第10章

Followingtheprocession，whichhedescribes，camethegrandceremoniesofwelcomeatHaverley”sTheatre。Thenextletteriswrittenthefollowingmorning，oratleastsoireetimethefollowingday，afteranightofratification。 ToMrs。Clemens，inHartford： CHICAGO，Nov。12，”79。 Livydarling，itwasagreattime。Therewereperhapsthirtypeopleonthestageofthetheatre，andIthinkIneversatelbow-to-elbowwithsomanyhistoricnamesbefore。Grant，Sherman，Sheridan，Schofield，Pope，Logan，Augur，andsoon。WhatanironmanGrantis！Hesatfacingthehouse，withhisrightlegcrossedoverhisleftandhisrightboot-soletiltedupatanangle，andhislefthandandarmreposingonthearmofhischair——younotethatposition？Well，whenglowingreferencesweremadetoothergrandeesonthestage，thosegrandeesalwaysshowedatrifleofnervousconsciousness——andasthesereferencescamefrequently，thenervouschangeofpositionandattitudewerealsofrequent。ButGrant！——hewasunderatremendousandceaselessbombardmentofpraiseandgratulation，butastrueasI”msittingherehenevermovedamuscleofhisbodyforasingleinstant，during30minutes！Youcouldhaveplayedhimonastrangerforaneffigy。Perhapsheneverwouldhavemoved，butatlastaspeakermadesuchaparticularlyrippingandblood-stirringremarkabouthimthattheaudienceroseandroaredandyelledandstampedandclappedanentireminute——Grantsittingassereneasever——whenGen。 Shermansteppedtohim，laidhishandaffectionatelyonhisshoulder，bentrespectfullydownandwhisperedinhisear。Gen。Grantgotupandbowed，andthestormofapplauseswelledintoahurricane。Hesatdown，tookaboutthesamepositionandfrozetoittillbyandbytherewasanotherofthosedeafeningandprotractedroars，whenShermanmadehimgetupandbowagain。Hebrokeuphisattitudeoncemore——theextentofsomethingmorethanahair”sbreadth——toindicatemetoShermanwhenthehousewaskeepingupadeterminedandpersistentcallforme，andpoorbewilderedSherman，(whodidnotknowme)，waspeeringabroadoverthepackedaudienceforme，notknowingIwasonlythreefeetfromhimandmostconspicuouslylocated，(Gen。ShermanwasChairman。) Oneofthemostillustriousindividualsonthatstagewas“OleAbe，“thehistoricwareagle。Hestoodonhisperch——theoldsavage-eyedrascal—— threeorfourfeetbehindGen。Sherman，andashehadbeeninnearlyeverybattlethatwasmentionedbytheoratorshissoulwasprobablystirredprettyoften，thoughhewastooproudtoleton。 ReadLogan”sbosh，andtrytoimagineaburlyandmagnificentIndian，inGeneral”suniform，strikingaheroicattitudeandgettingthatstuffoffinthestyleofadeclaimingschool-boy。 PleaseputtheenclosedscrapsinthedrawerandIwillscrap-bookthem。 IonlystaidattheOwlClubtill3thismorninganddranklittleornothing。Wenttosleepwithoutwhisky。Ichliebedish。 SAML。 Butitisinthethirdletterthatwegettheclimax。OnthesamedayhewrotealettertoHowells，which，inpart，isverysimilarinsubstanceandneednotbeincludedhere。 Aparagraph，however，mustnotbeomitted。 “Imaginewhatitwasliketoseeabullet-shreddedoldbattle-flagreverentlyunfoldedtothegazeofathousandmiddle-agedsoldiers，mostofwhomhadn”tseenitsincetheysawitadvancingovervictoriousfields，whentheywereintheirprime。AndimaginewhatitwaslikewhenGrant，theirfirstcommander，steppedintoviewwhiletheywerestillgoingmadovertheflag，andthenrightinthemidstofitallsomebodystruckup，”WhenweweremarchingthroughGeorgia。”Well，youshouldhaveheardthethousandvoicesliftthatchorusandseenthetearsstreamdown。IfIliveahundredyearsI shan”teverforgetthesethings，norbeabletotalkaboutthem…… Grandtimes，myboy，grandtimes！“ AtthegreatbanquetMarkTwain”sspeechhadbeenputlastontheprogram，toholdthehouse。Hehadbeeninvitedtorespondtothetoastof“TheLadies，“buthadrepliedthathehadalreadyrespondedtothattoastmorethanonce。Therewasoneclassofthecommunity，hesaid，commonlyoverlookedontheseoccasions——thebabies——hewouldrespondtothattoast。InhislettertoHowellshehadnotbeenwillingtospeakfreelyofhispersonaltriumph，buttoMrs。 Clemenshemusttellitall，andwiththatchild-likeingenuousnesswhichneverfailedhimtohislastday。 ToMrs。Clemens，inHartford： CHICAGO，Nov。14”79。 Alittleafter5inthemorning。 I”vejustcometomyroom，Livydarling，Iguessthiswasthememorablenightofmylife。ByGeorge，IneverwassostirredsinceIwasborn。 IheardfourspeecheswhichIcanneverforget。OnebyEmoryStorrs，onebyGen。Vilas(O，wasn”titwonderful！)onebyGen。Logan(mightystirring)，onebysomebodywhosenameescapesme，andonebythatsplendidoldsoul，Col。BobIngersoll，——oh，itwasjustthesupremestcombinationofEnglishwordsthatwaseverputtogethersincetheworldbegan。Mysoul，howhandsomehelooked，ashestoodonthattable，inthemidstofthose500shoutingmen，andpouredthemoltensilverfromhislips！Lord，whatanorganishumanspeechwhenitisplayedbyamaster！Allthesespeechesmaylookdullinprint，buthowthelightningglaredaroundthemwhentheywereuttered，andhowthecrowdroaredinresponse！Itwasagreatnight，amemorablenight。Iamsorichlyrepaidformyjourney——andhowIdidwishwithallmywholeheartthatyouweretheretobeliftedintotheveryseventhheavenofenthusiasm，asIwas。Thearmysongs，themilitarymusic，thecrashingapplause—— Lordblessme，itwasunspeakable。 Outofcomplimenttheyplacedmelastinthelist——No。15——Iwasto“holdthecrowd“——andblessmylifeIwasinawfulterrorwhenNo。14。rose，atao”clockthismorningandkilledalltheenthusiasmbydeliveringtheflattest，insipidest，silliestofallresponsesto“Woman“thateverawearymultitudelistenedto。ThenGen。Sherman(Chairman)announcedmytoast，andthecrowdgavemeagoodroundofapplauseasImountedontopofthedinnertable，butitwasonlyonaccountofmyname，nothingmore——theywerealltiredandwretched。Theyletmyfirstsentencegoin。 silence，tillIpausedandadded“westandoncommonground“——thentheyburstforthlikeahurricaneandIsawthatIhadthem！Fromthattimeon，Istoppedattheendofeachsentence，andletthetornadoofapplauseandlaughtersweeparoundme——andwhenIclosedwith“Andifthechildisbuttheprophecyoftheman，therearemightyfewwhowilldoubtthathesucceeded，“Isayitwhooughtn”ttosayit，thehousecamedownwithacrash。