLondon，andwillsailthenceon28th。Hewantsnews。Wecannotsendhimany。 AffectionatelySAM。 P。S。Isent$300toFredoniaBankforMa——Itisinhername。 Mrs。Clemens，herself，wasnotinthebestofhealthatthistime，butdevotiontoherfathertookhertohisbedside，wheresheinsisteduponstandinglong，hardwatches，thestrainofwhichtolduponherseverely。Meantime，workmustgoon；thedailydemandofthenewspaperandthemonthlycalloftheMemorandacouldnotgounheeded。Also，Blisswantedanewbook，andmetMarkTwainatElmiratoarrangeforit。InalettertoOrionwelearnofthisproject。 ToOrionClemens，inSt。Louis： ELMIRA，July15，1870 MYDEARBRO。，——PercontractImusthaveanother600-pagebookreadyformypublisherJan。z，andIonlybeganittoday。Thesubjectofitisasecret，becauseImaypossiblychangeit。Butasitstands，IproposetodoupNevadaandCal。，beginningwiththetripacrossthecountryinthestage。Haveyouamemorandumoftheroutewetook——orthenamesofanyoftheStationswestoppedat？Doyourememberanyofthescenes，names，incidentsoradventuresofthecoachtrip？——forIremembernexttonothingaboutthematter。Jotdownafoolscappageofitemsforme。 IwishIcouldhavetwodays”talkwithyou。 IsupposeIamtogetthebiggestcopyright，thistime，everpaidonasubscriptionbookinthiscountry。 GiveourlovetoMollie——Mr。Langdonisverylow。 YrBroSAM。 The“biggestcopyright，“mentionedinthisletter，wasaroyaltyof7？apercent。，whichBlisshadagreedtopay，ontheretailpriceofthebook。ThebookwasRoughingIt，thoughthistitlewasnotdecideduponuntilconsiderablylater。OrionClemenseagerlyfurnishedadetailedmemorandumoftherouteoftheiroverlandjourney，whichbroughtthisenthusiasticacknowledgment： ToOrionClemens，inSt。Louis： BUF。，1870。 DEARBRO。，——Ifindthatyourlittlememorandumbookisgoingtobeeversomuchusetome，andwillenablemetomakequiteacoherentnarrativeofthePlainsjourneyinsteadofslurringitoverandjumping2，000milesatastride。ThebookIamwritingwillsell。InreturnfortheuseofthelittlememorandumbookIshalltakethegreatestpleasureinforwardingtoyouthethird$1，000whichthepublisheroftheforthcomingworksendsmeorthefirst$1，000，Iamnotparticular——theywillbothbeinthefirstquarterlystatementofaccountfromthepublisher。 Ingreathaste，YrObligedBro。 SAM。 LovetoMollie。Weareallgettingalongtolerablywell。 Mr。LangdondiedearlyinAugust，andMrs。ClemensreturnedtoBuffalo，exhaustedinmindandbody。Ifshehopedforrestnow，inthequietofherownhome，shewasdisappointed，asthetwobrieflettersthatfollowclearlyshow。 ToMrs。Moffett，inFredonia，N。Y。： BUFFALO，Aug。31，70。 MYDEARSISTER，——IknowIoughttobethrashedfornotwritingyou，butIhavekeptputtingitoff。Wegetheapsofletterseveryday；itisacomforttohavesomebodylikeyouthatwillletusshirkandbepatientoverit。WegotthebookandIdidthinkIwrotealinethankingyouforit-butIsupposeIneglectedit。 Wearegettingalongtolerablywell。Mother[Mrs。Langdon]ishere，andMissEmmaNye。Livycannotsleepsinceherfather”sdeath——butIgiveheranarcoticeverynightandmakeher。IamjustasbusyasIcanbe—— amstillwritingfortheGalaxyandalsowritingabooklikethe“Innocents“insizeandstyle。Ihavegotmyworkciphereddowntodays，andIhaven”tasingledaytosparebetweenthisandthedatewhich，bywrittencontractIamtodelivertheM。S。ofthebooktothepublisher—— InahurryAffectionatelySAM ToOrionClemens，inSt，Louis： BUF。Sept。9th，1870。 MYDEARBRO，——Ohere！Idon”twanttobeconsultedatallaboutTenn。 Idon”twantitevenmentionedtome。WhenImakeasuggestionitisforyoutoactuponitorthrowitaside，butIbeseechyounevertoaskmyadvice，opinionorconsentaboutthathatedproperty。IfitwasbecauseIfelttheslightestpersonalinterestintheinfernallandthatIevermadeasuggestion，thesuggestionwouldneverbemade。 Doexactlyasyoupleasewiththeland——alwaysrememberthis——thatsotrivialapercentageastenpercentwillneversellit。 Itisonlyabidforasomnambulist。 Ihavenotimetoturnround，ayoungladyvisitor(schoolmateofLivy”s) isdyinginthehouseoftyphoidfever(parentsareinSouthCarolina) andthepremisesarefullofnursesanddoctorsandweareallfaggedout。 Yrs。 SAM。 MissNye，whohadcometocheerheroldschoolmate，hadbeenprostratedwiththedeadlyfeversoonafterherarrival。Anotherperiodofanxietyandnursingfollowed。Mrs。Clemens，inspiteofherfrailhealth，devotedmuchtimetoherdyingfriend，untilbythetimetheendcameshewasherselfinaprecariouscondition。 ThiswasattheendofSeptember。Alittlemorethanamonthlater，November7th，herfirstchild，LangdonClemens，wasprematurelyborn。TotheRev。JosephH。Twichellandwife，ofHartford，MarkTwaincharacteristicallyannouncedthenewarrival。 ToRev。JosephH。Twichellandwife，inHartford，Conn。： BUFFALO，Nov12，”70。 DEARUNCLEANDAUNT，——Icameintotheworldonthe7thinst。，andconsequentlyamaboutfivedaysold，now。IhavehadwretchedhealtheversinceImademyappearance。Firstonethingandthenanotherhaskeptmeundertheweather，andasageneralthingIhavebeenchillyanduncomfortable。 Iamnotcorpulent，noramIrobustinanyway。AtbirthIonlyweighed4？poundswithmyclotheson——andtheclotheswerethechieffeatureoftheweight，too，Iamobligedtoconfess。ButIamdoingfinely，allthingsconsidered。Iwasatastandstillfor3daysandahalf，butduringthelast24hoursIhavegainednearlyanounce，avoirdupois。 TheyallsayIlookveryoldandvenerable-andIamaware，myself，thatI neversmile。Lifeseemsaseriousthing，whatIhaveseenofit——andmyobservationteachesmethatitismadeupmainlyofhiccups，unnecessarywashings，andcolic。Butnodoubtyou，whoareold，havelongsincegrownaccustomedandreconciledtowhatseemstomesuchadisagreeablenovelty。 Myfathersaid，thismorning，whenmyfacewasinreposeandthoughtful，thatIlookedpreciselyasyoungEdwardTwichellofHartfordusedtolooksomeismonthsago——chin，mouth，forehead，expression——everything。 Mylittlemotherisverybrightandcheery，andIguesssheisprettyhappy，butIdon”tknowwhatabout。Shelaughsagreatdeal，notwithstandingsheissickabed。Andsheeatsagreatdeal，thoughshesaysthatisbecausethenursedesiresit。Andwhenshehashadallthenursedesireshertohave，sheasksformore。Sheisgettingalongverywellindeed。 MyauntSusieCranehasbeenheresometendaysortwoweeks，butgoeshometoday，andGrannyFairbanksofClevelandarrivestotakeherplace—— [Mrs。Fairbanks，oftheQuakerCityexcursion。] Verylovingly，LANGDONCLEMENS。 P。S。FathersaidIhadbetterwritebecauseyouwouldbemoreinterestedinme，justnow，thanintherestofthefamily。 