第6章

Thecontinuousexcitementpresentlytoldonher。InJulyallfurtherengagementswerecanceled，andClemenstookhislittlefamilytoScotland，forquietandrest。TheybrokethejourneyatYork，anditwastherethatMarkTwainwrotetheonlyletterremainingfromthistime。 PartofalettertoMrs。JervisLangdon，ofElmira，N。Y。： Forthepresentweshallremaininthisqueeroldwalledtown，withitscrooked，narrowlanes，thattellusoftheirolddaythatknewnowheeledvehicles；itsplaster-and-timberdwellings，withupperstoriesfaroverhangingthestreet，andthusmarkingtheirdate，saythreehundredyearsago；thestatelycitywalls，thecastellatedgates，theivy-grown，foliage-sheltered，mostnobleandpicturesqueruinofSt。Mary”sAbbey，suggestingtheirdate，sayfivehundredyearsago，intheheartofCrusadingtimesandthegloryofEnglishchivalryandromance；thevastCathedralofYork，withitsworncarvingsandquaintlypicturedwindows，preachingofstillremoterdays；theoutlandishnamesofstreetsandcourtsandbywaysthatstandasarecordandamemorial，allthesecenturies，ofDanishdominionhereinstillearliertimes；thehinthereandthereofKingArthurandhisknightsandtheirbloodyfightswithSaxonoppressorsroundaboutthisoldcitymorethanthirteenhundredyearsgoneby；and，lastofall，themelancholyoldstonecoffinsandsculpturedinscriptions，avenerablearchandahoarytowerofstonethatstillremainandarekissedbythesunandcaressedbytheshadowseveryday，justasthesunandtheshadowshavekissedandcaressedthemeverylaggingdaysincetheRomanEmperor”ssoldiersplacedthemhereinthetimeswhenJesustheSonofMarywalkedthestreetsofNazarethayouth，withnomorenameorfamethantheYorkshireboywhoisloiteringdownthisstreetthismoment。 TheirdestinationwasEdinburgh，wheretheyremainedamonth。Mrs。 Clemens”shealthgavewayontheirarrivalthere，andherhusband，knowingthenameofnootherphysicianintheplace，lookedupDr。 JohnBrown，authorofRabandHisFriends，andfoundinhimnotonlyaskilfulpractitioner，butalovablecompanion，towhomtheyallbecamedeeplyattached。LittleSusy，nowseventeenmonthsold，becamehisspecialfavorite。HenamedherMegalops，becauseofhergreateyes。 Mrs。ClemensregainedherstrengthandtheyreturnedtoLondon。 Clemens，stillurgedtolecture，finallyagreedwithGeorgeDolbytoaweek”sengagement，andaddedapromisethataftertakinghiswifeanddaughterbacktoAmericahewouldreturnimmediatelyforamoreextendedcourse。DolbyannouncedhimtoappearattheQueen”sConcertRooms，HanoverSquare，fortheweekofOctober13-18，hislecturetobetheoldSandwichIslandstalkthatsevenyearsbeforehadbroughthimhisfirstsuccess。Thegreathall，thelargestinLondon，wasthrongedateachappearance，andthepapersdeclaredthatMarkTwainhadnomorethan“whettedthepublicappetite“forhishumor。Threedayslater，October，1873，Clemens，withhislittleparty，sailedforhome。Half-wayacrosstheoceanhewrotethefriendtheyhadleftinScotland： ToDr。JohnBrown，inEdinburgh： MID-ATLANTIC，Oct。30，1873。 OURDEARFRIENDTHEDOCTOR，——Wehaveplowedalongwayoverthesea，andthere”stwenty-twohundredmilesofrestlesswaterbetweenus，now，besidestherailwaystretch。Andyetyouaresopresentwithus，soclosetousthataspanandawhisperwouldbridgethedistance。 Thefirstthreedayswerestormy，andwife，child，maid，andMissSpauldingwereallsea-sick25hoursoutofthe24，andIwassorryI everstarted。However，ithasbeensmooth，andbalmy，andsunnyandaltogetherlovelyforadayortwonow，andatnightthereisabroadluminoushighwaystretchingovertheseatothemoon，overwhichthespiritsoftheseaaretravelingupanddownallthroughthesecretnightandhavingagenuinegoodtime，Imakenodoubt。 Todaytheydiscovereda“collie“onboard！Ifind(asperadvertisementwhichIsentyou)thattheywon”tcarrydogsintheseshipsatanyprice。 Thisonehasbeenconcealeduptothistime。NowhisownerhastopayL10orheavehimoverboard。Fortunatelythedoggieisaperformingdoggieandthemoneywillbepaid。Soafterallitwasjustaswellyoudidn”tintrustyourcollietous。 Apoorlittlechilddiedatmidnightandwasburiedatdawnthismorning——sheetedandshotted，andsunkinthemiddleofthelonelyoceaninwaterthreethousandfathomsdeep。Pitythepoormother。 Withourlove。 S。L。CLEMENS。 MarkTwainwasbackinLondon，lecturingagainattheQueen”sConcertRooms，afterbarelyamonth”sabsence。CharlesWarrenStoddard，whomhehadknowninCalifornia，sharedhisapartmentattheLangham，andactedashissecretary——averynecessaryoffice，forhewasbesiegedbycallersandbombardedwithletters。 HeremainedinLondontwomonths，lecturingsteadilyatHanoverSquaretofullhouses。Itisunlikelythatthereisanyotherplatformrecordtomatchit。Oneletterofthisperiodhasbeenpreserved。ItiswrittentoTwichell，neartheendofhisengagement。 ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford： LONDON，Jan。51874。 MYDEAROLDJOE，——IknewyouwouldbelikelytograduateintoanassifIcameaway；andsoyouhave——ifyouhavestoppedsmoking。However，I haveastrongfaiththatitisnottoolate，yet，andthatthejudiciouslymanagedinfluenceofabadexamplewillfetchyoubackagain。 Iwishyouhadwrittenmesomenews——Livytellsmepreciouslittle。Shemainlywritestohurrymehomeandtotellmehowmuchsherespectsme： butshe”sgenerallyprettyslowonnews。Ihadaletterfromheralongwithyours，today，butshedidn”ttellmethebookisout。However，it”sallright。Ihopetobehome20daysfromtoday，andthenI”llseeher，andthatwillmakeupforawholeyear”sdearthofnews。Iamrightdowngratefulthatsheislookingstrongand“lovelierthanever。”IonlywishIcouldseeherlookherlevelbest，once——Ithinkitwouldbeavision。 IhavejustspentagoodpartofthisdaybrowsingthroughtheRoyalAcademyExhibitionofLandseer”spaintings。Theyfillfourorfivegreatsalons，andmustnumberagoodmanyhundreds。Thisistheonlyopportunityevertoseethem，becausethefinestofthembelongtothequeenandshekeepstheminherprivateapartments。Ah，they”rewonderfullybeautiful！Therearesuchrichmoonlightsanddusksin“TheChallenge“and“TheCombat；“andinthatlongflightofbirdsacrossalakeinthesubduedflushofsunset(orsunrise——fornomancanevertelltotherfromwhichinapicture，exceptithasthefilmymorningmistbreathingitselfupfromthewater)。Andthereissuchagraveanalyticalprofundityinthefacesof“TheConnoisseurs；“andsuchpathosinthepictureofthefawnsucklingitsdeadmother，onasnowywaste，withonlythebloodinthefootprintstohintthatsheisnotasleep。 Andthewayhemakesanimalsabsolutefleshandblood——insomuchthatiftheroomweredarkenedeversolittleandamotionlesslivinganimalplacedbesideapaintedone，nomancouldtellwhichwaswhich。 Iinterruptedmyselfhere，todropalinetoShirleyBrooksandsuggestacartoonforPunch。Itwasthis。InoneoftheAcademysalons(inthesuitewherethesepicturesare)，afinebustofLandseerstandsonapedestalinthecentreoftheroom。IsuggestthatsomeofLandseer”sbestknownanimalsberepresentedashavingcomedownoutoftheirframesinthemoonlightandgroupedthemselvesaboutthebustinmourningattitudes。 Well，oldman，IampowerfulgladtohearfromyouandshallbepowerfulgladtoseeyouandHarmony。IamnotgoingtotheprovincesbecauseI cannotgethallsthatarelargeenough。IalwaysfeltcrampedinHanoverSquareRooms，butIfindthateverybodyherespeakswithaweandrespectofthatprodigiousplace，andwonderthatIcouldfillitsolong。 Iamhopingtobebackin20days，butIhavesomuchtogohometoandenjoywithajubilantjoy，thatitseemshardlypossiblethatitcanevercometopassinsouncertainaworldasthis。 Ihavereadthenovel——[TheGildedAge，publishedduringhisabsence，December，1873。]——here，andIlikeit。Ihavemadenoinquiriesaboutit，though。Myinterestinabookceaseswiththeprintingofit。 Withaworldoflove，SAML。 XIII。 LETTERS1874。HARTFORDANDELMIRA。ANEWSTUDY。BEGINNING“TOM SAWYER。”THESELLERSPLAY。 NaturallyRedpathwouldnotgivehimanypeacenow。HisLondonsuccessmustnotbewasted。Atfirsthisvictimrefusedpoint-blank，andwithgreatbrevity。