Fortwohoursandahalf，now，I”vebeenshakinghandsandlisteningtocongratulations。Gen。Shermansaid，“Lordblessyou，myboy，Idon”tknowhowyoudoit——it”sasecretthat”sbeyondme——butitwasgreat——givemeyourhandagain。” Anddoyouknow，Gen。Grantsatthrough，fourteenspeecheslikeagravenimage，butIfetchedhim！Ibrokehimup，utterly！Hetoldmehelaughedtillthetearscameandeveryboneinhisbodyached。(Anddoyouknow，thebiggestpartofthesuccessofthespeechlayinthefactthattheaudiencesawthatforonceinhislifehehadbeenknockedoutofhisironserenity。) Blessyoursoul，”twasimmense。Ineverwassoproudinmylife。Lotsandlotsofpeople——hundredsImightsay——toldmemyspeechwasthetriumphoftheevening——whichwasalie。Ladies，Tom，DickandHarry- eventhepolicemen——capturedmeinthehallsandshookhands，andscoresofarmyofficerssaid“Weshallalwaysbegratefultoyouforcoming。” GeneralPopecametobuntmeup——Iwasafraidtospeaktohimonthattheatrestagelastnight，thinkingitmightbepresumptuoustotackleamansohighupinmilitaryhistory。Gen。Schofield，andotherhistoricmen，paidtheircompliments。Sheridanwasillandcouldnotcome，butI”mtogowithaGeneralofhisstaffandseehimbeforeIgotoCol。 Grant”s。Gen。Augur——well，I”vetalkedwiththemall，receivedinvitationsfromthemall——frompeoplelivingeverywhere——andasIsaidbefore，it”samemorablenight。Iwouldn”thavemisseditforanythingintheworld。 Butmysakes，youshouldhaveheardIngersoll”sspeechonthattable！ Halfanhouragoheranacrossmeinthecrowdedhallsandputhisarmsaboutmeandsaid“Mark，ifIliveahundredyears，I”llalwaysbegratefulforyourspeech——Lordwhatasupremethingitwas。”ButItoldhimitwasn”tanyusetotalk，hehadwalkedoffwiththehonorsofthatoccasionbysomethingofamajority。BullyboyisIngersoll——traveledwithhiminthecarstheotherday，andyoucanmakeupyourmindwehadagoodtime。 OfcourseIforgottogoandpayformyhotelcarandsosecureit，butthearmyofficerstoldmeanhouragotoresteasy，theywouldgoatonce，atthisunholyhourofthenightandcompeltherailwaystodotheirdutybyme，andsaid“Youdon”tneedtorequesttheArmyoftheTennesseetodoyourdesires——youcancommanditsservices。” Well，Ibummedaroundthatbanquethallfrom8intheeveningtill2inthemorning，talkingwithpeopleandlisteningtospeeches，andIneverateasinglebiteortookasupofanythingbuticewater，soifIseemexcitednow，itistheintoxicationofsupremeenthusiasm。ByGeorge，itwasagrandnight，ahistoricalnight。 Andnowitisaquarterpast6A。M——sogoodbyeandGodblessyouandtheBays，——[Familywordforbabies]——mydarlingsSAML。 ShowittoJoeifyouwantto——Isawsomeofhisfriendshere。 MarkTwain”sadmirationforRobertIngersollwasverygreat，andwemaybelievethathewasdeeplyimpressedbytheChicagospeech，whenwefindhim，afewdayslater，writingtoIngersollforaperfectcopytoreadtoayounggirls”clubinHartford。Ingersollsentthespeech，alsosomeofhisbooks，andthenextletterisMarkTwain”sacknowledgment。 ToCol。RobertG。Ingersoll： HARTFORD，Dec。14。 MYDEARINGERSOLL，——Thankyoumostheartilyforthebooks——Iamdevouringthem——theyhavefoundahungryplace，andtheycontentitandsatisfyittoamiracle。IwishIcouldhearyouspeakthesesplendidchaptersbeforeagreataudience——toreadthembymyselfandheartheboomoftheapplauseonlyintheearofmyimagination，leavesasomethingwanting—— andthereisalsoastillgreaterlack，yourmanner，andvoice，andpresence。 TheChicagospeecharrivedanhourtoolate，butIwasallrightanyway，forIfoundthatmymemoryhadbeenabletocorrectalltheerrors。 IreadittotheSaturdayClub(ofyounggirls)andtoldthemtorememberthatitwasdoubtfulifitssuperiorexistedinourlanguage。 TrulyYours，S。L。CLEMENS。 ThereadermayrememberMarkTwain”sWhittierdinnerspeechof1877，anditsdisastrouseffects。Now，in1879，therewastobeanotherAtlanticgathering：abreakfasttoDr。OliverWendellHolmes，towhichClemenswasinvited。Hewasnoteagertoaccept；itwouldnaturallyrecallmemoriesoftwoyearsbefore，butbeingurgedbybothHowellsandWarner，heagreedtoattendiftheywouldpermithimtospeak。MarkTwainneverlackedcourageandhewantedtoredeemhimself。ToHowellshewrote： ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Nov。28，1879。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Ifanybodytalks，there，Ishallclaimtherighttosayawordmyself，andbeheardamongtheveryearliest——elseitwouldbeconfoundedlyawkwardforme——andfortherest，too。ButyoumayreadwhatIsay，beforehand，andstrikeoutwhateveryouchoose。 OfcourseIthoughtitwisestnottobethereatall；butWarnertooktheoppositeview，andmoststrenuously。 SpeakingofJohnny”sconclusiontobecomeanoutlaw，remindsmeofSusie”snewestandveryearnestlonging——tohavecrookedteethandglasses”likeMamma。” Iwouldliketolookintoachild”shead，once，andseewhatitsprocessesare。 Yrsever，S。L。CLEMENS。 Thematterturnedoutwell。Clemens，oncemoreintroducedbyHowells——thistimeconservatively，itmaybesaid——deliveredadelicateandfittingtributetoDoctorHolmes，fullofgracefulhumorandgratefulacknowledgment，thekindofspeechheshouldhavegivenattheWhittierdinneroftwoyearsbefore。Noreferencewasmadetohisformerdisaster，andthistimehecameawaycoveredwithglory，andfullyrestoredinhisself-respect。 XX。 LETTERSOF1880，CHIEFLYTOHOWELLS。“THEPRINCEANDTHEPAUPER。”MARK TWAINMUGWUMPSOCIETY Thebookoftravel，——[ATrampAbroad。]——whichMarkTwainhadhopedtofinishinParis，andlaterinElmira，forsomereasonwouldnotcometoanend。InDecember，inHartford，hewasstillworkingonit，andhewouldseemtohavefinishedit，atlast，ratherbyadecreethanbyanynaturalprocessofauthorship。ThiswasearlyinJanuary，1880。ToHowellshereportshisdifficulties，andhisdrasticmethodofendingthem。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Jan。8，”80。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——AmwaitingforPatricktocomewiththecarriage。 Mrs。ClemensandIarestarting(withoutthechildren)tostayindefinitelyinElmira。Thewearandtearofsettlingthehousebrokeherdown，andshehasbeengrowingweakerandweakerforafortnight。 