ClemenshadmadetheacquaintanceoftheRev。JosephHopkinsTwichellandhiswifeduringhisseveralsojournsinHartford，inconnectionwithhisbookpublication，andthetwomenhadimmediatelybecomefirmfriends。TwichellhadcometoElmirainFebruarytotheweddingtoassistRev。Thos。K。Beecherinthemarriageceremony。JosephTwichellwasadevoutChristian，whileMarkTwainwasadoubter，evenascoffer，whereorthodoxywasconcerned，yetthesincerityandhumanityofthetwomendrewthemtogether；theirfriendshipwaslifelong。 AsecondlettertoTwichell，somethingmorethanamonthlater，showsasomewhatimprovedconditionintheClemenshousehold。 ToRev。Twichell，inHartford： BUF。Dec。19th，1870。 DEARJ。H。，——Alliswellwithus，Ibelieve——thoughforsomedaysthebabywasquiteill。Weconsiderhimnearlyrestoredtohealthnow，however。Askmybrotheraboutus——youwillfindhimatBliss”spublishingoffice，whereheisgonetoeditBliss”snewpaper——leftherelastMonday。Makehisandhiswife”sacquaintance。TakeMrs。T。toseethemassoonastheyarefixed。 Livyisup，andtheprincekeepsherbusyandanxioustheselatterdaysandnights，butIamabachelorupstairsanddon”thavetojumpupandgetthesoothingsyrup-thoughIwouldassoondoitasnot，Iassureyou。(Livywillbecertaintoreadthisletter。) TellHarmony(Mrs。T。)thatIdoholdthebaby，anddoitprettyhandily，too，althoughwithoccasionalapprehensionsthathislooseheadwillfalloff。Idon”thavetoquiethim——hehardlyeveruttersacry。Heisalwaysthinkingaboutsomething。Heisapatient，goodlittlebaby。 Smoke？Ialwayssmokefrom3till5Sundayafternoons——andinNewYorktheotherdayIsmokedaweek，dayandnight。ButwhenLivyiswellI smokeonlythosetwohoursonSunday。I”m“boss“ofthehabit，now，andshallneverletitbossmeanymore。Originally，IquitsolelyonLivy”saccount，(notthatIbelievedtherewasthefaintestreasoninthematter，butjustasIwoulddeprivemyselfofsugarinmycoffeeifshewishedit，orquitwearingsocksifshethoughtthemimmoral，)andI sticktoityetonLivy”saccount，andshallalwayscontinuetodoso，withoutapang。Butsomehowitseemsapitythatyouquit，forMrs。T。 didn”tminditifIrememberrightly。Ah，itisturningone”sbackuponakindlyProvidencetospurnawayfromusthegoodcreaturehesenttomakethebreathoflifealuxuryaswellasanecessity，enjoyableaswellasuseful，togoandquitsmokingwhenthenain”tanysufficientexcuseforit！Why，myoldboy，whentheyusetotellmeIwouldshortenmylifetenyearsbysmoking，theylittleknewthedevoteetheywerewastingtheirpuerilewordupon——theylittleknewhowtrivialandvaluelessIwouldregardadecadethathadnosmokinginit！ButIwon”tpersuadeyou，Twichell——Iwon”tuntilIseeyouagain——butthenwe”llsmokeforaweektogether，andthenshutoffagain。 IwouldhavegonetoHartfordfromNewYorklastSaturday，butIgotsohomesickIcouldn”t。ButmaybeI”llcomesoon。 No，Sir，catchmeinthemetropolisagain，togethomesick。 Ididn”tknowWarnerhadabookout。 Wesendoceansandcontinentsoflove——Ihaveworkedmyselfdown，today。 YrsalwaysMARK。 WithhisestablishmentinBuffalo，Clemens，asalreadynoted，hadpersuadedhissister，nowawidow，andhismother，tosettleinFredonia，notfaraway。Later，hehadfoundapositionforOrion，aseditorofasmallpaperwhichBlisshadestablished。Whatwiththeseseveraldiversionsandthesorrowsandsicknessesofhisownhousehold，wecanreadilyimaginethatliteraryworkhadbeenperformedunderdifficulties。Certainly，humorouswritingundersuchdisturbingconditionscouldnothavebeeneasy，norcouldweexpecthimtoacceptaninvitationtobepresentandmakeacomicspeechatanagriculturaldinner，eventhoughHoraceGreeleywouldpreside。However，hesenttothesecretaryoftheassociationaletterwhichmightbereadatthegathering： ToA。B。Crandall，inWoodberryFalls，N。Y。，tobereadatanagriculturaldinner： BUFFALO，Dec。26，1870。 GENTLEMEN，——IthankyouverymuchforyourinvitationtotheAgriculturaldinner，andwouldpromptlyacceptitandaspromptlybetherebutforthefactthatMr。GreeleyisverybusythismonthandhasrequestedmetoclandestinelycontinueforhiminTheTribunethearticles“WhatIKnowaboutFarming。”Consequentlythenecessityofexplainingtothereadersofthatjournalwhybuttermilkcannotbemanufacturedprofitablyat8 centsaquartoutofbutterthatcosts60centsapoundcompelsmystayathomeuntilthearticleiswritten。 Withreiteratedthanks，IamYourstruly，MARKTWAIN。 InthisletterMarkTwainmadetheusualmistakeastothetitleoftheGreeleyfarmingseries，“WhatIKnowofFarming“beingthecorrectform。 TheBuffaloExpress，underMarkTwain”smanagement，hadbecomeasortofrepositoryforhumorousefforts，oftenofanindifferentorder。Someofthesethings，signedbynomdeplumes，werechargedtoMarkTwain。WhenBretHarte”s“HeathenChinee“devastatedthecountry，andwassowidelyparodied，animitationofitentitled，“ThreeAces，“andsigned“CarlByng，“wasprintedintheExpress。 ThomasBaileyAldrich，theneditorofEverySaturday，hadnotmetMarkTwain，and，noticingtheversesprintedintheexchangesoverhissignature，wasoneofthosewhoacceptedthemasMarkTwain”swork。HewroteratheranuncomplimentarynoteinEverySaturdayconcerningthepoemanditsauthorship，characterizingitasafeebleimitationofBretHarte”s“HeathenChinee。”ClemenspromptlyprotestedtoAldrich，thenaspromptlyregrettedhavingdoneso，feelingthathewasmakingtoomuchofasmallmatter。Hurriedlyhesentasecondbriefnote。 ToThomasBaileyAldrich，editorof“Every，Saturday，“ Boston，Massachusetts： BUFFALO，Jan。22，1870。 DEARSIR，——PleasedonotpublishthenoteIsentyoutheotherdayabout“Hy。Slocum”s“plagiarismentitled“ThreeAces“——itisnotimportantenoughforsuchalongparagraph。Webbwritesmethathehasputinaparagraphaboutit，too——andIhaverequestedhimtosuppressit。Ifyouwouldsimplystate，inalineandahalfunder“LiteraryNotes，“thatyoumistookone“Hy。Slocum“(no，itwasone“CarlByng，“Iperceive)“CarlByng“forMarkTwain，andthatitwastheformerwhowrotetheplagiarismentitled“ThreeAces，“Ithinkthatwoulddoafairjusticewithoutanyunseemlydisplay。Butitishardtobeaccusedofplagiarism——acrimeI neverhavecommittedinmylife。 Yrs。TrulyMARKTWAIN。 Butthiscametoolate。Aldrichrepliedthathecouldnotbepreventedfromdoinghimjustice，asforty-twothousandcopiesofthefirstnote，withtheeditor”sapologydulyappended，werealreadyinpress。HewouldwithdrawhisapologyinthenextnumberofEverySaturday，ifMarkTwainsaidso。MarkTwain”sresponsethistimeassumedtheproportionsofaletter。 ToThomasBaileyAldrich，inBoston： 472DELAWAREST。