Buthewasoverborneandpersuaded，andmadeoccasionalappearances，wiringatlastthisfinaldefiantword： TelegramtoJamesRedpath，inBoston： HARTFORD，March3，1874。 JAMESREDPATH，——Whydon”tyoucongratulateme？ IneverexpecttostandonalectureplatformagainafterThursdaynight。 MARK。 ThathewasgladtobehomeagainwemaygatherfromalettersentatthistimetoDoctorBrown，ofEdinburgh。 ToDr。JohnBrown，inEdinburgh： FARMINGTONAVENUE，HARTFORD Feby。28，1874。 MYDEARFRIEND，——WearealldelightedwithyourcommendationsoftheGildedAge-andthemoresobecausesomeofournewspapershavesetforththeopinionthatWarnerreallywrotethebookandIonlyaddedmynametothetitlepageinordertogiveitalargersale。Iwrotethefirstelevenchapters，everyword。andeveryline。Ialsowrotechapters24，25，27，28，30，32，33，34，36，37，21，42，43，45，51，52。53，57，59，60，61，62，andportionsof35，49and56。SoIwrote32ofthe63 chaptersentirelyandpartof3othersbeside。 Thefearfulfinancialpanichitthebookheavily，forwepublisheditinthemidstofit。Butneverthelessinthe8weeksthathavenowelapsedsincethedaywepublished，wehavesold40，000copies；whichgivesL3，000royaltytobedividedbetweentheauthors。Thisisreallythelargesttwo-months”salewhichanyAmericanbookhaseverachieved(unlessoneexceptsthecheapereditionsofUncleTom”sCabin)。Theaveragepriceofourbookis16shillingsacopy——UncleTomwas2 shillingsacopy。Butforthepanicoursalewouldhavebeendoubled，Iverilybelieve。Idonotbelievethesalewillultimatelygoover100，000copies。 Ishippedtoyou，fromLiverpool，Barley”sIllustrationsofJudd”s“Margaret“(thewaiterattheAdelphiHotelagreeingtoshipitsecurelyperparceldelivery，)andIdohopeitdidnotmiscarry，forweinAmericathinkadealofBarley”s——[FelixOctaviusCarrbarley，1822-1888，illustratoroftheworksofIrving，Cooper，etc。ProbablythemostdistinguishedAmericanillustratorofhistime。]——work。Ishippedthenovel(“Margaret“)toyoufromhereaweekago。 IndeedIamthankfulforthewifeandthechild——andifthereisoneindividualcreatureonallthisfootstoolwhoismorethoroughlyanduniformlyandunceasinglyhappythanIamIdefytheworldtoproducehimandprovehim。Inmyopinion，hedoesn”texist。Iwasamightyrough，coarse，unpromisingsubjectwhenLivytookchargeofme4yearsago，andImaystillbe，totherestoftheworld，butnottoher。Shehasmadeaverycreditablejobofme。 SuccesstotheMarkTwainClub！-andthenovelshibbolethoftheWhistle。 Ofcourseanymemberrisingtospeakwouldberequiredtoprefacehisremarkwithakeenrespectfulwhistleatthechair-thechairrecognizingthespeakerwithanansweringshriek，andthenasthespeechproceededitsgravityandforcewouldbeemphasizedanditsimpressivenessaugmentedbythecontinualinterjectionofwhistlesinplaceofpunctuation-pauses；andtheapplauseoftheaudiencewouldbemanifestedinthesameway…… They”vegonetoluncheon，andImustfollow。Withstronglovefromusboth。 Yourfriend，SAML。L。CLEMENS。 ThesewerethedayswhentheHowellsandClemensfamiliesbeganvisitingbackandforthbetweenBostonandHartford，andsometimesAldrichcame，thoughlessfrequently，andthegatheringsatthehomesofWarnerandClemenswerefullofnever-to-be-forgottenhappiness。OfonesuchvisitHowellswrote： “Inthegood-fellowshipofthatcordialneighborhoodwehadtwosuchdaysastheagingsunnolongershinesoninhisround。Therewasconstantrunninginandoutoffriendlyhouses，wherethelivelyhostsandguestscalledoneanotherbytheirchristiannamesornicknames，andnosuchvainceremonyasknockingorringingatdoors。Clemenswasthenbuildingthestatelymansioninwhichhesatisfiedhisloveofmagnificenceasifithadbeenanothersealskincoat，andhewasatthecrestoftheprosperitywhichenabledhimtohumoreverywhimorextravagance。” ItwasthedelightofsuchavisitthatkeptClemensconstantlyurgingitsrepetition。Onecannotbutfeelthegenuineaffectionoftheseletters。 ToW，。D。Howells，inBoston： Mch。1，1876。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Nowyouwillfindusthemostreasonablepeopleintheworld。WehadthoughtofprecipitatinguponyouGeorgeWarnerandwifeoneday；Twichellandhisjewelofawifeanotherday，andChas。Perkinsandwifeanother。Onlythose——simplymembersofourfamily，theyare。 ButI”llclosethedooragainstthemall——whichwill“fix“allofthelotexceptTwichell，whowillnomorehesitatetoclimbinatthebackwindowthannothing。 Andyoushallgotobedwhenyouplease，getupwhenyouplease，talkwhenyouplease，readwhenyouplease。Mrs。HowellsmayevengotoNewYorkSaturdayifshefeelsthatshemust，butifsomegentle，unannoyingcoaxingcanbeguileherintoputtingthatoffafewdays，weshallbemorethanglad，forIdowishsheandMrs。Clemenscouldhaveagoodsquarechancetogetacquaintedwitheachother。Butfirstandlastandallthetime，wewantyoutofeeluntrammeledandwhollyfreefromrestraint，here。 Thedatesuits——alldatessuit。 YrseverMARK。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： FARMINGTONAVENUE，HARTFORD，Mch。20，1876。 DEARHOWELLS，——YouorAldrichorbothofyoumustcometoHartfordtolive。Mr。Hall，wholivesinthehousenexttoMrs。Stowe”s(justwherewedriveintogotoournewhouse)willsellfor$16，000or$17，000。 Thelotis85feetfrontand150deep——longtimeandeasypaymentsonthepurchase？YoucandoyourworkjustaswellhereasinCambridge，can”tyou？Come，willoneofyouboysbuythathouse？Nowsayyes。 Mrs。Clemensisaninvalidyet，butisgettingalongprettyfairly。 Wesendbestregards。 MARK。 AprilfoundtheClemensfamilyinElmira。Mrs。Clemenswasnotover-strong，andthecaresofhouse-buildingweremany。Theywentearly，therefore，remainingattheLangdonhomeinthecityuntilQuarryFarmshouldfeelatouchofwarmersun，ClemenswrotethenewstoDoctorBrown。 ToDr。JohnBrown，inEdinburgh： ELMIRA，N。Y。，April27，”86。 DEARDOCTOR，——ThistownisintheinterioroftheStateofNewYork—— andwasmywife”sbirth-place。Weareheretospendthewholesummer。 Althoughitissonearsummer，wehadagreatsnow-stormyesterday，andonethedaybefore。Thisisratherbreakinginuponourplans，asitmaykeepusdownhereinthevalleyatriflelongerthanwedesired。Itgetsfearfullyhothereinthesummer，sowespendoursummersontopofahill6or700feethigh，abouttwoorthreemilesfromhere——itnevergetshotupthere。 Mrs。Clemensisprettystrong，andsoisthe“littlewifie“barringadesperatecoldintheheadthechildgrowsingraceandbeautymarvellously。Iwishthenationsoftheearthwouldcombineinababyshowandgiveusachancetocompete。Imusttrytofindoneofherlatestphotographstoencloseinthis。AndthisremindsmethatMrs。 Clemenskeepsurgingmetoaskyouforyourphotographandlastnightshesaid，“andbesuretoaskhimforaphotographofhissister，andJock- butsayMasterJock——donotbeheadlessandforgetthatcourtesy；heisJockinourmemoriesandourtalk，buthehasarighttohistitlewhenabodyuseshisnameinaletter。”NowIhavegotitallin——Ican”thavemadeanymistakethistime。MissClaraSpauldinglookedin，amoment，yesterdaymorning，asbrightandgoodasever。ShewouldliketolayherloveatyourfeetifsheknewIwaswriting——aswouldalsofiftyfriendsofourswhomyouhaveneverseen，andwhosehomageisasferventasifthecoldandcloudsanddarknessofamightyseadidnotliebetweentheirheartsandyou。PooroldRabhadnotmany“friends“atfirst，butifallhisfriendsoftodaycouldgathertohisgravefromthefourcornersoftheearthwhataprocessiontherewouldbe！AndRab”sfriendsareyourfriends。 Iamgoingtoworkwhenwegetonthehill-tillthenI”vegottoliefallow，albeitagainstmywill。Wejoininlovetoyouandyours。 Yourfriendever，SAML。L。CLEMENS。 P。S。Iencloseaspecimenofvillainy。Amanpretendstobemybrotherandmylectureagent——gathersagreataudiencetogetherinacitymorethanathousandmilesfromhere，andthenpocketsthemoneyandelopes，leavingtheaudiencetowaitfortheimaginarylecturer！Iamafterhimwiththelaw。 ItwasahistoricsummerattheFarm。AnewbabyarrivedinJune；anewstudywasbuiltforMarkTwainbyMrs。