Allthattime——infacteversinceIsawyou——Ihavebeenfightingalife- and-deathbattlewiththisinfernalbookandhopingtogetdonesomeday。 Irequired300pagesofMS，andIhavewrittennear600sinceIsawyou—— andtoreitallupexcept288。ThisIwasabouttotearupyesterdayandbeginagain，whenMrs。Perkinscameuptothebilliardroomandsaid，“Youwillnevergetanywomantodothethingnecessarytosaveherlifebymerepersuasion；youseeyouhavewastedyourwordsforthreeweeks； itistimetouseforce；shemusthaveachange；takeherhomeandleavethechildrenhere。” Isaid，“Ifthereisonedeaththatispainfullerthananother，mayIgetitifIdon”tdothatthing。” SoItookthe288pagestoBlissandtoldhimthatwastheverylastlineIshouldeverwriteonthisbook。(Abookwhichrequired2600pagesofMS，andIhavewrittennearerfourthousand，firstandlast。) Iamassoary(andflighty)asarocket，to-day，withtheunutterablejoyofgettingthatOldManoftheSeaoffmyback，wherehehasbeenroostingformorethanayearandahalf。NexttimeImakeacontractbeforewritingthebook，mayIsuffertherighteouspenaltyandbeburnt，liketheinjudiciousbeliever。 Iammightygladyouaredoneyourbook(thisisfromamanwho，aboveallothers，feelshowmuchthatsentencemeans)andamalsomightygladyouhavebegunthenext(thisisalsofromamanwhoknowsthefelicityofthat，andmeansstraightwaytoenjoyit。)TheUndiscoveredstartsoffdelightfully——IhavereaditaloudtoMrs。C。andwevastlyenjoyedit。 Well，time”saboutup——mustdropalinetoAldrich。 Yrsever，MARK。 InaletterwhichMarkTwainwrotetohisbrotherOrionatthisperiodwegetthefirsthintofaventurewhichwastoplayanincreasinglyimportantpartintheHartfordhomeandfortunesduringthenexttenoradozenyears。Thiswasthetype-settingmachineinvestment，which，intheend，allbutwreckedMarkTwain”sfinances。ThereisbutabriefmentionofitinthelettertoOrion，andtheletteritselfisnotworthpreserving，butasreferencestothe“machine“appearwithincreasingfrequency，itseemspropertorecordhereitsfirstmention。Inthesameletterhesuggeststohisbrotherthatheundertakeanabsolutelytruthfulautobiography，aconfessioninwhichnothingistobewithheld。HecitesthevalueofCasanova”smemories，andtheconfessionsofRousseau。Ofcourse，anyliterarysuggestionfrom“BrotherSam“wasgospeltoOrion，whobeganatoncepilingupmanuscriptatagreatrate。 Meantime，MarkTwainhimself，havinggot”ATrampAbroad”onthepresses，wasatworkwithenthusiasmonastorybegunnearlythreeyearsbeforeatQuarryFarm-astoryforchildren-itsname，ashecalled。itthen，“TheLittlePrinceandTheLittlePauper。”HewaspresentlywritingtoHowellshisdelightinthenewwork。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Mch。11，”80。 MYDEARHOWELLS，……ItakesomuchpleasureinmystorythatIamlothtohurry，notwantingtogetitdone。DidIevertellyoutheplotofit？Itbeginsat9a。m。，Jan。27，1547，seventeenandahalfhoursbeforeHenryVIII”sdeath，bytheswappingofclothesandplace，betweentheprinceofWalesandapauperboyofthesameageandcountenance(andhalfasmuchlearningandstillmoregeniusandimagination)andafterthat，therightfulsmallKinghasaroughtimeamongtrampsandruffiansinthecountrypartsofKent，whilstthesmallbogusKinghasagildedandworshippedanddrearyandrestrainedandcussedtimeofitonthethrone——andthisallgoesonforthreeweeks——tillthemidstofthecoronationgrandeursinWestminsterAbbey，Feb。20，whentheraggedtrueKingforceshiswayinbutcannotprovehisgenuineness——untilthebogusKing，byarememberedincidentofthefirstdayisabletoproveitforhim——whereuponclothesarechangedandthecoronationproceedsunderthenewandrightfulconditions。 MyideaistoaffordarealizingsenseoftheexceedingseverityofthelawsofthatdaybyinflictingsomeoftheirpenaltiesupontheKinghimselfandallowinghimachancetoseetherestofthemappliedtoothers——allofwhichistoaccountforcertainmildnesseswhichdistinguishedEdwardVI”sreignfromthosethatprecededandfollowedit。 Imaginethisfact——IhaveevenfascinatedMrs。Clemenswiththisyarnforyouth。Mystuffgenerallygetsconsiderabledamningwithfaintpraiseoutofher，butthistimeitisalltheotherway。Sheisbecomethehorseleech”sdaughterandmymilldoesn”tgrindfastenoughtosuither。 Thisisnomeantriumph，mydearsir。 Lastnight，forthefirsttimeinages，wewenttothetheatre——toseeYorick”sLove。Themagnificenceofitisbeyondpraise。Thelanguageissobeautiful，thepassionsofine，theplotsoingenious，thewholethingsostirring，socharming，sopathetic！ButIwillclipfromtheCourant——itsaysitright。 Andwhatagoodcompanyitis，andhowlikelivepeopletheyallacted！ The“thee”s“andthe“thou”s“hadapleasantsound，sinceitisthelanguageofthePrinceandthePauper。You”vedonethecountryaserviceinthatadmirablework…… YrsEver，MARK。 Theplay，“Yorick”sLove，“mentionedinthisletter，wasonewhichHowellshaddoneforLawrenceBarrett。 OnionClemens，meantime，wasforwardinghismanuscript，andforonceseemstohavewonhisbrother”sapproval，somuchsothatMarkTwainwaswilling，indeedanxious，thatHowellsshouldrunthe“autobiography“intheAtlantic。WemayimaginehowOnionprizedthewordsofcommendationwhichfollow： ToOrionClemens： May6，”80。 MYDEARBROTHER，——Itisamodelautobiography。 Continuetodevelopyourcharacterinthesamegradualinconspicuousandapparentlyunconsciousway。Thereader，uptothistime，mayhavehisdoubts，perhaps，buthecan”tsaydecidedly，“Thiswriterisnotsuchasimpletonashehasbeenlettingontobe。”Keephiminthatstateofmind。If，whenyoushallhavefinished，thereadershallsay，“Themanisanass，butIreallydon”tknowwhetherheknowsitornot，“yourworkwillbeatriumph。 Stopre-writing。Isawplacesinyourlastbatchwherere-writinghaddoneformidableinjury。Donottrytofindthoseplaces，elseyouwillmarthemfurtherbytryingtobetterthem。Itisperiloustoreviseabookwhileitisunderway。Allofushaveinjuredourbooksinthatfoolishway。 KeepinmindwhatItoldyou——whenyourecollectsomethingwhichbelongedinanearlierchapter，donotgoback，butjamitinwhereyouare。 Discursivenessdoesnothurtanautobiographyintheleast。 IhavepenciledtheMShereandthere，buthavenotneededtomakeanycriticismsortoknockoutanything。 