，BUFFALO，Jan。28。 DEARMR。ALDRICH，——Noindeed，don”ttakebacktheapology！Hangit，I don”twanttoabuseaman”scivilitymerelybecausehegivesmethechance。 Ihearagooddealaboutdoingthingsonthe“spurofthemoment“—— IinvariablyregretthethingsIdoonthespurofthemoment。Thatdisclaimerofminewasacaseinpoint。IamashamedeverytimeIthinkofmyburstingoutbeforeanunconcernedpublicwiththatbombasticpow- wowaboutburningpublishers”letters，andallthatsortofimbecility，andaboutmynotbeinganimitator，etc。WhowouldfindoutthatIamanaturalfoolifIkeptalwayscoolandneverletnaturecometothesurface？Nobody。 ButIdidhatetobeaccusedofplagiarizingBretHarte，whotrimmedandtrainedandschooledmepatientlyuntilhechangedmefromanawkwarduttererofcoarsegrotesquenessestoawriterofparagraphsandchaptersthathavefoundacertainfavorintheeyesofevensomeoftheverydecentestpeopleintheland——andthisgratefulremembranceofmineoughttobeworthitsface，seeingthatBretbrokeourlongfriendshipayearagowithoutanycauseorprovocationthatIamawareof。 Well，itisfunny，thereminiscencesthatglareoutfrommurkycornersofone”smemory，nowandthen，withoutwarning。Justatthismomentapictureflitsbeforeme：Scene——privateroominBarnum”sRestaurant，Virginia，Nevada；present，ArtemusWard，JosephT。Goodman，(editorandproprietorDaily“Enterprise“)，and“DandeQuille“andmyself，reportersforsame；remnantsofthefeastthinandscattering，butsuchtautologyandrepetitionofemptybottleseverywherevisibleastobeoffensivetothesensitiveeye；time，2。30A。M。；Artemusthicklyrecitingapoemaboutacertaininfantyouwotof，andinterruptinghimselfandbeinginterruptedeveryfewlinesbypoundingsofthetableandshoutsof“Splendid，byShorzhe！“Finally，along，vociferous，poundiferousandvitreousjinglingofapplauseannouncestheconclusion，andthenArtemus： “Leteveryman”atloveshisfellowmanand”preciatesapoet”atloveshisfellowman，stan”up！——Stan”upanddrinkhealthandlonglifetoThomasBaileyAldrich！——anddrinkitstanning！“(Onallhandsfervent，enthusiastic，andsincerelyhonestattemptstocomply。)ThenArtemus： “Well——consideritstanning，anddrinkitjustasyeare！“Whichwasdone。 Youmustexcuseallthisstufffromastranger，forthepresent，andwhenIseeyouIwillapologizeinfull。 DoyouknowtheprettiestfancyandtheneatestthatevershotthroughHarte”sbrain？Itwasthis：WhentheyweretryingtodecideuponavignetteforthecoveroftheOverland，agrizzlybear(ofthearmsoftheStateofCalifornia)waschosen。NahlBras。carvedhimandthepagewasprinted，withhiminit，lookingthus：[Rudesketchofagrizzlybear。] Asabear，hewasasuccess——hewasagoodbear。Butthen，itwasobjected，thathewasanobjectlessbear——abearthatmeantnothinginparticular，signifiednothing，——simplystoodtheresnarlingoverhisshoulderatnothing——andwaspainfullyandmanifestlyaboorishandill- naturedintruderuponthefairpage。Allhandssaidthat——noneweresatisfied。Theyhatedbadlytogivehimup，andyettheyhatedasmuchtohavehimtherewhentherewasnopainttohim。ButpresentlyHartetookapencilanddrewthesetwosimplelinesunderhisfeetandbeholdhewasamagnificentsuccess！——theancientsymbolofCaliforniasavagerysnarlingattheapproachingtypeofhighandprogressiveCivilization，thefirstOverlandlocomotive！：[Sketchofasmallsectionofrailwaytrack。] Ijustthinkthatwasnothinglessthaninspirationitself。 OncemoreIapologize，andthistimeIdoit“stanning！“ Yrs。TrulySAML。L。CLEMENS。 The“twosimplelines，“ofcourse，werethetrainrailsunderthebear”sfeet，andcompletedthestrikingcoverdesignoftheOverlandmonthly。 Thebriefcontroversyoverthe“ThreeAces“wasthebeginningofalongandhappyfriendshipbetweenAldrichandMarkTwain。Howells，Aldrich，Twichell，andCharlesDudleyWarner——thesewereMarkTwain”sintimates，menthatheloved，eachforhisownspecialcharmandworth。 Aldrichheconsideredthemostbrilliantoflivingmen。 InhisreplytoClemens”sletter，Aldrichdeclaredthathewasgladnowthat，forthesakeofsuchaletter，hehadaccusedhimfalsely，andadded： “Mem。Alwaysabusepeople。 “WhenyoucometoBoston，ifyoudonotmakeyourpresencemanifesttome，I”llputina！！in”EverySaturday”totheeffectthatthoughyouaregenerallyknownasMarkTwainyourfavoritenomdeplumeis”BarryGray。”“ ClemensdidnotfailtoletAldrichknowwhenhewasinBostonagain，andthelittlecoterieofyoungerwritersforgatheredtogivehimwelcome。 BuffaloagreedwithneitherMrs。Clemensnorthebaby。Whatwithnursingandanguishofmind，MarkTwainfoundthathecoulddonothingonthenewbook，andthathemustgiveuphismagazinedepartment。Hehadlostinterestinhispaperandhissurroundingsingeneral。Journalismandauthorshiparepooryoke-mates。ToOnionClemens，atthistimeeditingBliss”spaperatHartford，heexplainedthesituation。 ToOnionClemens，inHartford： BUFFALO，4th1871。 MYDEARBRO，——WhatIwantedofthe“Liar“Sketch，wastoworkitintotheCaliforniabook——whichIshalldo。ButdaybeforeyesterdayIconcludedtogooutoftheGalaxyonthestrengthofit，soIhaveturneditintothelastMemorandaIshalleverwrite，andpublisheditasa“specimenchapter“ofmyforthcomingbook。 IhavewrittentheGalaxypeoplethatIwillneverfurnishthemanotherarticlelongorshort，foranypricebut$500。00cash——andhaverequestedthemnottoaskmeforcontributionsanymore，evenatthatprice。 Ihopethatletsthemout，forIwillsticktothat。Nowdotryandleavemeclearoutofthe”Publisher”forthepresent，forIamendangeringmyreputationbywritingtoomuch——Iwanttogetoutofthepublicviewforawhile。 IamstillnursingLivynightanddayandcannotwriteanything。Iamnearlywornout。WeshallgotoElmiratendayshence(ifLivycantravelonamattressthen，)andstaytheretillIhavefinishedtheCaliforniabook——saythreemonths。ButIcan”tbeginworkrightawaywhenIgetthere——musthaveaweek”srest，forIhavebeenthrough30 days”terrificsiege。 ThatmakesitafterthemiddleofMarchbeforeIcangofairlytowork—— andthenI”llhavetohumpmyselfandnotloseamoment。YouandBlissjustputyourselvesinmyplaceandyouwillseethatmyhandsarefullandmorethanfull。 WhenItoldBlissinN。Y。thatIwouldwritesomethingforthePublisherIcouldnotknowthatIwasjustabouttolosefiftydays。Doyouseethedifferenceitmakes？JustassoonaseverIcan，IwillsendsomeofthebookM。S。butrightinthefirstchapterIhavegottoalterthewholestyleofoneofmycharactersandre-writehimclearthroughtowhereIamnow。Itisnofoolofajob，Icantellyou，butthebookwillbegreatlybetteredbyit。