Crane，onthehillsideneartheoldquarry；anewbookwasbeguninit——TheAdventuresofTomSawyer——andaplay，thefirstthatMarkTwainhadreallyattempted，wascompleted——thedramatizationofTheGildedAge。 AnearlywordwenttoHartfordofconditionsattheFarm。 ToRev。andMrs。Twichell，inHartford： ELMIRA，June11，1874。 MYDEAROLDJOEANDHARMONY，——ThebabyishereandisthegreatAmericanGiantess——weighing73/4pounds。Wehadtowaitagoodlongtimeforher，butshewasfullcompensationwhenshedidcome。 TheModocwasdelightedwithit，andgaveitherdollatonce。ThereisnothingselfishabouttheModoc。Sheisfascinatedwiththenewbaby。 TheModocripsandtearsaroundoutdoors，mostofthetime，andconsequentlyisashardasapineknotandasbrownasanIndian。Sheisbosomfriendtoalltheducks，chickens，turkeysandguineahensontheplace。Yesterdayasshemarchedalongthewindingpaththatleadsupthehillthroughtheredcloverbedstothesummer-house，therewasalongprocessionofthesefowlsstringingcontentedlyafterher，ledbyastatelyroosterwhocanlookovertheModoc”shead。ThedevotionofthesevassalshasbeenpurchasedwithdailylargessofIndianmeal，andsotheModoc，attendedbyherbodyguard，movesinstatewherevershegoes。 SusieCranehasbuiltthelovelieststudyforme，youeversaw。Itisoctagonal，withapeakedroof，eachoctagonfilledwithaspaciouswindow，anditsitsperchedincompleteisolationontopofanelevationthatcommandsleaguesofvalleyandcityandretreatingrangesofdistantbluehills。Itisacosynest，withjustroominitforasofaandatableandthreeorfourchairs——andwhenthestormssweepdowntheremotevalleyandthelightningflashesabovethehillsbeyond，andtherainbeatsupontheroofovermyhead，imaginetheluxuryofit！Itstands500feetabovethevalleyand2？milesfromit。 Howeveronemustnotwriteallday。Wesendcontinentsoflovetoyouandyours。 AffectionatelyMARK。 WehavementionedbeforethatClemenshadsettledhismotherandsisteratFredonia，NewYork，andwhenMrs。Clemenswasinconditiontotravelheconcludedtopaythemavisit。 Itprovedanunfortunatejourney；thehotweatherwashardonMrs。 Clemens，andharderstill，perhaps，onMarkTwain”stemper。Atanyperiodofhislifeaboreexasperatedhim，andintheseearlierdayshewasfarmorelikelytoexplodethaninhismellowerage。Remorsealwaysfollowed——thepricehepaidwasalwayscostly。Wecannotknownowwhowastheunfortunatethatinvitedthestorm，butinthenextletterwegettheechoesofitandrealizesomethingofitsdamage。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandMrs。Moffett，inFredonia： ELMIRA，Aug。15。 MXDEARMOTHERANDSISTER，——IcameawayfromFredoniaashamedofmyself；—— almosttoomuchhumiliatedtoholdupmyheadandsaygood-bye。ForI begantocomprehendhowmuchharmmyconductmightdoyousociallyinyourvillage。Iwouldhavegonetothatdetestableoyster-brainedboreandapologizedformyinexcusablerudenesstohim，butthatIwassatisfiedhewasoftoosmallacalibretoknowhowtoreceiveanapologywithmagnanimity。 PamelaappalledmebysayingpeoplehadhintedthattheywishedtovisitLivywhenshecame，butthatshehadgiventhemnoencouragement。 Ifearedthatthosepeoplewouldmerelycomprehendthattheircourtesieswerenotwanted，andyetnotknowexactlywhytheywerenotwanted。 Icameawayfeelingthatinreturnforyourconstantandtirelesseffortstosecureourbodilycomfortandmakeourvisitenjoyable，Ihadbaselyrepaidyoubymakingyousadandsore-heartedandleavingyouso。Andthenaturalresulthasfallentomelikewise——foraguiltyconsciencehasharassedmeeversince，andIhavenothadoneshortquarterofanhourofpeacetothismoment。 YouspokeofMiddletown。Whynotgothereandlive？Mr。CranesaysitisonlyaboutahundredmilesthissideofNewYorkontheErieroad。 Thefactthatoneortwoofyoumightprefertolivesomewhereelseisnotavalidobjection——thereareno4peoplewhowouldallchoosethesameplace——soitwillbevaintowaitforthedaywhenyourtastesshallbeaunit。IseriouslyfearthatourvisithasdamagedyouinFredonia，andsoIwishyouwereoutofit。 Thebabyisfatandstrong，andSusiethesame。Susiewascharmedwiththedonkeyandthedoll。 YsaffectionatelySAML。 P。S——DEARMAANDPAMELA——IammainlygrievedbecauseIhavebeenrudetoamanwhohasbeenkindtoyou——andifyoueverfeeladesiretoapologizetohimforme，youmaybesurethatIwillendorsetheapology，nomatterhowstrongitmaybe。Iwenttohisbanktoapologizetohim，butmyconvictionwasstrongthathewasnotmanenoughtoknowhowtotakeanapologyandsoIdidnotmakeit。 WilliamDeanHowellswasinthosedayswritingthosevividlyrealistic，indeedphotographicstorieswhichfixedhisplaceamongAmericanmenofletters。Hehadalreadywritten”TheirWeddingJourney”and”AChanceAcquaintance”when”AForegoneConclusion” appeared。Forthereasonthathisownworkwassodifferent，andperhapsbecauseofhisfondnessfortheauthor，ClemensalwaysgreatlyadmiredthebooksofHowells。Howells”sexactobservationandhisgiftforhumandetailseemedmarveloustoMarkTwain，whowithabiggerbrushwasinclinedtorecordthelargerratherthantheminuteaspectsoflife。ThesincerityofhisappreciationofHowells，however，neednotbequestioned，nor，forthatmatter，hisdetestationofScott。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： ELMIRA，Aug。22，1874。 DEARHOWELLS，——Ihavejustfinishedreadingthe”ForegoneConclusion”toMrs。Clemensandwethinkyouhaveevenoutdoneyourself。Ishouldthinkthatthismustbethedaintiest，truest，mostadmirableworkmanshipthatwaseverputonastory。ThecreaturesofGoddonotactouttheirnaturesmoreunerringlythanyoursdo。Ifyourgenuinestoriescandie，IwonderbywhatrightoldWalterScott”sartificialitiesshallcontinuetolive。 IbroughtMrs。Clemensbackfromhertripinadreadfullybroken-downcondition——sobythedoctor”sordersweunpackedthetrunkssorrowfullytolieidlehereanothermonthinsteadofgoingatoncetoHartfordandproceedingtofurnishthenewhousewhichisnowfinished。Wehatetohaveitgolongerdesolateandtenantless，butcannothelpit。 Byandby，ifthemadamgetsstrongagain，wearehopingtohavetheGraysthere，andyouandtheAldrichhouseholds，andOsgood，downtoengageinanorgywiththem。 YsEverMARK HowellswaseditoroftheAtlanticbythistime，andhadbeenurgingClemenstowritesomethingsuitableforthatmagazine。Hehaddonenothing，however，untilthissummeratQuarryFarm。There，onenightinthemoonlight，Mrs。Crane”scoloredcook，whohadbeenaslave，wasinducedtotellhimherstory。ItwasexactlythestorytoappealtoMarkTwain，andthekindofthinghecouldwrite。Hesetitdownnextmorning，asnearlyinherownwordsandmanneraspossible，withoutdepartingtoofarfromliteraryrequirements。 HedecidedtosendthistoHowells。Hedidnotregarditveryhighly，buthewouldtakethechance。Anearlierofferingtothemagazinehadbeenreturned。Hesentthe“TrueStory，“withabriefnote： ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： ELMIRA，Sept。2，”74。 MYDEARHOWELLS，……Ienclosealsoa“TrueStory“whichhasnohumorinit。Youcanpayaslightlyasyouchooseforthat，ifyouwantit，foritisratheroutofmyline。Ihavenotalteredtheoldcoloredwoman”sstoryexcepttobeginatthebeginning，insteadofthemiddle，asshedid——andtraveledbothways…… YrsEverMARK。 ButHowellswasdelightedwithit。Hereferredtoits“realestkindofblacktalk，“andinanotherplaceadded，“Thislittlestorydelightsmemoreandmore。Iwishyouhadaboutfortyofthem。” Alongwiththe“TrueStory“MarkTwainhadsentthe“FableforGoodOldBoysandGirls“；butthisHowellsreturned，not，ashesaid，becausehedidn”tlikeit，butbecausetheAtlanticonmattersofreligionwasjustinthat“GoodLord，GoodDevilconditionwhenalittlefablelikeyourswouldn”tleaveitasinglePresbyterian，Baptist，Unitarian，Episcopalian，Methodist，orMilleritepayingsubscriber，whileallthedeadheadswouldsticktoitandabuseitinthedenominationalnewspapers！“ ButtheshorterMS。hadbeenonlyabriefdiversion。MarkTwainwasbowlingalongatabookandaplay。ThebookwasTomSawyer，asalreadymentioned，andtheplayadramatizationfromTheGildedAge。 