TheelderBlisshasheartdiseasebadly，andthenceforthhislifehangsuponathread。 YrBroSAM。 ButHowellscouldnotbringhimselftoprintsofrankaconfessionasOrionhadbeenwillingtomake。“Itwrungmyheart，“hesaid，“andIfelthaggardafterIhadfinishedit。Thewriter”ssoulislaidbare；itisshocking。”Howellsaddedthatthebesttouchesinitwerethosewhichmadeoneacquaintedwiththewriter”sbrother； thatistosay，MarkTwain，andthatthesewouldprovevaluablematerialhereafter——atrueprophecy，forMarkTwain”searlybiographywouldhavelackedmostofitsvitalincident，andatleasthalfofitsbackground，withoutthosefaithfulchapters，fortunatelypreserved。HadOnioncontinued，ashebegan，theworkmighthaveprovedanimportantcontributiontoliterature，buthewenttrailingoffintoby-pathsoftheologyanddiscussionwheretheinterestwaslost。Therewere，perhaps，asmanyastwothousandpagesofit，whichfewcouldundertaketoread。 MarkTwain”smindwasalwaysbusywithplansandinventions，manyofthemofseriousintent，somesemi-serious，othersofapurelywhimsicalcharacter。Onceheproposeda“ModestClub，“ofwhichthefirstandmainqualificationformembershipwasmodesty。“Atpresent，“hewrote，“Iamtheonlymember；andasthemodestyrequiredmustbeofaquiteaggravatedtype，theenterprisedidseemforatimedoomedtostopdeadstillwithmyself，forlackoffurthermaterial；butuponreflectionIhavecometotheconclusionthatyouareeligible。Therefore，Ihaveheldameetingandvotedtoofferyouthedistinctionofmembership。Idonotknowthatwecanfindanyothers，thoughIhavehadsomethoughtofHay，Warner，Twichell，Aldrich，Osgood，Fields，Higginson，andafewmore—— togetherwithMrs。Howells，Mrs。Clemens，andcertainothersofthesex。” HowellsrepliedthattheonlyreasonhehadfornotjoiningtheModestClubwasthathewastoomodest——toomodesttoconfesshismodesty。“IfIcouldgetoverthisdifficultyIshouldliketojoin，forIapprovehighlyoftheClubanditsobject……Itoughttobegivenanannualdinneratthepublicexpense。IfyouthinkI amnottoomodestyoumayputmynamedownandIwilltrytothinkthesameofyou。Mrs。Howellsapplaudedthenotionoftheclubfromtheveryfirst。Shesaidthatsheknewonething：thatshewasmodestenough，anyway。Hermannerofsayingitimpliedthattheotherpersonsyouhadnamedwerenot，andcreatedapainfulimpressioninmymind。IhavesentyourletterandtherulestoHay，butIdoubthismodesty。HewillthinkhehasarighttobelongtoitasmuchasyouorI；whereas，otherpeopleoughtonlytobeadmittedonsufferance。” OurnextlettertoHowellsis，inthemain，purefoolery，butwegetinitahintwhatwastobecomeintimeoneofMaskTwain”sstrongestinterests，thematterofcopyright。Hehadbothapersonalandgeneralinterestinthesubject。HisownbookswereconstantlypiratedinCanada，andtherightsofforeignauthorswerenotrespectedinAmerica。WehavealreadyseenhowhehaddrawnapetitionwhichHolmes，Lowell，Longfellow，andothersweretosign，andwhilenothinghadcomeofthisplanhehadneverceasedtoformulateothers。Yethehesitatedwhenhefoundthattheproposedprotectionwaslikelytoworkahardshiptoreadersofthepoorerclass。Oncehewrote：“Mynotionshavemightilychangedlately…… Icanbuyalotofthecopyrightclassics，inpaper，atfromthreetothirtycentsapiece。Thesethingsmustfindtheirwayintotheverykitchensandhovelsofthecountry……AndevenifthetreatywillkillCanadianpiracy，andthussavemeanaverageof$5，000ayear，Iamdownonitanyway，andI”dlikecussedwelltowriteanarticleopposingthetreaty。” ToW。D。Howells，inBelmont，Mass。： Thursday，June6th，1880。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Thereyoustick，atBelmont，andnowI”mgoingtoWashingtonforafewdays；andofcourse，betweenyouandProvidencethatvisitisgoingtogetmixed，andyou”llhavebeenhereandgoneagainjustaboutthetimeIgetback。Botheritall，IwantedtoastonishyouwithachapterortwofromOrion”slatestbook——nottheseventeenwhichhehasbeguninthelastfourmonths，buttheonewhichhebeganlastweek。 Lastnight，whenIwenttobed，Mrs。Clemenssaid，“Georgedidn”ttakethecatdowntothecellar——Rosasayshehasleftitshutupintheconservatory。”SoIwentdowntoattendtoAbner(thecat。)About3inthemorningMrs。C。wokemeandsaid，“IdobelieveIhearthatcatinthedrawing-room——whatdidyoudowithhim？“Iansweredupwiththeconfidenceofamanwhohasmanagedtodotherightthingforonce，andsaid“Iopenedtheconservatorydoors，tookthelibraryoffthealarm，andspreadeverythingopen，sothattherewasn”tanyobstructionbetweenhimandthecellar。”Languagewasn”tcapableofconveyingthiswoman”sdisgust。Butthesenseofwhatshesaid，was，“Hecouldn”thavedoneanyharmintheconservatory——soyoumustgoandmaketheentirehousefreetohimandtheburglars，imaginingthathewillpreferthecoal-binstothedrawing-room。IfyouhadhadMr。Howellstohelpyou，Ishouldhaveadmiredbutnotbeenastonished，becauseIshouldknowthattogetheryouwouldbeequaltoit；buthowyoumanagedtocontrivesuchastatelyblunderallbyyourself，iswhatIcannotunderstand。” So，yousee，evensheknowshowtoappreciateourgifts。 Brisktimeshere——Saturday，thesethingshappened：OurneighborChas。 Smithwasstrickenwithheartdisease，andcamenearjoiningthemajority；mypublisher，Bliss，ditto，ditto；aneighbor”schilddied； neighborWhitmore”ssixthchildaddedtohisfiveothercasesofmeasles； neighborNilessentfor，andresponded；SusieWarnerdown，abed；Mrs。 GeorgeWarnerthreatenedwithdeathduringseveralhours；hersonFrank，whilstimitatingthemarvelsinBarnum”scircusbills，thrownfromhisagedhorseandbroughthomeinsensible：Warner”sfriendMaxYortzburgh，shotinthebackbyalocomotiveandbrokeninto32distinctpiecesandhislifethreatened；andMrs。Clemens，afterwritingallthesecheerfulthingstoClaraSpaulding，takenatmidnight，andifthedoctorhadnotbeenprettypromptthecontemplatedClemenswouldhavecalledbeforehisapartmentswereready。 However，everybodyisallright，now，exceptYortzburg，andheismending——thatis，heisbeingmended。Iknockedoff，duringthesestirringtimes，anddon”tintendtogotoworkagaintillwegoawayfortheSummer，3or6weekshence。