Holdonafewdays——fourorfive——andIwillseeifIcangetafewchaptersfixedtosendtoBliss。 IhaveofferedthisdwellinghouseandtheExpressforsale，andwhenwegotoElmiraweleavehereforgood。Ishallnotselectanewhometillthebookisfinished，butwehavelittledoubtthatHartfordwillbetheplace。 Wearealmostcertainofthat。AskBlisshowitwouldbetoshipourfurnituretoHartford，rentanupperroominabuildingandunboxitandstoreittherewheresomebodycanfrequentlylookafterit。Isnottheideagood？Thefurnitureisworth$10，000or$12，000andmustnotbejammedintoanykindofaplaceandleftunattendedtoforayear。 Thefirstmanthatoffers$25，000forourhousecantakeit——itcostthat。Whataretaxesthere？Here，allbunchedtogether——ofallkinds，theyare7percent——simplyruin。 ThethingsyouhavewritteninthePublisheraretip-top。 Inhaste，YrBroSAM TherearenofurtherlettersuntiltheendofApril，bywhichtimethesituationhadimproved。ClemenshadsoldhisinterestintheExpress(thoughataloss)，hadseveredhismagazineconnection，andwaslocatedatQuarryFarm，onabeautifulhilltopaboveElmira，thehomeofMrs。Clemens”ssister，Mrs。TheodoreCrane。Thepureairandrestofthathappyplace，wheretheyweretospendsomanyidyllicsummers，hadprovedbeneficialtothesickones，andworkonthenewbookprogressedinconsequence。ThenMarkTwain”soldeditor，“Joe“Goodman，camefromVirginiaCityforavisit，andhisadviceandencouragementwereofthegreatestvalue。ClemensevenofferedtoengageGoodmanonasalary，toremainuntilhehadfinishedhisbook。Goodmandeclinedthesalary，butextendedhisvisit，andMarkTwainatlastseemstohavefoundhimselfworkingunderidealconditions。Hejubilantlyreportshisprogress。 ToElishaBliss，inHartford： ELMIRA，Monday。May15th1871 FRIENDBLISS，——Yrsrec”denclosingcheckfor$703。35Theold“Innocents“ holdsouthandsomely。 IhaveMS。enoughonhandnow，tomake(allowingforengravings)about400pagesofthebook——consequentlyamtwo-thirdsdone。IintendedtorunuptoHartfordaboutthemiddleoftheweekandtakeitalong； becauseithaschaptersinitthatoughtbyallmeanstobeintheprospectus；butIfindmyselfsothoroughlyinterestedinmywork，now(athingIhavenotexperiencedformonths)thatIcan”tbeartoloseasinglemomentoftheinspiration。SoIwillstayhereandpegawayaslongasitlasts。MypresentideaistowriteasmuchmoreasIhavealreadywritten，andthencullfromthemasstheverybestchaptersanddiscardtherest。IamnothalfaswellsatisfiedwiththefirstpartofthebookasIamwithwhatIamwritingnow。WhenIgetitdoneIwanttoseethemanwhowillbegintoreaditandnotfinishit。Ifitfallsshortofthe“Innocents“inanyrespectIshalllosemyguess。 WhenIwaswritingthe“Innocents“mydailystuntwas30pagesofMSandIhardlyevergotbeyondit；butIhavegoneoverthatnearlyeverydayforthelastten。ThatshowsthatIamwritingwithared-hotinterest。 Nothinggrievesmenow——nothingtroublesme，nothingbothersmeorgetsmyattention——Idon”tthinkofanythingbutthebook，andIdon”thaveanhour”sunhappinessaboutanythinganddon”tcaretwocentswhetherschoolkeepsornot。Itwillbeabullybook。IfIkeepupmypresentlickthreeweeksmoreIshallbeableandwillingtoscratchouthalfofthechaptersoftheOverlandnarrative——andshalldoit。 YoudonotmentionhavingreceivedmysecondbatchofMS，sentaweekortwoago——about100pages。 Ifyouwanttoissueaprospectusandgorighttocanvassing，saythewordandIwillforwardsomemoreMS——orsenditbyhand——specialmessenger。Whateverchaptersyouthinkareunquestionablygood，wewillretainofcourse，sotheycangointoaprospectusaswellonetimeasanother。Thebookwillbedonesoon，now。Ihave1200pagesofMS alreadywrittenandamnowwriting200aweek——morethanthat，infact； duringthepastweekwrote23oneday，then30，33，35，52，and65—— How”sthat？ Itwillbeastarchybook，andshouldbefullofsnappypictures—— especiallypicturesworkedinwiththeletterpress。Thededicationwillbeworththepriceofthevolume——thus： TotheLateCain。 ThisBookisDedicated： Notonaccountofrespectforhismemory，foritmeritslittlerespect； notonaccountofsympathywithhim，forhisbloodydeedplacedhimwithoutthepaleofsympathy，strictlyspeaking：butoutofamerehumancommiserationforhimthatitwashismisfortunetoliveinadarkagethatknewnotthebeneficentInsanityPlea。 Ithinkitwilldo。 Yrs。CLEMENS。 P。S——Thereactionisbeginningandmystockislookingup。Iamgettingthebulliestoffersforbooksandalmanacs；amfloodedwithlectureinvitations，andoneperiodicaloffersme$6，000cashfor12 articles，ofanylengthandonanysubject，treatedhumorouslyorotherwise。 Thesuggesteddedication“tothelateCain“mayhavebeenthehumoristicimpulseofthemoment。Atallevents，itdidnotmaterialize。 Clemens”senthusiasmforworkwasnowsuchthatheagreedwithRedpathtoreturntotheplatformthatautumn，andhebeganatoncewritinglectures。HisdisposaloftheBuffalopaperhadlefthimconsiderablyindebt，andplatformingwasasureandquickmethodofretrenchment。MorethanonceintheyearsaheadMarkTwainwouldreturntotravelandone-nightstandstoliftaburdenofdebt。 BriefletterstoRedpathofthistimehaveaninterestandevenahumoroftheirown。 LetterstoJamesRedpath，inBoston： ELMIRA，June27，1871。 DEARRED，——Wroteanotherlecture——athirdone-today。ItistheoneIamgoingtodeliver。IthinkIshallcallit“ReminiscencesofSomePleasantCharactersWhomIHaveMet，“(orshouldthe“whom“beleftout？) Itcoversmywholeacquaintance——kings，lunatics，idiotsandall。 SupposeyougivetheitemastartintheBostonpapers。IfIwritefiftylecturesIshallonlychooseoneandtalkthatoneonly。 Nosir：Don”tyouputthatscarecrow(portrait)fromtheGalaxyin，I won”tstandthatnightmare。 Yours，MARK。 ELMIRA，July10，1871。 DEARREDPATH，——Inevermadeasuccessofalecturedeliveredinachurchyet。Peopleareafraidtolaughinachurch。Theycan”tbemadetodoitinanypossibleway。 SuccesstoFall”scarbuncleandmanyhappyreturns。 Yours，MARK。 ToMr。Fall，inBoston： ELMIRA，N。Y。July20，1871。 FRIENDFALL，——Redpathtellsmetoblowup。Heregoes！IwantedyoutoscareRondoutoffwithabigprice。$125ain”tbig。Igot$100thefirsttimeIevertalkedthereandnowtheyhaveamuchlargerhall。 Itisahardtowntogetto——Irunachanceofgettingcaughtbytheiceandmissingnextengagement。Maketheprice$150andletthemdrawout。 YoursMARK LetterstoJamesRedpath，inBoston： HARTFORD，TuesdayAug。8，1871。 DEARRED，——Iamdifferentfromotherwomen；mymindchangesoftener。 Peoplewhohavenomindcaneasilybesteadfastandfirm，butwhenamanisloadeddowntotheguardswithit，asIam，everyheavyseaofforebodingorinclination，maybeofindolence，shiftsthecargo。