ClemenshadallalongintendedtodramatizethestoryofColonelSellers，andwasonedaythunderstrucktoreceivewordfromCaliforniathataSanFranciscodramatisthadappropriatedhischaracterinaplaywrittenforJohnT。Raymond。Clemenshadtakenoutdramaticcopyrightonthebook，andimmediatelystoppedtheperformancebytelegraph。Acorrespondencebetweentheauthorandthedramatistfollowed，leadingtoafriendlyarrangementbywhichthelatteragreedtodisposeofhisversiontoMarkTwain。AgooddealofdiscussionfromtimetotimehavingarisenovertheauthorshipoftheSellersplay，aspresentedbyRaymond，certainamongthelettersthatfollowmaybefoundofspecialinterest。 MeanwhilewefindClemenswritingtoDr。JohnBrown，ofEdinburgh，onthesemattersandeventsingeneral。ThebookMS。，whichhementionsashavingputaside，wasnottouchedagainfornearlyayear。 ToDr。JohnBrown，inEdinburgh： QUARRYFARM，NEARELMIRA，N。Y。 Sept。4，1874。 DEARFRIEND，——Ihavebeenwritingfiftypagesofmanuscriptaday，onanaverage，forsometimenow，onabook(astory)andconsequentlyhavebeensowrappedupinitandsodeadtoanythingelse，thatIhavefallenmightyshortinletter-writing。ButnightbeforelastIdiscoveredthatthatday”schapterwasafailure，inconception，moraltruthtonature，andexecution——enoughblemishtoimpairtheexcellenceofalmostanychapter——andsoImustburnuptheday”sworkanddoitalloveragain。 ItwasplainthatIhadworkedmyselfout，pumpedmyselfdry。SoI knockedoff，andwenttoplayingbilliardsforachange。Ihaven”thadanideaorafancyfortwodays，now——anexcellenttimetowritetofriendswhohaveplentyofideasandfanciesoftheirown，andsowillprefertheofferingsoftheheartbeforethoseofthehead。Dayafterto-morrowIgotoaneighboringcitytoseeafive-act-dramaofminebroughtout，andsuggestamendmentsinit，andwouldaboutassoonspendanightintheSpanishInquisitionassitthereandbetorturedwithalltheadversecriticismsIcancontrivetoimaginetheaudienceisindulgingin。Butwhethertheplaybesuccessfulornot，IhopeIshallneverfeelobligedtoseeitperformedasecondtime。Myinterestinmyworkdiesasuddenandviolentdeathwhentheworkisdone。 Ihaveinventedandpatentedaprettygoodsortofscrap-book(Ithink) butIhavebackeddownfromlettingitbeknownasminejustatpresent——forIcan”tstandbeingunderdiscussiononaplayandascrap-bookatthesametime！ Ishallbeawaytwodays，andthenreturntotakeourtribetoNewYork，whereweshallremainfivedaysbuyingfurnitureforthenewhouse，andthengotoHartfordandsettlesolidlydownforthewinter。AfterallthatfallowtimeIoughttobeabletogotoworkagainonthebook。 WeshallreachHartfordaboutthemiddleofSeptember，Ijudge。 Wehavespentthepastfourmonthsuphereontopofabreezyhill，sixhundredfeethigh，somefewmilesfromElmira，N。Y。，andoverlookingthattown；(Elmiraismywife”sbirthplaceandthatofSusieandthenewbaby)。Thislittlesummerhouseonthehill-top(namedQuarryFarmbecausethere”saquarryonit，)belongstomywife”ssister，Mrs。Crane。 Aphotographercameuptheotherdayandwantedtomakesomeviews，andIshallsendyoutheresultperthismail。 Mystudyisasnuglittleoctagonalden，withacoal-grate，6bigwindows，onelittleone，andawidedoorway(thelatteropeninguponthedistanttown。)OnhotdaysIspreadthestudywideopen，anchormypapersdownwithbrickbatsandwriteinthemidstofthehurricanes，clothedinthesamethinlinenwemakeshirtsof。Thestudyisnearlyonthepeakofthehill；itisrightinfrontofthelittleperpendicularwallofrockleftwheretheyusedtoquarrystones。Onthepeakofthehillisanoldarborroofedwithbarkandcoveredwiththevineyoucallthe“AmericanCreeper“——itsgreenisalmostbloodiedwithred。TheStudyis30yardsbelowtheoldarborand200yardsabovethedwelling-house-itisremotefromallnoises…… Nowisn”tthewholethingpleasantlysituated？ Inthepictureofmeinthestudyyouglimpse(throughtheleft-handwindow)thelittlerockbluffthatrisesbehindthepond，andthebasesofthelittletreesontopofit。Thesmallsquarewindowisoverthefireplace；thechimneydividestomakeroomforit。Withoutthestereoscopeitlookslikeaframedpicture。AllthestudywindowshaveVenetianblinds；theylongagowentoutoffashioninAmericabuttheyhavenotbeenreplacedwithanythinghalfasgoodyet。 Thestudyisbuiltontopofatumbledrock-heapthathasmorning-gloriesclimbingaboutitandastonestairwayleadingdownthroughanddividingit。 Therenow——ifyouhavenottimetoreadallthis，turnitoverto“Jock“ anddraginthejudgetohelp。 Mrs。ClemensmustputinalatepictureofSusie——apicturewhichshemaintainsisgood，butwhichIthinkisslanderonthechild。 WerevisittheRutlandStreethomemanyatimeinfancy，forweholdeveryindividualinitinhappyandgratefulmemory。 Goodbye，Yourfriend，SAML。L。CLEMENS。 P。S——IgavetheP。O。Departmentablastinthepapersaboutsendingmisdirectedlettersofminebacktothewritersforreshipment，andgotablastinreturn，throughaNewYorkdaily，fromtheNewYorkpostmaster。 ButInoticethatmisdirectedlettersfindme，now，withoutanyunnecessaryfoolingaround。 ThenewhouseinHartfordwasnowreadytobeoccupied，andinalettertoHowells，writtenalittlemorethanafortnightaftertheforegoing，wefindthemlocatedin“part“ofit。ButwhatseemsmoreinterestingisthatparagraphoftheletterwhichspeaksofclosefriendlyrelationsstillexistingwiththeWarners，inthatitrefutesareportcurrentatthistimethattherewasabreakbetweenClemensandWarnerovertherightsintheSellersplay。Therewas，infact，nosuchrupture。Warner，realizingthathehadnohandinthecharacterofSellers，andnoshareintheworkofdramatization，generouslyyieldedallclaimtoanypartofthereturns。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： FARMINGTONAVENUE，HARTFORD，Sept。20，1876。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Allright，myboy，sendproofsheetshere。Iamenddialectstuffbytalkingandtalkingandtalkingittillitsoundsright- andIhaddifficultywiththisnegrotalkbecauseanegrosometimes(rarely)says“goin“andsometimes“gwyne，“andtheymakejustsuchdiscrepanciesinotherwords——andwhenyoucometoreproducethemonpapertheylookasifthevariationresultedfromthewriter”scarelessness。ButIwanttoworkattheproofsandgetthedialectasnearlyrightaspossible。 Weareinpartofthenewhouse。Goodnessknowswhenwe”llgetintherestofit——fullofworkmenyet。 Iworkedamonthatmyplay，andlauncheditinNewYorklastWednesday。 Ibelieveitwillgo。Thenewspapershavebeencomplimentary。Itissimplyasettingfortheonecharacter，Col。Sellers——asaplayIguessitwillnotbearacriticalassaultinforce。 TheWarnersareascharmingasever。Theygoshortlytothedevilforayear——(whichisbutapoeticalwayofsayingtheyaregoingtoafflictthemselveswiththeunsurpassable——(badword)oftravelforaspell。) Ibelievetheymeantogoandseeyou，first-sotheymeantostartfromheaventotheotherplace；notfromearth。Howisthat？ Ithinkthatisnoslouchofacompliment——kindofadimreligiouslightaboutit。Ienjoythatsortofthing。 YrseverMARK。 Raymond，inalettertotheSun，statedthatnot“oneline“oftheCaliforniadramatizationhadbeenusedbyMarkTwain，“exceptthatwhichwastakenbodilyfromTheGildedAge。”Clemenshimself，inastatementthathewrotefortheHartfordPost，butsuppressed，probablyattherequestofhiswife，gaveafullhistoryoftheplay”sorigin，amatterofslightinterestto-day。 Sellersonthestageprovedagreatsuccess。Theplayhadnospecialmeritasaliterarycomposition，butthecharacterofSellersdelightedthepublic，andbothauthorandactorwererichlyrepaidfortheirentertainment。 XIV。 LETTERS1874。MISSISSIPPICHAPTERS。VISITSTOBOSTON。 AJOKEONALDRICH “Couldn”tyousendmesomesuchstoryasthatcoloredoneforourJanuarynumber——thatis，withinamonth？“wroteHowells，attheendofSeptember，andduringtheweekfollowingMarkTwainstruggledhardtocomply，butwithoutresult。Whenthemonthwasnearlyuphewrote： ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Oct。2？1874。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Ihavedelayedthuslong，hopingImightdosomethingfortheJanuarynumberandMrs。