SoIamwritingtoyounotbecauseI haveanythingtosay，butbecauseyoudon”thavetoanswerandIneedsomethingtodothisafternoon…… IhavealetterfromaCongressmanthismorning，andhesaysCongresscouldn”tbepersuadedtobotheraboutCanadianpiratesatatimelikethiswhenalllegislationmusthaveapoliticalandPresidentialbearing，elseCongresswon”tlookatit。Sohavechangedmymindandmycourse； Igonorth，tokillapirate。Imustprocurereposesomeway，elseI cannotgetdowntoworkagain。 PrayoffermymostsincereandrespectfulapprovaltothePresident——isapprovaltheproperword？IfinditistheoneImostvaluehereinthehouseholdandseldomestget。 Withouraffectiontoyouboth。 YrseverMARK。 ItwasalwaysdangeroustosendstrangerswithlettersofintroductiontoMarkTwain。Theyweresoapttoarriveatthewrongtime，ortofindhiminthewrongmood。Howellswaswillingtoriskit，andthattheresultwasonlyamusinginsteadoftragicisthebestproofoftheirfriendship。 ToW。D。Howells，inBelmont，Mass。： June9，”80。 Well，oldpracticaljoker，thecorpseofMr。X——hasbeenhere，andI havebeddeditandfedit，andputdownmyworkduring24hoursandtriedmylevelbesttomakeitdosomething，orsaysomething，orappreciatesomething——butno，itwasworsethanLazarus。Akind-hearted，well- meaningcorpsewastheBostonyoungman，butlawsyblessme，horriblydullcompany。Now，oldman，unlessyouhavegreatconfidenceinMr。X”sjudgment，yououghttomakehimsubmithisarticletoyoubeforeheprintsit。ForonlythinkhowtrueIwastoyou：EveryhourthathewashereIwassaying，gloatingly，“OG——d——you，whenyouareinbedandyourlightout，Iwillfixyou“(meaningtokillhim)……，butthenthethoughtwouldfollow”No，Howellssenthim——heshallbespared，heshallberespectedheshalltravelhell-wardsbyhisownroute。” Breakfastisfrozenbythistime，andMrs。Clemenscorrespondinglyhot。 Goodbye。 Yrsever，MARK。 “Ididnotexpectyoutoaskthatmantolivewithyou，“Howellsanswered。“WhatIwasafraidofwasthatyouwouldturnhimoutofdoors，onsight，andsoItriedtoputinagoodwordforhim。 AfterthiswhenIwantyoutoboardpeople，I”llaskyou。Iamsorryforyoursuffering。IsupposeIhavemostlylostmysmellforbores；butyoursispreternaturallykeen。IshallbegintobeafraidIboreyou。(Howdoesthatmakeyoufeel？)“ InalettertoTwichell——aremarkableletter——whenbabyJeanClemenswasaboutamonthold，wegetahappyhintofconditionsatQuarryFarm，andinthebackgroundaglimpseofMarkTwain”sunfailingtragicreflection。 ToRev。Twichell，inHartford： QUARRYFARM，Aug。29[”80]。 DEAROLDJOE，——ConcerningJeanClemens，ifanybodysaidhe“didn”tseenopintsaboutthatfrogthat”sanybetter”nanyotherfrog，“Ishouldthinkhewasconvictinghimselfofbeingaprettypoorsortofobserver…… Iwillnotgointodetails；itisnotnecessary；youwillsoonbeinHartford，whereIhavealreadyhiredahall；theadmissionfeewillbebutatrifle。 Itiscurioustonotethechangeinthestock-quotationoftheAffectionBoardbroughtaboutbythrowingthisnewsecurityonthemarket。FourweeksagothechildrenstillputMammaattheheadofthelistrightalong，whereshehadalwaysbeen。Butnow： JeanMammaMotley[acat] Fraulein[another] PapaThatisthewayitstands，nowMammaisbecomeNo。2；IhavedroppedfromNo。4。，andambecomeNo。5。Sometimeagoitusedtobenipandtuckbetweenmeandthecats，butafterthecats“developed“Ididn”tstandanymoreshow。 I”vegotaswollenear；soItakeadvantageofittolieabedmostoftheday，andreadandsmokeandscribbleandhaveagoodtime。LasteveningLivysaidwithdeepconcern，“Odear，Ibelieveanabscessisforminginyourear。” Irespondedasthepoetwouldhavedoneifhehadhadacoldinthehead—— “Tissaidthatabscessconquerslove，ButObelieveitnot。” Thismadeacoolness。 BeenreadingDanielWebster”sPrivateCorrespondence。Havereadahundredofhisdiffuse，conceited，“eloquent，“bathotic(orbathostic) letterswritteninthatdim(no，vanished)Pastwhenhewasastudent； andLord，tothinkthatthisboywhoissorealtomenow，andsoboomingwithfreshyoungbloodandbountifullife，andsappycynicismsaboutgirls，hassinceclimbedtheAlpsoffameandstoodagainstthesunonebrieftremendousmomentwiththeworld”seyesuponhim，andthen——f-z-t-！ whereishe？Whytheonlylongthing，theonlyrealthingaboutthewholeshadowybusinessisthesenseofthelaggingdullandhoarylapseoftimethathasdriftedbysincethen；avastemptylevel，itseems，withaformlessspectreglimpsedfitfullythroughthesmokeandmistthatliealongitsremoteverge。 Well，weareallgettingalongherefirst-rate；Livygainsstrengthdaily，andsitsupadeal；thebabyisfiveweeksoldand——butnomoreofthis；somebodymaybereadingthisletter80yearshence。Andso，myfriend(youpityingsnob，Imean，whoareholdingthisyellowpaperinyourhandin1960，)saveyourselfthetroubleoflookingfurther；Iknowhowpatheticallytrivialoursmallconcernswillseemtoyou，andIwillnotletyoureyeprofanethem。No，Ikeepmynews；youkeepyourcompassion。Sufficeityoutoknow，scofferandribald，thatthelittlechildisoldandblind，now，andoncemoretoothless；andtherestofusareshadows，thesemany，manyyears。Yes，andyourtimecometh！ MARK。 AttheFarmthatyearMarkTwainwasworkingonThePrinceandthePauper，and，accordingtoalettertoAldrich，broughtittoanendSeptember19th。Itisapleasantletter，worthpreserving。ThebookbyAldrichherementionedwas”TheStillwaterTragedy。” ToT。B。Aldrich，inPonkapog，Mass。： ELMIRA，Sept。15，”80。 MYDEARALDRICH，——Thankyoueversomuchforthebook——Ihadalreadyfinishedit，andprodigiouslyenjoyedit，intheperiodicalofthenotoriousHowells，butithitsMrs。Clemensjustright，forsheishavingareadingholiday，now，forthefirsttimeinsamemonths；sobetween- times，whenthenewbabyisasleepandstrengtheningupforanotherattempttotakepossessionofthisplace，sheisgoingtoreadit。 Herstrongfriendshipforyoumakesherthinksheisgoingtolikeit。 Ifinishedastoryyesterday，myself。Icountedupandfounditbetweensixtyandeightythousandwords——aboutthesizeofyourbook。Itisforboysandgirls——beenatworkatitseveralyears，offandon。 IhopeHowellsisenjoyinghisjourneytothePacific。HewrotemethatyouandOsgoodweregoing，also，butIdoubtedit，believinghewasinliquorwhenhewroteit。Inmyopinion，thisuniversalapplauseoverhisbookisgoingtolandthatmaninaRetreatinsideoftwomonths。 Inoticethepaperssaymightyfinethingsaboutyourbook，too。 