See？ Therefore，ifyouwillnotice，oneweekIamlikelytogiverigidinstructionstoconfinemetoNewEngland；nextweek，sendmetoArizona； thenextweekwithdrawmyname；thenextweekgiveyoufulluntrammelledswing；andtheweekfollowingmodifyit。Youmusttrytokeeptherunofmymind，Redpath，itisyourbusinessbeingtheagent，anditalwayswastoomanyforme。ItappearstometobeoneofthefinestpiecesofmechanismIhaveevermetwith。NowabouttheWest，thisweek，IamwillingthatyoushallretainalltheWesternengagements。ButwhatI shallwantnextweekisstillwithGod。 Letusnotprofanethemysterieswithsoiledhandsandpryingeyesofsin。 Yours，MARK。 P。S。Shallbehere2weeks，willrunuptherewhenNasbycomes。 ELMIRA，N。Y。Sept。15，1871。 DEARREDPATH，——IwishyouwouldgetmereleasedfromthelectureatBuffalo。Imortallyhatethatsocietythere，andIdon”tdoubttheyhiredme。Ioncegavethemapackedhousefreeofcharge，andtheyneverevenhadthecommonpolitenesstothankme。Theyleftmetoshiftformyself，too，alaBretHarteatHarvard。GetmeridofBuffalo！ OtherwiseI”llhavenorecourseleftbuttogetsickthedayIlecturethere。Icangetsickeasyenough，bythesimpleprocessofsayingtheword——wellnevermindwhatword——Iamnotgoingtolecturethere。 Yours，MARK。 BUFFALO，Sept。26，1871。 DEARREDPATH，——Wehavethoughtitalloveranddecidedthatwecan”tpossiblytalkafterFeb。2。 WeshalltakeupourresidenceinHartford6daysfromnowYoursMARK。 XI。 LETTERS1871-72。REMOVALTOHARTFORD。ALECTURETOUR。“ROUGHINGIT。” FIRSTLETTERTOHOWELLS ThehousetheyhadtakeninHartfordwastheHookerpropertyonForestStreet，ahandsomeplaceinadistinctlyliteraryneighborhood。HarrietBeecherStowe，CharlesDudleyWarner，andotherwell-knownwriterswerewithineasywalkingdistance；Twichellwasperhapshalfamileaway。 ItwastheproperenvironmentforMarkTwain。Hesettledhislittlefamilythere，andwaspresentlyatRedpath”sofficeinBoston，whichwasacongenialplace，aswehaveseenbefore。HedidnotfailtoreturntothecompanyofNasby，JoshBillings，andthoseothersofRedpath”s“attractions“aslongandasoftenasdistancewouldpermit。BretHarte，whobythistimehadwonfame，wasalsoinBostonnow，andfrequently，withHowells，Aldrich，andMarkTwain，gatheredinsomequietrestaurantcornerforaluncheonthatlastedthroughadimwinterafternoon——aperiodofanecdote，reminiscence，andmirth。Theywereallyoungthen，andlaughedeasily。Howells，haswrittenofonesuchluncheongivenbyRalphKeeler，ayoungCalifornian——agatheringatwhichJamesT。Fieldswaspresent“Nothingremainstomeofthehappytimebutasenseofidleandaimlessandjoyfultalk-play，beginningandendingnowhere，ofeagerlaughter，ofcountlessgoodstoriesfromFields，ofaheat-lightningshimmerofwitfromAldrich，ofanoccasionalconcentrationofourjointmockeriesuponourhost，whotookitgladly。” ButalecturecircuitcannotberestrictedtotheradiusofBoston。 ClemenswaspresentlywritingtoRedpathfromWashingtonandpointsfartherwest。 ToJamesRedpath，inBoston： WASHINGTON，Tuesday，Oct。28，1871。 DEARRED，——Ihavecomesquareout，thrown“Reminiscences“overboard，andtaken“ArtemusWard，Humorist，“formysubject。WroteithereonFridayandSaturday，andreaditfromMSlastnighttoanenormoushouse。ItsuitsmeandI”llneverdeliverthenasty，nauseous“Reminiscences“anymore。 Yours，MARK。 TheArtemusWardlecturelastedelevendays，thenhewrote： ToRedpathandFall，inBoston： BUFFALODEPOT，Dec。8，1871。 REDPATH&FALL，BOSTON，——NotifyallhandsthatfromthistimeIshalltalknothingbutselectionsfrommyforthcomingbook“RoughingIt。” Trieditlastnight。Suitsmetip-top。 SAM”LL。CLEMENS。 TheRoughingItchaptersprovedasuccess，andcontinuedinhighfavorthroughtherestoftheseason。 ToJamesRedpath，inBoston： LOGANSPORT，IND。Jan。2，1872。 FRIENDREDPATH，——HadasplendidtimewithasplendidaudienceinIndianapolislastnight——aperfectlyjammedhouse，justasIhavehadallthetimeouthere。IlikethenewlecturebutIhatethe“ArtemusWard“ talkandwon”ttalkitanymore。Nomaneverapprovedthatchoiceofsubjectinmyhearing，Ithink。 Givemesomecomfort。IfIamtotalkinNewYorkamIgoingtohaveagoodhouse？Idon”tcarenowtohaveanyappointmentscancelled。I”lleven“fetch“thoseDutchPennsylvanianswiththislecture。 Havepaidup$4000indebtedness。Youarethe，lastonmylist。ShallbegintopayyouinafewdaysandthenIshallbeafreemanagain。 Yours，MARK。 Withhisdebtspaid，Clemenswasanxioustobegettinghome。TwoweeksfollowingtheabovehewroteRedpaththathewouldacceptnomoreengagementsatanyprice，outsideofNewEngland，andadded，“ThefewerengagementsIhavefromthistimeforththebetterI shallbepleased。”BytheendofFebruaryhewasbackinHartford，refusinganengagementinBoston，andannouncingtoRedpath，“IfI hadanotherengagementI”drotbeforeI”dfillit。”Fromwhichwegatherthathewasnotentirelyhappyinthelecturefield。 Asamatteroffact，MarkTwainloathedthecontinuoustravelandnightlydrudgeryofplatformlife。Hewasfondofentertaining，andthereweremomentsoftriumphthatrepaidhimforagooddeal，butthetyrannyofascheduleandtimetableswasaconstantexasperation。 Meantime，RoughingIthadappearedandwassellingabundantly。MarkTwain，freeofdebt，andinpleasantcircumstances，feltthattheoutlookwasbright。Itbecameevenmoresowhen，inMarch，thesecondchild，alittlegirl，Susy，wasborn，withnoattendingmisfortunes。But，then，intheearlysummerlittleLangdondied。 Itwasseldom，duringallofMarkTwain”slife，thatheenjoyedmorethanabriefperiodofunmixedhappiness。 ItwasinJuneofthatyearthatClemenswrotehisfirstlettertoWilliamDeanHowellsthefirstofseveralhundredthatwouldfollowintheyearstocome，andhasinitsomethingthatischaracteristicofnearlyalltheClemens-Howellsletters——akindoftenderplayfulnessthatansweredtosomethinginHowells”smake-up，hissenseofhumor，hiswideknowledgeofahumanitywhichhepicturedsoamusinglytotheworld。 ToWilliamDeanHowells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Junez5，z872。 FRIENDHOWELLS，——CouldyoutellmehowIcouldgetacopyofyourportraitaspublishedinHearthandHome？Ihearsomuchtalkaboutitasbeingamongthefinestworksofartwhichhaveyetappearedinthatjournal，thatIfeelastrongdesiretoseeit。Isitsuitableforframing？IhavewrittenthepublishersofH&Htimeandagain，buttheysaythatthedemandfortheportraitimmediatelyexhaustedtheeditionandnowacopycannotbehad，evenfortheEuropeandemand，whichhasnowbegun。