Clemenshasdiligentlypersecutedmedaybydaywithurgingstogotoworkanddothatsomething，butit”snouse——IfindIcan”t。Weareinsuchastateofwearyandendlessconfusionthatmyheadwon”tgo。SoIgiveitup…… Yrsever，MARK。 Buttwohourslater，whenhehadreturnedfromoneofthelongwalkswhichheandTwichellsofrequentlytooktogether，hetoldadifferentstory。 Later，P。M。HOME，24th”74。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——ItakebacktheremarkthatIcan”twritefortheJan。 number。ForTwichellandIhavehadalongwalkinthewoodsandIgottotellinghimaboutoldMississippidaysofsteam-boatinggloryandgrandeurasIsawthem(during5years)fromthepilothouse。Hesaid“Whatavirginsubjecttohurlintoamagazine！“Ihadn”tthoughtofthatbefore。Wouldyoulikeaseriesofpaperstorunthrough3monthsor6 or9？——orabout4months，say？ Yrsever，MARK。 Howellshimselfhadcomefromafamilyofpilots，andrejoicedintheidea。AfewdayslaterMarkTwainforwardedthefirstinstalmentofthenewseries——thosewonderfulchaptersthatbegin，now，withchapterfourintheMississippibook。Apparentlyhewasnotwithoutdoubtconcerningthemanuscript，andaccompanieditwithabriefline。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： DEARHOWELLS，——Cutit，scarifyit，rejectithandleitwithentirefreedom。 Yrsever，MARK。 ButHowellshadnodoubtsastothequalityofthenewfind。Hedeclaredthatthe“piece“abouttheMississippiwascapital，thatitalmostmadethewaterintheirice-pitcherturnmuddyashereadit。 “Thesketchofthelow-livedlittletownwassogoodthatIcouldhavewishedthattherewasmoreofit。Iwantthesketches，ifyoucanmakethem，everymonth。” The“low-livedlittletown“wasHannibal，andthereadercanturntothevividdescriptionofitinthechapteralreadymentioned。 InthesameletterHowellsreferstoa“letterfromLimerick，“whichhedeclaresheshallkeepuntilhehasshownitaround——especiallytoAldrichandOsgood。 The“letterfromLimerick“hastodowithaspecialepisode。 MentionhasjustbeenmadeofMarkTwain”swalkwithTwichell。 Frequentlytheirwalkswereextendedtramps，andonceinadaringmomentoneortheotherofthemproposedtowalktoBoston。ThetimewasNovember，andthebracingairmadethepropositionseemattractive。Theywereoffonemorningearly，Twichellcarryingalittlebag，andClemensabasketofluncheon。Afewdaysbefore，ClemenshadwrittenRedpaththattheRev。J。H。Twichellandheexpectedtostartateighto”clockThursdaymorning“towalktoBostonintwenty-fourhours——ormore。WeshalltelegraphYoung”sHotelforroomsSaturdaynight，inordertoallowforalowaverageofpedestrianism。” TheydidnotgetquitetoBoston。Infact，theygotonlyalittlefartherthanthetwenty-eightmilestheymadethefirstday。 Clemenscouldhardlywalknextmorning，buttheymanagedtogettoNorthAshford，wheretheytookacarriageforthenearestrailwaystation。TheretheytelegraphedtoRedpathandHowellsthattheywouldbeinBostonthatevening。Howells，ofcourse，hadagoodsupperandgoodcompanyawaitingthemathishome，andthepedestriansspenttwohappydaysvisitingandrecountingtheiradventures。 Itwasonemorning，athishotel，thatMarkTwainwrotetheLimerickletter。ItwasaddressedtoMrs。Clemens，butwasreallyintendedforHowellsandTwichellandtheotherswhomitmentions。Itwasanamusingfancy，ratherthanaletter，butitdeservesplacehere。 ToMrs。Clemens——intendedforHowells，Aldrich，etc。 BOSTON，Nov。16，1935。[1874] DEARLIVY，YouobserveIstillcallthisbelovedoldplacebythenameithadwhenIwasyoung。Limerick！Itisenoughtomakeabodysick。 Thegentlemen-in-waitingstaretoseemesitheretelegraphingthislettertoyou，andnodoubttheyaresmilingintheirsleeves。Butletthem！Theslowoldfashionsaregoodenoughforme，thankGod，andI willnoneother。WhenIseeoneofthesemodernfoolssitabsorbed，holdingtheendofatelegraphwireinhishand，andreflectthatathousandmilesawaythereisanotherfoolhitchedtotheotherendofit，itmakesmefranticwithrage；andthenamImoreimplacablyfixedandresolvedthanever，tocontinuetakingtwentyminutestotelegraphyouwhatIcommunicateintensendsbythenewwayifIwouldsodebasemyself。AndwhenIseeawholesilent，solemndrawing-roomfullofidiotssittingwiththeirhandsoneachother”sforeheads“communing，“I tugthewhitehairsfrommyheadandcursetillmyasthmabringsmetheblessedreliefofsuffocation。Inourolddaysuchagatheringtalkedpuredriveland“rot，“mostly，butbetterthat，athousandtimes，thanthesedrearyconversationalfuneralsthatoppressourspiritsinthismadgeneration。 ItissixtyyearssinceIwasherebefore。Iwalkedhither，then，withmypreciousoldfriend。Itseemsincredible，now，thatwediditintwodays，butsuchismyrecollection。Inolongermentionthatwewalkedbackinasingleday，itmakesmesofurioustoseedoubtinthefaceofthehearer。Menweremeninthoseoldtimes。Thinkofoneofthepuerileorganismsinthiseffeminateageattemptingsuchafeat。 Myair-shipwasdelayedbyacollisionwithafellowfromChinaloadedwiththeusualcargoofjabbering，copper-coloredmissionaries，andsoI wasnearlyanhouronmyjourney。ButbythegoodnessofGodthirteenofthemissionarieswerecrippledandseveralkilled，soIwascontenttolosethetime。Ilovetolosetime，anyway，becauseitbringssoothingreminiscencesofthecreepingrailroaddaysofold，nowlosttousforever。 Ourgamewasneatlyplayed，andsuccessfully——Noneexpectedus，ofcourse。YoushouldhaveseentheguardsattheducalpalacestarewhenIsaid，“AnnouncehisgracetheArchbishopofDublinandtheRt。Hon。 theEarlofHartford。”Arrivedwithin，wewerealleyestoseetheDukeofCambridgeandhisDuchess，wonderingifwemightremembertheirfaces，andtheyours。Inamoment，theycametotteringin；he，bentandwitheredandbald；shebloomingwithwholesomeoldage。Hepeeredthroughhisglassesamoment，thenscreechedinareedyvoice：“Cometomyarms！Awaywithtitles——I”llknowyebynonamesbutTwainandTwichell！Thenfellheonournecksandjammedhistrumpetinhisear，thewhichwefilledwithshoutingstothiseffect：“Godblessyou，oldHowellswhatisleftofyou！“ Wetalkedlatethatnight——noneofyoursilentidiot“communings“forus——oftheoldentime。WerolledastreamofancientanecdotesoverourtonguesanddranktillthelordArchbishopgrewsomellowinthemellowpastthatDublinceasedtobeDublintohimandresumeditssweeterforgottennameofNewYork。Intruthhealmostgotbackintohisancientreligion，too，goodJesuit，ashehasalwaysbeensinceO”MulligantheFirstestablishedthatfaithintheEmpire。 Andwecanvassedeverybody。BaileyAldrich，MarquisofPonkapog，camein，gotnoblydrunk，andtoldusallabouthowpoorOsgoodlosthisearldomandwashangedforconspiringagainstthesecondEmperor——buthedidn”tmentionhownearhehimselfcametobeinghanged，too，forengaginginthesameenterprise。Hewasaschaffyashewassixtyyearsago，too，andsworetheArchbishopandIneverwalkedtoBoston——buttherewasneveradaythatPonkapogwouldn”tlie，sobeitbythegraceofGodhegottheopportunity。 TheLordHighAdmiralcamein，ahalegentlemancloseuponseventyandbronzedbythesunsandstormsofmanyclimesandscarredwiththewoundsgotinmanybattles，andItoldhimhowIhadseenhimsitinahighchairandeatfruitandcakesandanswertothenameofJohnny。Hisgranddaughter(theeldest)isbutlatelywarnedtotheyoungestoftheGrandDukes，andsowhoknowsbutadaymaycomewhenthebloodoftheHowells”smayreignintheland？Imustnotforgettosay，whileIthinkofit，thatyournewfalseteetharedone，mydear，andyourwig。Keepyourheadwellbundledwithashawltillthelattercomes，andsocheatyourpersecutingneuralgiasandrheumatisms。Wouldyoubelieveit？——theDuchessofCambridgeisdeaferthanyou——deaferthanherhusband。Theycallhertobreakfastwithasalvoofartillery；andusuallywhenitthundersshelooksupexpectantlyandsays“comein……” Themonumenttotheauthorof“GloversonandHisSilentpartners“isfinished。Itisthestateliestandthecostliestevererectedtothememoryofanyman。Thisnobleclassichasnowbeentranslatedintoallthelanguagesoftheearthandisadoredbyallnationsandknowntoallcreatures。