YououghttotrytogetintothesameestablishmentwithHowells。 Butapplausedoesnotaffectme——Iamalwayscalm——thisisbecauseIamusedtoit。 Well，good-bye，myboy，andgoodlucktoyou。Mrs。ClemensasksmetosendherwarmestregardstoyouandMrs。Aldrich——whichIdo，andaddthoseofYrseverMARK。 WhileMarkTwainwasajournalistinSanFrancisco，therewasamiddle-agedmannamedSoule，whohadadesknearhimontheMorningCall。Soulewasinthosedayshighlyconsideredasapoetbyhisassociates，mostofwhomwereyoungerandlessgracefullypoetic。 ButSoule”sgifthadneverbeenanimportantone。Now，inhisoldage，hefoundhisfamestilllocal，andheyearnedforwiderrecognition。Hewishedtohaveavolumeofpoemsissuedbyapublisherofrecognizedstanding。BecauseMarkTwainhadbeenoneofSoule”sadmirersandawarmfriendintheolddays，itwasnaturalthatSouleshouldturntohimnow，andequallynaturalthatClemensshouldturntoHowells。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： Sunday，Oct。2”80。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Here”saletterwhichIwroteyoutoSanFranciscothesecondtimeyoudidn”tgothere……ItoldSouleheneedn”twriteyou，butsimplysendtheMS。toyou。Odear，dear，itisdreadfultobeanunrecognizedpoet。HowwiseitwasinCharlesWarrenStoddardtotakeinhissignandgoforsomeothercallingwhilestillyoung。 I”mlayingforthatEncyclopedicalScotchman——andhe”llneedtolockthedoorbehindhim，whenhecomesin；otherwisewhenhehearsmyproposedtariffhisskinwillprobablycrawlawaywithhim。Heisaccustomedtoseeingthepublisherimpoverishtheauthor——thatspectaclemustbegettingstaletohim——ifhecontractswiththeundersignedhewillexperienceachangeinthatprogrammethatwillmaketheenamelpeeloffhisteethforverysurprise——andjoy。No，thatlastiswhatMrs。Clemensthinks——butit”snotso。Theproposedworkisgrowing，mightily，inmyestimation，daybyday；andI”mnotgoingtothrowitawayforanymeretrifle。IfImakeacontractwiththecannyScot，IwillthentellhimtheplanwhichyouandIhavedevised(thatoftakinginthehumorofallcountries)——otherwiseI”llkeepittomyself，Ithink。WhyshouldweassistourfellowmanformereloveofGod？ YrseverMARK。 OnewishesthatHowellsmighthavefoundvalueenoughintheversesofFrankSouletorecommendthemtoOsgood。ToClemenshewrote： “Youhavetouchedmeinregardtohim，andIwilldealgentlywithhispoetry。Pooroldfellow！Icanimaginehim，andhowhemusthavetostrugglenottobehardorsour。” Theverdict，however，wasinevitable。Soule”sgracefulversesprovedtobenotpoetryatall。Nopublisherofstandingcouldaffordtogivethemhisimprint。 The“EncyclopedicalScotchman“mentionedintheprecedingletterwasthepublisherGebbie，whohadaplantoengageHowellsandClemenstopreparesomesortofanthologyoftheworld”sliterature。Theideacametonothing，thoughtheotherplanmentioned——foralibraryofhumor——intimegrewintoabook。 MarkTwain”scontractswithBlissforthepublicationofhisbooksonthesubscriptionplanhadbeenmadeonaroyaltybasis，beginningwith5percent。on”TheInnocentsAbroad”increasingto7？percent。on”RoughingIt”andto10percent。onlaterbooks。Blisshadheldthattheselaterpercentagesfairlyrepresentedonehalftheprofits。Clemens，however，hadneverbeenfullysatisfied，andhisbrotherOnionhadmorethanonceurgedhimtodemandaspecificcontractonthehalf-profitbasis。Theagreementforthepublicationof”ATrampAbroad”wasmadeontheseterms。BlissdiedbeforeClemensreceivedhisfirststatementofsales。Whatevermayhavebeenthefactsunderearlierconditions，thestatementprovedtoMarkTwain”ssatisfaction；atleast，thatthehalf-profitarrangementwastohisadvantage。Itproducedanotherresult；itgaveSamuelClemensanexcusetoplacehisbrotherOnioninapositionofindependence。 ToOnionClemens，inKeokuk，Iowa： Sunday，Oct24”80。 MYDEARBRO。，——Blissisdead。Theaspectofthebalance-sheetisenlightening。Itrevealsthefact，throughmypresentcontract，(whichisforhalftheprofitsonthebookaboveactualcostofpaper，printingandbinding，)thatIhavelostconsiderablybyallthisnonsense——sixtythousanddollars，Ishouldsay——andifBlisswerealiveIwouldstaywiththeconcernandgetitallback；foroneachnewbookIwouldrequireaportionofthatbackpay；butasitis(thisintheverystrictestconfidence，)Ishallprobablygotoanewpublisher6or8monthshence，forIamafraidFrank，withhispoorhealth，willlackpushanddrive。 Outofthesuspicionsyoubredinmeyearsago，hasgrownthisresult，——towit，thatIshallwithinthetwelvemonthget$40，000outofthis“Tramp“insteadOf$20，000。Twentythousanddollars，aftertaxesandotherexpensesarestrippedaway，isworthtotheinvestorabout$75amonth——soIshalltellMr。Perkinstomakeyourcheckthatamountpermonth，hereafter，whileourincomeisabletoaffordit。Thisendstheloanbusiness；andhereafteryoucanreflectthatyouarelivingnotonborrowedmoneybutonmoneywhichyouhavesquarelyearned，andwhichhasnotaintorsavorofcharityaboutit——andyoucanalsoreflectthatthemoneyyouhavebeenreceivingofmealltheseyearsisinterestchargedagainsttheheavybillwhichthenextpublisherwillhavetostandwhogetsabookofmine。 Jeangotthestockingsandismuchobliged；Molliewantstoknowwhomshemostresembles，butIcan”ttell；shehasblueeyesandbrownhair，andthreechins，andisveryfatandhappy；andatonetimeoranothershehasresembledallthedifferentClemensesandLangdons，inturn，thathaveeverlived。 Livyistoomuchbeatenoutwiththebaby，nights，towrite，thesetimes； andIdon”tknowofanythingurgenttosay，exceptthatabasketfulloflettershasaccumulatedinthe7daysthatIhavebeenwhoopingandcursingoveracoldinthehead——andImustattackthepilethisveryminute。 WithlovefromusYaffSAM $25enclosed。 OnthecompletionofThePrinceandPauperstory，ClemenshadnaturallysentittoHowellsforconsideration。Howellswrote： “IhavereadthetwoP”sandIlikeitimmensely，itbeginswellanditendswell。”Hepointedoutsomethingsthatmightbechangedoromitted，andadded：“ItissuchabookasIwouldexpectfromyou，knowingwhatabottomoffurythereistoyourfun。”Clemenshadthoughtsomewhatofpublishingthestoryanonymously，inthefearthatitwouldnotbeacceptedseriouslyoverhisownsignature。 