BretHartehasbeenhere，andsayshisfamilywouldnotbewithoutthatportraitforanyconsideration。Hesayshischildrengetupinthenightandyellforit。Iwouldgiveanythingforacopyofthatportraittoputupinmyparlor。IhaveOliverWendellHolmesandBretHarte”s，aspublishedinEverySaturday，andofalltheswarmsthatcomeeverydaytogazeuponthemnonegoawaythatarenotsoftenedandhumbledandmademoreresignedtothewillofGod。IfIhadyourstoputupalongsideofthem，Ibelievethecombinationwouldbringmoresoulstoearnestreflectionandultimateconvictionoftheirlostcondition，thananyotherkindofwarningwould。WhereinthenationcanIgetthatportrait？Hereareheapsofpeoplethatwantit，——thatneedit。Thereismyuncle。Hewantsacopy。Heislyingatthepointofdeath。Hehasbeenlyingatthepointofdeathfortwoyears。Hewantsacopy——andIwanthimtohaveacopy。AndIwantyoutosendacopytothemanthatshotmydog。Iwanttoseeifheisdeadtoeveryhumaninstinct。 Nowyousendmethatportrait。Iamsendingyoumine，inthisletter； andamgladtodoit，forithasbeengreatlyadmired。Peoplewhoarejudgesofart，findintheexecutionagrandeurwhichhasnotbeenequalledinthiscountry，andanexpressionwhichhasnotbeenapproachedinany。 Yrstruly，S。L。CLEMENS。 P。S。62，000copiesof“RoughingIt“soldanddeliveredin4months。 TheClemensfamilydidnotspendthesummeratQuarryFarmthatyear。TheseaairwasprescribedforMrs。Clemensandthebaby，andtheywenttoSaybrook，Connecticut，toFenwickHall。Clemenswroteverylittle，thoughheseemstohaveplannedTomSawyer，andperhapsmadeitsearliestbeginning，whichwasindramaticform。 Hismind，however，wasotherwiseactive。Hewasalwaysmoreorlessgiventoinventions，andinhisnextletterwefindadescriptionofonewhichhebroughttocomparativeperfection。 Hehadalsoconceivedtheideaofanotherbookoftravel，andthiswashispurposeofaprojectedtriptoEngland。 ToOrionClemens，inHartford： FENWICKHALL，SAYBROOK，CONN。 Aug。11，1872。 MYDEARBRO——IshallsailforEnglandintheScotia，Aug。21。 ButwhatIwishtoputonrecordnow，ismynewinvention——hencethisnote，whichyouwillpreserve。Itisthis——aself-pastingscrap-book——goodenoughideaifsomejugglingtailordoesnotcomealongandante- datemeacoupleofmonths，asinthecaseoftheelasticveststrap。 Thenuisanceofkeepingascrap-bookis：1。Oneneverhaspasteorgumtragacanthhandy；2。Mucilagewon”tstick，orstay，4weeks； 3。Mucilagesucksouttheinkandmakesthescrapsunreadable； 4。Todaubandpaste3or4pagesofscrapsistedious，slow，nastyandtiresome。Myideaisthis：Makeascrap-bookwithleavesveneeredorcoatedwithgum-stickumofsomekind；wetthepagewithsponge，brush，ragortongue，anddabonyourscrapslikepostagestamps。 Layonthegumincolumnsofstripes。 Eachstripeofgumthelengthofsay20ems，smallpica，andasbroadasyourfinger；ablankaboutasbroadasyourfingerbetweeneach2 stripes——soinwettingthepaperyouneednotwetanymoreofthegumthanyourscraporscrapswillcover——thenyoumayshutupthebookandtheleaveswon”tsticktogether。 Preserve，also，theenvelopeofthisletter——postmarkoughttobegoodevidenceofthedateofthisgreathumanizingandcivilizinginvention。 I”llputitintoDanSlote”shandsandtellhimhemustsendyoualloverAmerica，tourgeitsuseuponstationersandbooksellers——sodon”tbuyintoanewspaper。Thenameofthisthingis“MarkTwain”sSelf-PastingScrapbook。” Allwellhere。ShallbeupaP。M。Tuesday。Sendthecarriage。 YrBro。 S。L。CLEMENS。 TheDanSloteofthisletteris，ofcourse，hisoldQuakerCityshipmate，whowasengagedintheblank-bookbusiness，thefirmbeingSlote&Woodman，locatedat119and121WilliamStreet，NewYork。 XII。 LETTERS1872-73。MARKTWAININENGLAND。LONDONHONORS。ACQUAINTANCE WITHDR。JOHNBROWN。ALECTURETRIUMPH。“THEGILDEDAGE“ Clemensdid，infact，sailforEnglandonthegivendate，andwaslavishlyreceivedthere。AllliteraryLondonjoinedingivinghimagoodtime。HehadnotasyetbeenreceivedseriouslybytheolderAmericanmenofletters，butEnglandmadenoquestionastohistitletofirstrank。Already，too，theyclassifiedhimasofthehumantypeofLincoln，andreveledinhimwithoutstint。Howellswrites：“InEngland，rank，fashion，andculturerejoicedinhim。 LordMayors，LordChiefjustices，andmagnatesofmanykindswerehishosts。” Hewastreatedsowellandenjoyeditallsomuchthathecouldnotwriteabook——thekindofbookhehadplanned。Onecouldnotpokefunatacountryorapeoplethathadwelcomedhimwithopenarms。 Hemadeplentyofnotes，atfirst，butpresentlygaveupthebookideaanddevotedhimselfaltogethertohavingagoodtime。 Hehadonegrievance——apublisherbythenameofHotten，asortofliteraryharpy，ofwhichtherewereagreatnumberinthosedaysofdefectivecopyright，notmerelycontentwithpilferinghisearlywork，hadreprinted，underthenameofMarkTwain，theworkofamixedassortmentofotherhumorists，anoffensivevolumebearingthetitle，ScreamersandEye-openers，byMarkTwain。 TheybesiegedhimtolectureinLondon，andpromisedhimoverflowinghouses。ArtemusWard，duringhislastdays，hadearnedLondonbystormwithhisplatformhumor，andtheypromisedMarkTwainevengreatersuccess。Forsomereason，however，hedidnotwelcometheidea；perhapstherewastoomuchgaiety。ToMrs。Clemenshewrote： ToMrs。Clemens，inHartford： LONDON，Sep。15，1872。 Livy，darling，everybodysayslecture-lecture-lecture——butIhavenottheleastideaofdoingit——certainlynotatpresent。Mr。Dolby，whotookDickenstoAmerica，iscomingtotalkbusinesstometomorrow，thoughI havesenthimwordoncebefore，thatIcan”tbehiredtotalkhere，becauseIhavenotimetospare。 Thereistoomuchsociability——Idonotgetalongfastenoughwithwork。 TomorrowIlunchwithMr。TooleandaMemberofParliament——TooleisthemostableComedianoftheday。AndthenIamdoneforawhile。OnTuesdayImeantohangacardtomykeybox，inscribed”GoneoutoftheCityforaweek“——andthenIshallgotoworkandworkhard。Onecan”tbecaughtinahiveof4，000，000people，likethis。 Ihavegotsuchaperfectlydelightfulrazor。IhaveanotiontobuysomeforCharley，TheodoreandSlee——forIknowtheyhavenosuchrazorsthere。Ihavegotaneatlittlewatch-chainforAnnie——$20。 Iloveyoumydarling。Mylovetoallofyou。 SAML。 ThatMarkTwainshouldfeelandprivatelyreportsomethingofhistriumphsweneednotwonderat。Certainlyhewasneveronetogivehimselfairs，buttohavetheworld”sgreatliterarycenterpayingcourttohim，whoonlytenyearsbeforehadbeenpennilessandunknown，andwhooncehadbeenabarefootTomSawyerinHannibal，wasquitestartling。Itisgratifyingtofindevidenceofhumanweaknessinthefollowingheart-to-heartlettertohispublisher，especiallyinviewoftherelatingcircumstances。 