YetIhaveconversedasfamiliarlywiththeauthorofitasI dowithmyowngreat-grandchildren。 IwishyoucouldseeoldCambridgeandPonkapog。Ilovethemasdearlyasever，butprivately，mydear，theyarenotmuchimprovementonidiots。 Itismelancholytohearthemjabberoverthesamepointlessanecdotesthreeandfourtimesofanevening，forgettingthattheyhadjabberedthemoverthreeorfourtimestheeveningbefore。Ponkapogstillwritespoetry，buttheold-timefirehasmostlygoneoutofit。Perhapshisbesteffortoflateyearsisthis： “Osoul，soul，soulofmine： Soul，soul，soulofthine！ Thysoul，mysoul，twosoulsentwine，Andsingthylaudsincrystalwine！“ Thishegoesaboutrepeatingtoeverybody，dailyandnightly，insomuchthatheisbecomeasoreafflictiontoallthatknowhim。 ButImustdesist。Therearedraftshere，everywhereandmygoutissomethingfrightful。Myleftfoothathresemblancetoasnuff-bladder。 Godbewithyou。 HARTFORD。 ThesetoLadyHartford，intheearldomofHartford，intheupperportionofthecityofDublin。 OnemayimaginethejoyofHowellsandtheothersinthisludicrousextravaganza，whichcouldhavebeenwrittenbynoonebutMarkTwain。Itwillhardlytakerankasprophecy，thoughcertainlytrueforecastinitisnotwhollylacking。 Clemenswasnowprettywellsatisfiedwithhispilotingstory，buthebegantohavedoubtsastoitstitle，“OldTimesontheMississippi。”Itseemedtocommithimtotoolargeanundertaking。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： Dec。3，1874。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Letuschangetheheadingto“PilotingontheMissintheOldTimes“——orto“SteamboatingontheM。inOldTimes“——orto“PersonalOldTimesontheMiss。”——WecouldchangeitforFeb。ifnowtoolateforJan——Isuggestitbecausethepresentheadingistoopretentious，toobroadandgeneral。ItseemstocommandmetodeliveraSecondBookofRevelationtotheworld，andcoveralltheOldTimestheMississippi(dangthatword，itisworsethan“type“or“Egypt“)eversaw——whereashereIhavefinishedArticleNo。IIIandamabouttostartonNo。4。andyetIhavespokenofnothingbutofPilotingasasciencesofar；andIdoubtifIevergetbeyondthatportionofmysubject。 AndIdon”tcareto。AnymugginscanwriteaboutOldTimesontheMiss。 of500differentkinds，butIamtheonlymanalivethatcanscribbleaboutthepilotingofthatday——andnomaneverhastriedtoscribbleaboutityet。Itsnewnesspleasesmeallthetime——anditisabouttheonlynewsubjectIknowof。IfIweretowritefiftyarticlestheywouldallbeaboutpilotsandpiloting——thereforelet”sgetthewordPilotingintotheheading。There”sasortoffreshnessaboutthat，too。 Ysever，MARK。 ButHowellsthoughtthetitlesatisfactory，andindeeditwasthebestthatcouldhavebeenselectedfortheseries。Hewroteeveryfewdaysofhisdelightinthepapers，andcautionedtheauthornottomakeanattempttopleaseany“supposedAtlanticaudience，“ adding，“Yarnitoffintomysympatheticear。”Clemensreplied： ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： H”t”f”d。Dec。8，1874。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Itisn”ttheAtlanticaudiencethatdistressesme；foritistheonlyaudiencethatIsitdownbeforeinperfectserenity(forthesimplereasonthatitdoesn”trequirea“humorist“topainthimselfstripedandstandonhisheadeveryfifteenminutes。)Thetroublewas，thatIwasonlybenton“workingupanatmosphere“andthatistomeamostfidgetyandirksomething，sometimes。Iavoidit，usually，butinthiscaseitwasabsolutelynecessary，elseeveryreaderwouldbeapplyingtheatmosphereofhisownorseaexperiences，andthatshirtwouldn”tfit，youknow。 IcouldhavesentthisArticleIIaweekago，ormore，butIcouldn”tbringmyselftothedrudgeryofrevisingandcorrectingit。Ihavebeenatthattediouswork3hours，now，andbyGeorgebutIamgladitisover。 Say——Iamaspromptasaclock，ifIonlyknowthedayathingiswanted——otherwiseIamanaturalprocrastinaturalist。TellmewhatdayanddateyouwantNos。3and4，andIwilltackleandrevisethemandthey”llbetheretotheminute。 IcouldwindupwithNo。4。，buttherearesomethingsmorewhichIampowerfullymovedtowrite。Whichisnaturalenough，sinceIamapersonwhowouldquitauthorizinginaminutetogotopiloting，ifthemadamwouldstandit。Iwouldrathersinkasteamboatthaneat，anytime。 Mywifewasafraidtowriteyou——soIsaidwithsimplicity，“Iwillgiveyouthelanguage——andideas。”ThroughtheinfinitegraceofGodtherehasnotbeensuchanotherinsurrectioninthefamilybeforeasfollowedthis。However，theletterwaswritten，andpromptly，too——whereas，heretoforeshehasremainedafraidtodosuchthings。 WithkindregardstoMrs。Howells，Yrsever，MARK。 The“OldTimes“papersappearedeachmonthintheAtlanticuntilJuly，1875，andtakerankto-daywithMarkTwain”sbestwork。Whenthefirstnumberappeared，JohnHaywrote：“Itisperfect；nomorenorless。Idon”tseehowyoudoit。”WhichwasreportedtoHowells，whosaid：“WhatbusinesshasHay，Ishouldliketoknow，praisingafavoriteofmine？It”sinterfering。” Thesewerethedayswhenthetypewriterwasnew。ClemensandTwichell，duringtheirstayinBoston，hadseenthemarvelinoperation，andClemenshadbeenunabletoresistowningone。Itwasfarfrombeingtheperfectmachineofto-day；theletterswereallcapitals，andonewasneverquitecertain，evenofthose。MarkTwain，however，beganwithenthusiasmandpractisedfaithfully。Onthedayofitsarrivalhewrotetwolettersthathavesurvived，thefirsttohisbrother，theothertoHowells。 TypewrittenlettertoW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Dec。9，1874。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——IwanttoaddashortparagraphtoarticleNo。1，whentheproofcomes。Merelyalineortwo，however。 Idon”tknowwhetherIamgoingtomakethistypewritingmachinegoornto：thatlastwordwasintendedforn-not；butIguessIshallmakesomesortofasuccssofitbeforeIrunitverylong。Iamsothick-fingeredthatImissthekeys。 Youneedn”taswerthis；Iamonlypracticingtogetthree；anotherslip- upthere；onlypractici？ngtogetthehangofthething。InoticeImissfire&getinagoodmanyunnecessarylettersandpunctuationmarks。 Iamsimplyusingyouforatargettobangat。Blamemycatsbutthisthingrequiresgeniusinordertoworkitjustright。 Yoursever，(M)ARK。 KnowingMarkTwain，Howellswrote：“Whenyougettiredofthemachinesendittome。”Clemensnaturallydidgettiredofthemachine；itwasruininghismorals，hesaid。HepresentlyofferedittoHowells，whobythistimehesitated，buteventuallyyieldedandacceptedit。Ifhewasblastedbyitsinfluencethefacthasnotbeenrecorded。 OneofthefamousAtlanticdinnerscamealonginDecember。“Don”tyoudaretorefusethatinvitation，“wroteHowells，“tomeetEmerson，Aldrich，andallthoseboysattheParkerHouse，atsixo”clock，Tuesday，December15th。Come！“ Clemenshadnodesiretorefuse；hesentwordthathewouldcome，andfolloweditwithacharacteristicline。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Sunday。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——IwantyoutoaskMrs。HowellstoletyoustayallnightattheParkerHouseandtellliesandhaveanimprovingtime，andtakebreakfastwithmeinthemorning。Iwillhaveagoodroomforyou，andafire。Can”tyoutellheritalwaysmakesyousicktogohomelateatnight，orsomethinglikethat？ThatsortofthingrousesMrs。 Clemens”ssympathies，easily；theonlytroubleistokeepthemup。 TwichellandItalkedtill2or3inthemorning，thenightwesuppedatyourhouseanditrestoredhishealth，onaccountofhisbeingdroopingforsometimeandmadehimmuchmorerobusterthanwhathewasbefore。 WillMrs。Howellsletyou？ Yrsever，S。L。C。 Aldrichhadissuedthatyearavolumeofpoems，andhepresentedClemenswithacopyofitduringthisBostonvisit。Theletterofappreciationwhichfollowscontainsalsoreferencetoanamusingincident；butweshallcometothatpresently。 ToT。B。Aldrich，inPonkapog，Mass。 FARMINGTONAVENUE，HARTFORD。 Dec。18，1874。 