The“bullstory“referredtointhenextletteristheonelaterusedintheJoanofArcbook，thestorytoldJoanby“UncleLaxart，“ howherodeabulltoafuneral。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： XmasEve，1880。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Iwasprodigiouslydelightedwithwhatyousaidaboutthebook——so，onthewhole，I”veconcludedtopublishintrepidly，insteadofconcealingtheauthorship。Ishallleaveoutthatbullstory。 IwishyouhadgonetoNewYork。Thecompanywassmall，andwehadafirst-ratetime。Smith”sanenjoyablefellow。IlikedBarrett，too。 Andtheoysterswereasgoodastherestofthecompany。Itwasworthgoingtheretolearnhowtocookthem。 NextdayIattendedtobusiness——whichwas，tointroduceTwichelltoGen。 GrantandprocureaprivatetalkintheinterestoftheChineseEducationalMissionhereintheU。S。Well，itwasveryfunny。Joehadbeensittingupnightsbuildingfactsandargumentstogetherintoamightyandunassailablearrayandhadstudiedthemoutandgotthembyheart——allwiththetremblinghalf-heartedhopeofgettingGranttoaddhissignaturetoasortofpetitiontotheViceroyofChina；butGranttookinthewholesituationinajiffy，andbeforeJoehadmorethanfairlygotstarted，theoldmansaid：“I”llwritetheViceroyaLetter——aseparateletter——andbringstrongreasonstobearuponhim；Iknowhimwell，andwhatIsaywillhaveweightwithhim；Iwillattendtoitrightaway。No，nothanks——Ishallbegladtodoit——itwillbealaboroflove。” SoallJoe”slaborioushourswerefornaught！Itwasasifhehadcometoborrowadollar，andbeenofferedathousandbeforehecouldunfoldhiscase…… Butit”sgettingdark。MerryChristmastoallofyou。 YrsEver，MARK。 TheChineseEducationalMission，mentionedintheforegoing，wasathrivingHartfordinstitution，projectedeightyearsbeforebyaYalegraduatenamedYungWing。Themissionwasnowthreatened，andYungWing，knowingthehighhonorinwhichGeneralGrantwasheldinChina，believedthatthroughhimitmightbesaved。Twichell，ofcourse，wasdeeplyconcernedandnaturallyoverjoyedatGrant”sinterest。AdayortwofollowingthereturntoHartford，ClemensreceivedaletterfromGeneralGrant，inwhichhewrote：“LiHungChangisthemostpowerfulandmostinfluentialChinamaninhiscountry。HeprofessedgreatfriendshipformewhenIwasthere，andIhavehadassurancesofthesamethingsince。Ihope，ifheisstrongenoughwithhisgovernment，thatthedecisiontowithdrawtheChinesestudentsfromthiscountrymaybechanged。” ButperhapsLiHungChangwasexperiencingoneofhispartialeclipsesjustthen，orpossiblyhewasnotinterested，fortheHartfordMissiondidnotsurvive。 XXI。 LETTERS1881，TOHOWELLSANDOTHERS。ASSISTINGAYOUNGSCULPTOR。 LITERARYPLANS WithallofMarkTwain”sadmirationforGrant，hehadopposedhimasathird-termPresidentandapprovedofthenominationofGarfield。HehadmadespeechesforGarfieldduringthecampaignjustended，andhadbeenotherwiseactiveinhissupport。UponGarfield”selection，however，hefelthimselfentitledtonospecialfavor，andthesinglerequestwhichhepreferredatlengthcouldhardlybeclassedas，personal，thoughmadefora“personalfriend。” ToPresident-electJamesA。Garfield，inWashington： HARTFORD，Jany。12，”81。 GEN。GARFIELD DEARSIR，——Severaltimessinceyourelectionpersonswantingofficehaveaskedme“tousemyinfluence“withyouintheirbehalf。 ToworditinthatwaywassuchapleasantcomplimenttomethatInevercomplied。IcouldnotwithoutexposingthefactthatIhadn”tanyinfluencewithyouandthatwasathingIhadnomindtodo。 Itseemstomethatitisbettertohaveagoodman”sflatteringestimateofmyinfluence——andtokeepit——thantofoolitawaywithtryingtogethimanoffice。Butwhenmybrother——onmywife”sside——Mr。CharlesJ。 Langdon——lateoftheChicagoConvention——desiresmetospeakawordforMr。FredDouglass，Iamnotasked“tousemyinfluence“consequentlyIamnotriskinganything。SoIamwritingthisasasimplecitizen。Iamnotdrawingonmyfundofinfluenceatall。Asimplecitizenmayexpressadesirewithallpropriety，inthematterofarecommendationtooffice，andsoIbegpermissiontohopethatyouwillretainMr。DouglassinhispresentofficeofMarshalloftheDistrictofColumbia，ifsuchacoursewillnotclashwithyourownpreferencesorwiththeexpedienciesandinterestofyouradministration。Iofferthispetitionwithpeculiarpleasureandstrongdesire，becauseIsohonorthisman”shighandblemishlesscharacterandsoadmirehisbrave，longcrusadeforthelibertiesandelevationofhisrace。 Heisapersonalfriendofmine，butthatisnothingtothepoint，hishistorywouldmovemetosaythesethingswithoutthat，andIfeelthemtoo。 WithgreatrespectIam，General，Yourstruly，S。L。CLEMENS。 Clemenswouldgooutofhiswayanytimetograntfavortothecoloredrace。Hischildhoodassociationswerepartlyaccountableforthis，buthealsofeltthatthewhitemanowedthenegroadebtforgenerationsofenforcedbondage。Hewouldlectureanytimeinacoloredchurch，whenhewouldaslikelyasnotrefusepoint-blanktospeakforawhitecongregation。Once，inElmira，hereceivedarequest，poorlyandnonetoopolitelyphrased，tospeakforoneofthechurches。Hewasannoyedandabouttosendabriefrefusal，whenMrs。Clemens，whowaspresent，said： “IthinkIknowthatchurch，andifsothispreacherisacoloredman；hedoesnotknowhowtowriteapolishedletter——howshouldhe？“Herhusband”smannerchangedsosuddenlythatsheadded： “Iwillgiveyouamotto，anditwillbeusefultoyouifyouwilladoptit：Considereverymancoloreduntilheisprovedwhite。” ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Feb。27，1881。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——IgotoWestPointwithTwichelltomorrow，butshallbebackTuesdayorWednesday；andthenjustassoonthereafterasyouandMrs。HowellsandWinnycancomeyouwillfindusreadyandmostgladtoseeyou——andthelongeryoucanstaythegladderweshallbe。Iamnotgoingtohaveathingtodo，butyoushallworkifyouwantto。OntheeveningofMarch10th，IamgoingtoreadtothecoloredfolkintheAfricanChurchhere(nowhitesadmittedexceptsuchasIbringwithme)，andachoirofcoloredfolkwillsingjubileesongs。Icountonagoodtime，andshallhopetohaveyoufolksthere，andLivy。