ToElishaBliss，inHartford： LONDON，Sept。28，1872。 FRIENDBLISS，——Ihavebeenreceivedinasortoftremendousway，tonight，bythebrainsofLondon，assembledattheannualdinneroftheSheriffsofLondon——minebeing(betweenyouandme)anamewhichwasreceivedwithaflatteringoutburstofspontaneousapplausewhenthelonglistofguestswascalled。 ImighthaveperishedonthespotbutforthefriendlysupportandassistanceofmyexcellentfriendSirJohnBennett——andIwantyoutopastetheenclosedinacoupleofthehandsomestcopiesofthe“Innocents“and“RoughingIt，“andsendthemtohim。Hisaddressis“SirJohnBennett，Cheapside，London。” YrsTrulyS。L。CLEMENS。 The“relatingcircumstances“werethese：Attheabovementioneddinnertherehadbeenaroll-callofthedistinguishedguestspresent，andeachnamehadbeendulyapplauded。Clemens，conversinginawhisperwithhisneighbor，SirJohnBennett，didnotgiveverycloseattentiontothenames，applaudingmechanicallywiththeothers。 Finally，anamewasreadthatbroughtoutavehementhand-clapping。 MarkTwain，nottobeoutdoneincordiality，joinedvigorously，andkepthishandsgoingevenaftertheothersfinished。Then，remarkingthegenerallaughter，hewhisperedtoSirJohn：“Whosenamewasthatwewerejustapplauding？“ “MarkTwain”s。” Wemaybelievethatthe“friendlysupport“ofSirJohnBennettwaswelcomeforthemoment。Buttheincidentcoulddohimnoharm；thedinersregardeditasoneofhisjokes，andenjoyedhimallthemoreforit。 HewasreadytogohomebyNovember，butbynomeanshadhehadenoughofEngland。Hereallyhadsomethoughtofreturningtherepermanently。InalettertoMrs。Crane，atQuarryFarm，hewrote： “IfyouandTheodorewillcomeoverintheSpringwithLivyandme，andspendthesummeryouwillseeacountrythatissobeautifulthatyouwillbeobligedtobelieveinFairyland……andTheodorecanbrowsewithmeamongdustyolddensthatlooknowastheylookedfivehundredyearsago；andpuzzleoverbooksintheBritishMuseumthatweremadebeforeChristwasborn；andinthecustomsoftheirpublicdinners，andtheceremoniesofeveryofficialact，andthedressesofathousanddignitaries，tracethespeechandmannersofallthecenturiesthathavedraggedtheirlaggingdecadesoverEnglandsincetheHeptarchyfellasunder。IwouldagooddealratherlivehereifIcouldgettherestofyouover。” Inaletterhome，tohismotherandsister，wegetafurtherpictureofhisenjoyment。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandMrs。Moffett： LONDON，Nov。6，1872。 MYDEARMOTHERANDSISTER，——IhavebeensoeverlastingbusythatI couldn”twrite——andmoreoverIhavebeensounceasinglylazythatI couldn”thavewrittenanyhow。Icameheretotakenotesforabook，butIhaven”tdonemuchbutattenddinnersandmakespeeches。ButhavehadajollygoodtimeandIdohatetogoawayfromtheseEnglishfolks；theymakeastrangerfeelentirelyathome——andtheylaughsoeasilythatitisacomforttomakeafter-dinnerspeecheshere。Ihavemadehundredsoffriends；andlastnightinthecrushoftheopeningoftheNewGuild-hallLibraryandMuseum，Iwassurprisedtomeetafamiliarfaceeveryfewsteps。Nearly4，000people，ofbothsexes，cameandwentduringtheevening，soIhadagoodopportunitytomakeagreatmanynewacquaintances。 LivyiswillingtocomeherewithmenextAprilandstayseveralmonths——soIamgoinghomenextTuesday。IwouldsailonSaturday，butthatisthedayoftheLordMayor”sannualgrandstatedinner，whentheysay900 ofthegreatmenofthecitysitdowntotable，agreatmanyofthemintheirfineofficialandcourtparaphernalia，soImustnotmissit。 However，ImayyetchangemymindandsailSaturday。IamlookingatafineMagiclanternwhichwillcostadealofmoney，andifIbuyitSammymaycomeandlearntomakethegasandworkthemachinery，andpaintpicturesforitonglass。ImeantogiveexhibitionsforcharitablepurposesinHartford，andchargeadollarahead。 Inahurry，YsafflySAM。 HesailedNovember12thontheBatavia，arrivinginNewYorktwoweekslater。Therehadbeenapresidentialelectioninhisabsence。 GeneralGranthaddefeatedHoraceGreeley，aresult，insomemeasureatleast，attributedtotheamusingandpowerfulpicturesofthecartoonist，ThomasNast。MarkTwainadmiredGreeley”stalents，butheregardedhimaspoorlyqualifiedforthenation”schiefexecutive。Hewrote： ToTh。Nast，inMorristown，N。J。： HARTFORD，Nov。1872。 Nast，youmorethananyothermanhavewonaprodigiousvictoryforGrant——Imean，rather，forcivilizationandprogress。Thosepicturesweresimplymarvelous，andifanymaninthelandhasarighttoholdhisheadupandbehonestlyproudofhisshareinthisyear”svasteventsthatmanisunquestionablyyourself。Wealldosincerelyhonoryou，andareproudofyou。 MARKTWAIN。 PerhapsMarkTwainwastoobusyatthistimetowriteletters。HissuccessinEnglandhadmadehimmorethaneverpopularinAmerica，andhecouldbynomeanskeepupwiththedemandsonhim。InJanuaryhecontributedtotheNewYorkTribunesomelettersontheSandwichIslands，butastheseweremoreproperlyarticlestheydonotseemtobelonghere。 Herefusedtogoonthelecturecircuit，thoughhepermittedRedpathtobookhimforanyoccasionalappearance，anditisduetooneofthesespecialengagementsthatwehavetheonlyletterpreservedfromthistime。ItistoHowells，andwrittenwiththatexaggerationwithwhichhewaslikelytoembellishhisdifficulties。 WearenotcalledupontobelievethattherewerereallyanysuchdemonstrationsasthoseascribedtoWarnerandhimself。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： FARMINGTONAVE，HartfordFeb。27。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——IaminasweatandWarnerisinanother。ItoldRedpathsometimeagoIwouldlectureinBostonanytwodayshemightchooseprovidedtheywereconsecutivedays—— IneverdreamedofhischoosingdaysduringLentsincethatwashisspecialhorror——butallatoncehetelegraphsme，andhollersatmeinailmannerofwaysthatIambookedforBostonMarch5ofalldaysintheyear——andtomakemattersjustasmixedanduncertainaspossible，I can”tfindouttosavemylifewhetherhemeanstolecturemeonthe6thornot。 Warner”sbeeninhereswearinglikealunatic，andsayinghehadwrittenyoutocomeonthe4th，——andIsaid，“Youleather-head，ifItalkinBostonbothafternoonandeveningMarch5，I”llhavetogotoBostonthe4th，“——andthenhejustkickeduphisheelsandwentoffcursingafterafashionIneverheardofbefore。 Nowlet”sjustleavethisthingtoProvidencefor24hours——youbetitwillcomeoutallright。 YourseverMARK。 HewaswritingabookwithWarneratthistime——TheGildedAge—— thetwoauthorshavingbeenchallengedbytheirwivesonenightatdinnertowriteabetterbookthanthecurrentnovelstheyhadbeendiscussingwithsomeseverity。