MYDEARALDRICH，——Ireadthe“ClothofGold“through，comingdowninthecars，anditisjustlightningpoetry——athingwhichitgravelsmetosaybecausemyowneffortsinthatlinehaveremainedsopersistentlyunrecognized，inconsequenceoftheenvyandjealousyofthisgeneration。 “BabyBell“alwaysseemedperfection，before，butnowthatIhavechildrenithasgotevenbeyondthat。AboutthehourthatIwasreadingitinthecars，TwichellwasreadingitathomeandforthwithfelluponmewithaburstofenthusiasmaboutitwhenIsawhim。Thiswaspleasant，becausehehaslongbeenaloverofit。 “Thos。BaileyAldrichresponded“etc。，“inoneofthebrightestspeechesoftheevening。” ThatiswhattheTribunecorrespondentsays。Andthatiswhateverybodythathearditsaid。Therefore，youkeepstill。Don”teverbesounwiseastogoontryingtounconvincethosepeople。 I”vebeenskatingaroundtheplacealldaywithsomegirls，withMrs。 Clemensinthewindowtodotheapplause。Therewouldbeapoweroffuninskatingifyoucoulddoitwithsomebodyelse”smuscles——Thereareabouttwentyboysboomingbythehouse，now，anditismightygoodtolookat。 I”mkeepingyouinmind，yousee，inthematterofphotographs。IhaveacoupletoencloseinthisletterandIwantyoutosayyougotthem，andthenIshallknowIhavebeenagoodtruthfulchild。 IamgoingtosendmoreasIferretthemout，abouttheplace——AndI won”tforgetthatyouarea“subscriber。” ThewifeandIuniteinwarmregardstoyouandMrs。Aldrich。 Yrsever，S。L。CLEMENS。 AletterbearingthesamedateastheabovewentbacktoHowells，wefind，inreferencetostillanotherincident，whichperhapsshouldcomefirst。 MarkTwainuptothistimehadworntheblack“string“necktieoftheWest——adecorationwhichdisturbedMrs。Clemens，andinvitedremarksfromhisfriends。Hehadpersistedinit，however，uptothedateoftheAtlanticdinner，whenHowellsandAldrichdecidedthatsomethingmustbedoneaboutit。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Dec。18，1874。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——IleftNo。3，(Miss。chapter)inmyeldest”sreach，anditmayhavegonetothepostmananditlikewisemayhavegoneintothefire。IconfesstoadreadthatthelatteristhecaseandthatthatstackofMSwillhavetobewrittenoveragain。Ifso，OforthereturnofthelamentedHerod！ YouandAldrichhavemadeonewomandeeplyandsincerelygrateful——Mrs。 Clemens。Formonths——Imayevensayyears——shehadshownunaccountableanimositytowardmyneck-tie，evengettingupinthenighttotakeitwiththetongsandblackguardit——sometimesalsogoingsofarastothreatenit。 WhenIsaidyouandAldrichhadgivenmetwonewneck-ties，andthattheywereinapaperinmyovercoatpocket，shewasinafeverofhappinessuntilshefoundIwasgoingtoframethem；thenallthevenominhernaturegathereditselftogether，——insomuchthatI，beingneartoadoor，wentwithout，perceivingdanger。 NowIwearoneofthenewneck-ties，nothingbeingsacredinMrs。 Clemens”seyesthatcanbepervertedtoagaudthatshallmakethepersonofherhusbandmorealluringthanitwasaforetime。 JoTwichellwasthedelightedestoldboyIeversaw，whenhereadthewordsyouhadwritteninthatbook。HeandIwenttotheConcertoftheYalestudentslastnightandhadagoodtime。 Mrs。ClemensdreadsourgoingtoNewOrleans，butItellhershe”llhavetogiveherconsentthistime。 Withkindestregardsuntoyeboth。 Yrsever，S。L。CLEMENS。 ThereferencetoNewOrleansattheendofthislettergrewnaturallyoutoftheenthusiasmarousedbytheMississippipapers。 ThemoreClemenswroteabouttheriverthemorehewishedtorevisititandtakeHowellswithhim。Howellswaswillingenoughtogoandtheyeventuallyarrangedtotaketheirwivesontheexcursion。Thisseemedallverywellandpossible，solongasthetimewassetforsomedateinthefuturestillunfixed。ButHowellswasabusyeditor，anditwasmuchmoreeasyforhimtopromisegood-naturedlythantoagreeonadefinitetimeofdeparture。Heexplainedatlengthwhyhecouldnotmakethejourney，andadded：“Forgivemehavingledyouontofixatime；Ineverthoughtitwouldcometothat；Isupposedyouwoulddie，orsomething。IamreallymoresorryandashamedthanIcanmakeitappear。”Sothebeautifulplanwasputaside，thoughitwasnotentirelyabandonedforalongtime。 WenowcometotheincidentmentionedinMarkTwain”slettertoAldrich，ofDecemberthe18th。IthaditsbeginningattheAtlanticdinner，whereAldrichhadabusedClemensforneversendinghimanyphotographsofhimself。Itwassuggestedbyoneortheotherthathisnamebeputdownasa“regularsubscriber“forallMarkTwainphotographsasthey“cameout。”Clemensreturnedhomeandhuntedupfifty-twodifferentspecimens，puteachintoanenvelope，andbeganmailingthemtohim，oneeachmorning。WhenafewofthemhadarrivedAldrichwrote，protesting。 “Thepolice，“hesaid，“haveawayofswoopingdownonthatkindofpublication。Theotherdaytheygobbledupanentireeditionof”TheLifeinNewYork。”“ WhereuponClemensbundleduptheremainingcollection——forty-fiveenvelopesofphotographsandprints-andmailedthemtogether。 Aldrichwrote，now，violentlydeclaringtheperpetratoroftheoutragetobeknowntothepolice；thatasprawlingyellowfigureagainstagreenbackgroundhadbeenrecognizedasanadmirablelikenessofMarkTwain，aliasthejumpingFrog，awell-knownCaliforniandesperado，formerlythechiefofHenryPlummer”sbandofroadagentsinMontana。Theletterwassigned，“T。Bayleigh，ChiefofPolice。”Onthebackoftheenvelope“T。Bayleigh“hadalsowrittenthatitwas“nouseforthepersontosendanymoreletters，asthepost-officeatthatpointwastobeblownup。Forty-eighthogs-headofnitroglycerinehadbeensyrupticiouslyintroducedintothecellarofthebuilding，andmorewasexpected。R。W。E。H。W。L。 O。W。H。，andotherconspiratorsinmaskshavebeenseenflittingaboutthetownforsomedayspast。ThegreatestexcitementcombinedwiththemostintensequietnessreignsatPonkapog。” XV。 LETTERSFROMHARTFORD，1875。MUCHCORRESPONDENCEWITHHOWELLS OrionClemenshadkepthisjobwithBlissonlyashorttime。Hismentalmake-upwassuchthatitwasdifficultforhimtoholdanypositionlong。 Hemeanttodowell，buthewasunfortunateinhisefforts。Hisideaswereseldompractical，hisnaturewasyieldingandfickle。HehadreturnedtoKeokukpresently，andbeingconvincedtherewasafortuneinchickens，hadprevaileduponhisbrothertopurchaseforhimalittlefarmnotfarfromthetown。ButthechickenbusinesswasnotlivelyandOrionkeptthemailhotwithmanuscriptsandpropositionsofeverysort，whichhewantedhisbrothertotakeunderadvisement。 Certainly，toMarkTwainOrionClemenswasatrial。Thelettersofthelattershowthatscarcelyoneofthembutcontainstheoutlineofsomerainbow-chasingscheme，fullofwildoptimism，andthecertaintythatsomewherejustaheadliesthepotofgold。Only，nowandthen，thereisaletterofabjecthumiliationandcompletesurrender，whensomegoldenvision，someiridescentsoap-bubble，hadvanishedathistouch。Suchdepressiondidnotlast；bysunrisehewasreadywithanewdream，newenthusiasm，andwithanewletterinvitinghis“brotherSam”s“interestandinvestment。Yet，hisfearofincurringhisbrother”sdispleasurewaspitiful，regardlessofthefactthatheconstantlyemployedtheverymeanstoinsurethatresult。AtonetimeClemensmadehimsignaswornagreementthathewouldnotsuggestanyplanorschemeofinvestmentfortheperiodoftwelvemonths。Orionmusthavekeptthisagreement。Hewouldhavegonetothestakebeforehewouldhaveviolatedanoath，butthestakewouldhaveprobablybeennogreaterpunishmentthanhissufferingsthatyear。 Onthewhole，SamuelClemenswassurprisinglypatientandconsideratewithOrion，andtherewasneveratimethathewasnotwillingtohelp。 Yettherewereboundtobemomentsofexasperation；andonce，whenhismother，orsister，hadwritten，suggestingthatheencouragehisbrother”sefforts，hefeltmovedtowriteatconsiderablefreedom。 ToMrs。JaneClemensandMrs。Moffett，inFredonia，N。Y。： HARTFORD，Sunday，1875。 MYDEARMOTHERANDSISTER，——ISawGov。NewelltodayandhesaidhewasstillmovinginthematterofSammy”sappointment——[AsaWestPointcadet。]——andwouldsticktoittillhegotaresultofapositivenatureonewayortheother，butthusfarhedidnotknowwhethertoexpectsuccessordefeat。 