Clemensalreadyhadastoryinhismind，andWarneragreedtocollaborateinthewriting。Itwasbegunwithoutdelay。Clemenswrotethefirstthreehundredandninety- ninepages，andreadtherealoudtoWarner，whotookupthestoryatthispointandcontinueditthroughtwelvechapters，afterwhichtheyworkedalternately，andwithgreatenjoyment。Theyalsoworkedrapidly，andinAprilthestorywascompleted。Foracollaborationbytwomensodifferentintemperamentandliterarymethoditwasaremarkableperformance。 AnotherthingMarkTwaindidthatwinterwastobuysomelandonFarmingtonAvenueandbeginthebuildingofahome。HehadbynomeansgivenupreturningtoEngland，andmadehisplanstosailwithMrs。ClemensandSusyinMay。MissClaraSpaulding，ofElmira—— [LaterMrs。JohnB。Stanchfield，ofNewYork。]——agirlhoodfriendofMrs。Clemens——wastoaccompanythem。 TheDailyGraphicheardoftheproposedjourney，andwrote，askingforafarewellword。Hischaracteristicreplyistheonlyletterofanykindthathassurvivedfromthatspring。 TotheEditorof“TheDailyGraphic，“inNewYorkCity： HARTFORD，Apl。17，1873。 ED。GRAPHIC，——Yournoteisreceived。IfthefollowingtwolineswhichI havecutfromitareyournaturalhandwriting，thenIunderstandyoutoaskme“forafarewellletterinthenameoftheAmericanpeople。”Blessyou，thejoyoftheAmericanpeopleisjustalittlepremature；Ihaven”tgoneyet。Andwhatismore，Iamnotgoingtostay，whenIdogo。 Yes，itistrue。Iamonlygoingtoremainbeyondthesea，sixmonths，thatisall。Ilovestirandexcitement；andsothemomentthespringbirdsbegintosing，andthelaggingwearinessofsummertothreaten，Igrowrestless，Igetthefidgets；Iwanttopackoffsomewherewherethere”ssomethinggoingon。Butyouknowhowthatis——youmusthavefeltthatway。ThisverydayIsawthesignsintheairofthecomingdullness，andIsaidtomyself，“HowgladIamthatIhavealreadycharteredasteamship！“Therewasabsolutelynothinginthemorningpapers。Youcanseeforyourselfwhatthetelegraphicheadingswere： BYTELEGRAPH AFatherKilledbyHisSonABloodyFightinKentuckyACourtHouseFired，andNegroesThereinShotwhileEscapingALouisianaMassacreAnEight-year-oldmurdererTwotoThreeHundredMenRoastedAlive！ ATowninaStateofGeneralRiotALivelySkirmishinIndiana(andthirtyothersimilarheadings。) Theitemsunderthoseheadingsallbeardateyesterday，Apl。16(refertoyourownpaper)——andIgiveyoumywordofhonorthatthatstringofcommonplacestuffwaseverythingtherewasinthetelegraphiccolumnsthatabodycouldcallnews。Well，saidItomyselfthisisgettingprettydull；thisisgettingprettydry；theredon”tappeartobeanythinggoingonanywhere；hasthisprogressivenationgonetosleep？ HaveIgottostandanothermonthofthistorpiditybeforeIcanbegintobrowseamongthelivelycapitalsofEurope？ Butnevermind-thingsmayrevivewhileIamaway。Duringthelasttwomonthsmynext-doorneighbor，Chas。DudleyWarner，hasdroppedhis“Back- LogStudies，“andheandIhavewrittenabulkynovelinpartnership。 HehasworkedupthefictionandIhavehurledinthefacts。Iconsideritoneofthemostastonishingnovelsthateverwaswritten。NightafternightIsitupreadingitoverandoveragainandcrying。ItwillbepublishedearlyintheFall，withplentyofpictures。Doyouconsiderthisanadvertisement？——andifso，doyouchargeforsuchthingswhenamanisyourfriend？ Yourstruly，SAML。L。CLEMENS，“MARKTWAIN，“ Anamusing，evenifannoying，incidenthappenedaboutthetimeofMarkTwain”sdeparture。AmannamedChewrelatedtoTwichellamostentertainingoccurrence。Twichellsawgreatpossibilitiesinit，andsuggestedthatMarkTwainbeallowedtomakeastoryofit，sharingtheprofitswithChew。Chewagreed，andpromisedtosendthefacts，carefullysetdown。Twichell，inthemeantime，toldthestorytoClemens，whowasdelightedwithitandstronglytemptedtowriteitatonce，whilehewasinthespirit，withoutwaitingonChew。Fortunately，hedidnotdoso，forwhenChew”smaterialcameitwasintheformofaclipping，thestoryhavingbeenalreadyprintedinsomenewspaper。Chew”sknowledgeofliteraryethicswouldseemtohavebeenslight。HethoughthimselfentitledtosomethingundertheagreementwithTwichell。MarkTwain，bythistimeinLondon，naturallyhadadifferentopinion。 ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford： LONDON，June9，”73。 DEAROLDJOE，——IconsidermyselfwhollyatlibertytodeclinetopayChewanything，andatthesametimestronglytemptedtosuehimintothebargainforcomingsonearruiningme。Ifhehadn”thappenedtosendmethatthinginprint，Iwouldhaveusedthestory(likeaninnocentfool) andwouldstraightwayhavebeenhoundedtodeathasaplagiarist。Itwouldhaveabsolutelydestroyedme。Icannotconceiveofamanbeingsuchahopelessass(afterservingasalegislativereporter，too)astoimaginethatIoranyotherliterarymaninhissenseswouldconsenttochewoveroldstuffthathadalreadybeeninprint。Ifthatmanwern”taninfantinswaddlingclothes，hisonlyreplytoourpetitionwouldhavebeen，“Ithasbeeninprint。”ItmakesmeasmadastheveryOldHarryeverytimeIthinkofMr。ChewandthefrightfullynarrowescapeIhavehadathishands。ConfoundMr。Chew，withallmyheart！I”mwillingthatheshouldhavetendollarsforhistroubleofwarmingoverhiscoldvictuals——cheerfullywillingtothat——butnomore。IfIhadhadhimnearwhenhislettercame，Iwouldhavegotoutmytomahawkandgoneforhim。 Hedidn”ttellthestoryhalfaswellasyoudid，anyhow。 Iwishtogoodnessyouwereherethismoment——nobodyinourparlorbutLivyandme，——andaverygoodviewofLondontothefore。WehavealuxuriouslyamplesuiteofapartmentsintheLanghamHotel，3rdfloor，ourbedroomlookingstraightupPortlandPlaceandourparlorhavinganoblearrayofgreatwindowslookingoutuponbothstreets(PortlandPlaceandthecrookthatjoinsittoRegentStreet。) 9P。M。Fulltwilight——richsunsettintslingeringinthewest。 Iamnotgoingtowriteanything——rathertellitwhenIgetback。IloveyouandHarmony，andthatisallthefreshnewsI”vegot，anyway。AndI meantokeepthatfreshallthetime。 LovinglyMARK。 P。S——AmluxuriatingingloriousoldPepy”sDiary，andsmoking。 Lettersareexceedinglyscarcethroughallthisperiod。MarkTwain，nowonhissecondvisittoLondon，wasliterallyoverwhelmedwithhonorsandentertainment；hisroomsattheLanghamwerelikeacourt。SuchmenasRobertBrowning，Turgenieff，SirJohnMillais，andCharlesKingsleyhastenedtocall。Kingsleyandothersgavehimdinners。Mrs。Clemenstohersisterwrote：“Itisperfectlydiscouragingtotrytowriteyou。”