Ma，wheneveryouneedmoneyIhopeyouwon”tbebackwardaboutsayingso——youcanalwayshaveit。Westintourselvesinsomeways，butwehavenodesiretostintyou。Andwedon”tintendto，either。 Ican”t“encourage“Orion。Nobodycandothat，conscientiously，forthereasonthatbeforeone”sletterhastimetoreachhimheisoffonsomenewwild-goosechase。Wouldyouencourageinliteratureamanwho，theolderhegrowstheworsehewrites？WouldyouencourageOrionintheglaringinsanityofstudyinglaw？Ifhewerepackedandcrammedfulloflaw，itwouldbeworthlesslumbertohim，forhisissuchacapriciousandill-regulatedmindthathewouldapplytheprinciplesofthelawwithnomorejudgmentthanachildoftenyears。IknowwhatIamsaying。 IlaidoneoftheplainestandsimplestoflegalquestionsbeforeOriononce，andthehelplessandhopelessmesshemadeofitwasabsolutelyastonishing。NothingaggravatesmesomuchastohaveOrionmentionlaworliteraturetome。 Well，Icannotencouragehimtotrytheministry，becausehewouldchangehisreligionsofastthathewouldhavetokeepatravelingagentunderwagestogoaheadofhimtoengagepulpitsandboardforhim。 Icannotconscientiouslyencouragehimtodoanythingbutpotteraroundhislittlefarmandputinhisoddhourscontrivingnewandimpossibleprojectsattherateof365ayear——whichishiscustomaryaverage。 HesayshedidwellinHannibal！Nowthereisamanwhooughttobeentirelysatisfiedwiththegrandeurs，emolumentsandactivitiesofahenfarm—— IfyouaskmetopityOrion，Icandothat。Icandoiteverydayandalldaylong。Butonecan”t“encourage“quick-silver，becausetheinstantyouputyourfingeronititisn”tthere。No，Iamsayingtoomuch——hedoessticktohisliteraryandlegalaspirations；andhenaturallywouldselecttheverytwothingswhichheiswhollyandpreposterouslyunfittedfor。IfIeverbecomeable，ImeantoputOriononaregularpensionwithoutrevealingthefactthatitisapension。 Thatisbestforhim。Lethimconsideritaperiodicalloan，andpayinterestoutoftheprincipal。Withinayear”stimehewouldbelookinguponhimselfasabenefactorofmine，inthewayoffurnishingmeagoodpermanentinvestmentformoney，andthatwouldmakehimhappyandsatisfiedwithhimself。IfhehadmoneyhewouldsharewithmeinamomentandIhavenodispositiontobestingywithhim。 AfflySAM。 Livysendslove。 TheNewOrleansplanwasnotwhollydeadatthistime。HowellswroteneartheendofJanuarythatthematterwasstillbeingdebated，nowandthen，butwasfarfrombeingdecidedupon。HehopedtogosomewherewithMrs。HowellsforabrieftimeinMarch，hesaid。Clemens，inhaste，replied： ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Jan。26，1875。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——WhenMrs。Clemensreadyourlettershesaid：“Well，then，wherevertheygo，inMarch，thedirectionwillbesouthwardandsotheymustgiveusavisitontheway。”Idonotknowwhatsortofcontrolyoumaybeunder，butwhenmywifespeaksaspositivelyasthat，Iamnotinthehabitoftalkingbackandgettingintotrouble。SituatedasIam，Iwouldnotbeabletounderstand，now，howyoucouldpassbythistownwithoutfeelingthatyouwererunningawantonriskanddoingadaredevilthing。IconsideritsettledthatyouaretocomeinMarch，andIwouldbesincerelysorrytolearnthatyouandMrs。Howellsfeeldifferentlyaboutit。 Thepilotingmaterialhasbeenuncoveringitselfbydegrees，untilithasexposedsuchahugehoardtomyviewthatawholebookwillberequiredtocontainitifIuseit。SoIhaveagreedtowritethebookforBliss—— [Thebookideawaslatergivenupforthetimebeing。]——Iwon”tbeabletorunthearticlesintheAtlanticlaterthantheSeptembernumber，forthereasonthatasubscriptionbookissuedinthefallhasamuchlargersalethanifissuedatanyotherseasonoftheyear。ItisfunnywhenIreflectthatwhenIoriginallywroteyouandproposedtodofrom6 to9articlesforthemagazine，thevaguethoughtinmymindwasthat6 mightexhaustthematerialand9wouldbeprettysuretodoit。Orratheritseemstomethatthatwasmythought——can”ttellatthisdistance。Butintruth9chaptersdon”tnowseemtomorethanopenupthesubjectfairlyandstarttheyarntowagging。 Ihavebeensicka-bedseveraldays，forthefirsttimein21years。 Howlittleconfirmedinvalidsappreciatetheiradvantages。IwasabletoreadtheEnglisheditionoftheGrevilleMemoirsthroughwithoutinterruption，takemymealsinbed，neglectallbusinesswithoutapang，andsmoke18cigarsaday。Itrynottolookbackuponthese21yearswithafeelingofresentment，andyetthepartialitiesofProvidencedoseemtometobeslatheredaround(asonemaysay)withoutthatgravityandattentiontodetailwhichtherealimportanceofthematterwouldseemtosuggest。 YrseverMARK。 TheNewOrleansideacontinuedtohaunttheletters。ThethoughtofdriftingdowntheMississippisoattractedbothClemensandHowells，thattheytalkedofitwhentheymet，andwroteofitwhentheywereseparated。Howells，besetbyuncertainties，playfullytriedtoputtheresponsibilityuponhiswife。Oncehewrote：“Shesaysinthenoblestway，”Well，gotoNewOrleans，ifyouwanttosomuch”(youknowthetone)。IsupposeitwilldoifIletyouknowaboutthemiddleofFebruary？“ Buttheyhadtogiveitupintheend。Howellswrotethathehadbeenundertheweather，andonhalfworkthewholewinter。Hedidnotfeelthathehadearnedhissalary，hesaid，orthathewaswarrantedintakingathreeweeks”pleasuretrip。Clemensofferedtopayalltheexpensesofthetrip，butonlyindefinitepostponementfollowed。ItwouldbesevenyearsmorebeforeMarkTwainwouldreturntotheriver，andthennotwithHowells。 InaformerchaptermentionhasbeenmadeofCharlesWarrenStoddard，whomMarkTwainhadknowninhisCaliforniadays。HewasfondofStoddard，whowasafacileandpleasingwriterofpoemsanddescriptivearticles。DuringtheperiodthathehadbeenactingasMarkTwain”ssecretaryinLondon，hehadtakenpleasureincollectingforhimthenewsreportsofthecelebratedTichbornClaimantcase，thenintheEnglishcourts。Clemensthoughtoffoundingastoryonit，anddid，infact，usetheidea，though”TheAmericanClaimant”whichhewroteyearslater，hadlittleornoconnectionwiththeTichbornepisode。 ToC。W。Stoddard： HARTFORD，Feb。1，1875。 DEARCHARLEY，——AllrightabouttheTichbornscrapbooks；sendthemalongwhenconvenient。ImeantohavetheBeecher-Tiltontrialscrap-bookasacompanion…… Iamwritingaseriesof7-pagearticlesfortheAtlanticat$20apage； butastheydonotpayanybodyelseasmuchasthat，Idonotcomplain(thoughatthesametimeIdoswearthatIamnotcontent。)Howevertheawfulrespectabilityofthemagazinemakesup。 IhavecutyourarticlesaboutSanMarcooutofaNewYorkpaper(JoeTwichellsawitandbroughtithometomewithloudadmiration，)andsentittoHowells。Itistoobadtofoolawaysuchgoodliteratureinaperishabledailyjournal。 DorememberuskindlytoLadyHardyandallthatrarefamily——mywifeandIsooftenhavepleasanttalksaboutthem。 Everyourfriend，SAML。L。CLEMENS。 ThepricereceivedbyMarkTwainfortheMississippipapers，asquotedinthisletter，furnishesuswitharealizingsenseoftheimprovementintheliterarymarket，withtheadventofafloodofcheapmagazinesandtheSundaynewspaper。TheAtlanticpageprobablycontainedaboutathousandwords，whichwouldmakehispriceaverage，say，twocentsperword。Thirtyyearslater，whenhisfamewasnotmuchmoreextended，hispayforthesamematterwouldhavebeenfifteentimesasgreat，thatistosay，attherateofthirtycentsperword。ButinthatearlytimetherewerenoSundaymagazines——noliterarymagazinesatallexcepttheAtlantic，andHarpers，andafewfashionperiodicals。Probablytherewerenews-stands，butitishardtoimaginewhattheymusthavelookedlikewithoutthegaypictorialcover-femininitythatto-daypleasesandelevatesthepublicandmakesauthorandartistaffluent。 Clemensworkedsteadilyontheriverchapters，andHowellswasalwayspraisinghimandurginghimtogoon。AttheendofJanuaryhewrote：“You”redoingthescienceofpilotingsplendidly。Everyword”sinteresting。Anddon”tyoudroptheseries”tilyou”vegoteverybitofanecdoteandreminiscenceintoit。” ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Feb。10，1875。