IreadinTwichell”schapelFridaynightandhadamostrattlinghightime——butthethingthatwentbestofallwasUncleRemus”sTarBaby。Imeantotrythatonmyduskyaudience。They”veallheardthattalefromchildhood—— atleasttheoldermembershave。 Iarrivedhomeintimetomakeamostnobleblunder——invitedCharleyWarnerhere(inLivy”sname)todinnerwiththeGerhardts，andtoldhimLivyhadinvitedhiswifebyletterandbywordofmouthalso。Idon”tknowwhereIgottheseimpressions，butIcamehomefeelingasonedoeswhorealizesthathehasdoneaneatthingforonceandleftnoflawsorloop-holes。Well，LivysaidshehadnevertoldmetoinviteCharleyandshehadn”tdreamedofinvitingSusy，andmoreovertherewasn”tanydinner，butjustoneleanduck。ButSusyWarner”sintuitionswerecorrect——soshechokedoffCharley，andstaidhomeherself——wewaiteddinneranhourandyououghttohaveseenthatduckwhenhewasdonedryingintheoven。 MARK。 Clemensandhiswifewerealwaysprivatelyassistingworthyandambitiousyoungpeoplealongthewayofachievement。Youngactorswerehelpedthroughdramaticschools；youngmenandwomenwereassistedthroughcollegeandtotravelabroad。AmongothersClemenspaidthewayoftwocoloredstudents，onethroughaSoutherninstitutionandanotherthroughtheYalelawschool。 ThementionofthenameofGerhardtintheprecedingletterintroducesthemostimportant，oratleastthemostextensive，ofthesebenefactions。Thefollowinglettergivesthebeginningofthestory： ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： PrivateandConfidential。 HARTFORD，Feb。21，1881。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Well，hereisourromance。 Ithappenedinthisway。Onemorning，amonthago——no，threeweeks—— Livy，andClaraSpauldingandIwereatbreakfast，at10A。M。，andIwasinanirritablemood，forthebarberwasupstairswaitingandhishotwatergettingcold，whenthecoloredGeorgereturnedfromansweringthebellandsaid：“There”saladyinthedrawing-roomwantstoseeyou。” “Abookagent！“saysI，withheat。“Iwon”tseeher；Iwilldieinmytracks，first。” ThenIgotupwithasoulfullofrage，andwentinthereandbentscowlingoverthatperson，andbeganasuccessionofrudeandraspyquestions——andwithoutevenofferingtositdown。 Noteventhedefendant”syouthandbeautyand(seeming)timiditywereabletomodifymysavagery，foratime——andmeantimequestionandanswerweregoingon。Shehadrisentoherfeetwiththefirstquestion；andthereshestood，withherprettyfacebentfloorwardwhilstIinquired，butalwayswithherhonesteyeslookingmeinthefacewhenitcameherturntoanswer。 Andthiswashertale，andherplea-diffidentlystated，butstraight- forwardly；andbravely，andmostwinninglysimplyandearnestly：Iputitinmyownfashion，forIdonotrememberherwords： Mr。KarlGerhardt，whoworksinPratt&Whitney”smachineshops，hasmadeastatueinclay，andwouldIbesokindastocomeandlookatit，andtellhimifthereisanypromiseinit？Hehasnonetogoto，andhewouldbesoglad。 “O，dearme，“Isaid，“Idon”tknowanythingaboutart——there”snothingI couldtellhim。” Butshewenton，justasearnestlyandassimplyasbefore，withherplea——andsoshedidafterrepeatedrebuffs；anddullasIam，evenI beganbyandbytoadmirethisbraveandgentlepersistence，andtoperceivehowherheartofheartswasinthisthing，andhowshecouldn”tgiveitup，butmustcarryherpoint。SoatlastIwavered，andpromisedingeneraltermsthatIwouldcomedownthefirstdaythatfellidle——andasIconductedhertothedoor，Itamedmoreandmore，andsaidIwouldcomeduringtheverynextweek”Weshallbesoglad——but——but，wouldyoupleasecomeearlyintheweek？——thestatueisjustfinishedandwearesoanxious——and——and——wedidhopeyoucouldcomethisweek——and“——well，I camedownanotherpeg，andsaidIwouldcomeMonday，assureasdeath； andbeforeIgottothediningroomremorsewasdoingitsworkandIwassayingtomyself，“Damnation，howcanamanbesuchahound？whydidn”tI gowithhernow？“Yes，andhowmeanIshouldhavefeltifIhadknownthatoutofherpovertyshehadhiredahackandbroughtitalongtoconveyme。Butluckilyforwhatwasleftofmypeaceofmind，Ididn”tknowthat。 Well，itappearsthatfromhereshewenttoCharleyWarner”s。Therewasabetterlight，there，andtheeloquenceofherfacehadabetterchancetodoitsoffice。Warnerfought，asIhaddone；andhewasinthemidstofanarticleandverybusy；butnomatter，shewonhimcompletely。HelaidasidehisMSandsaid，“Come，letusgoandseeyourfather”sstatue。Thatis——isheyourfather？““No，heismyhusband。”Sothischildwasmarried，yousee。 ThiswasaSaturday。NextdayWarnercametodinnerandsaid“Go！——gotomorrow——don”tfail。”Hewasinlovewiththegirl，andwithherhusbandtoo，andsaidhebelievedtherewasmeritinthestatue。Prettycrudework，maybe，butmeritinit。 PatrickandIhunteduptheplace，nextday；thegirlsawusdrivingup，andflewdownthestairsandreceivedme。Herquarterswerethesecondstoryofalittlewoodenhouse——anotherfamilyonthegroundfloor。Thehusbandwasatthemachineshop，thewifekeptnoservant，shewastherealone。Shehadalittleparlor，withachairortwoandasofa；andtheartist-husband”shandwasvisibleinacoupleofplasterbusts，oneofthewife，andanotherofaneighbor”schild；visiblealsoinacoupleofwatercolorsofflowersandbirds；anambitiousunfinishedportraitofhiswifeinoils：somepaintdecorationsonthepinemantel；andanexcellenthumanear，doneinsomeplasticmaterialat16。 Thenwewentintothekitchen，andthegirlflewaround，withenthusiasm，andsnatchedragafterragfromatallsomethinginthecorner，andpresentlytherestoodtheclaystatue，lifesize——agracefulgirlishcreature，nudetothewaist，andholdingupasinglegarmentwithonehandtheexpressionattemptedbeingamodifiedscare——shewasinterruptedwhenabouttoenterthebath。 Thenthisyoungwifeposedherselfalongsidetheimageandsoremained——athingIdidn”tunderstand。ButpresentlyIdid——thenIsaid： “O，it”syou！“ “Yes，“shesaid，“Iwasthemodel。Hehasnomodelbutme。Ihavestoodforthismanyandmanyanhour——andyoucan”tthinkhowitdoestireone！ ButIdon”tmindit。Heworksalldayattheshop；andthen，nightsandSundaysheworksonhisstatueaslongasIcankeepup。” Shegotabigchisel，touseasalever，andbetweenuswemanagedtotwistthepedestalroundandround，soastoaffordaviewofthestatuefromallpoints。Well，sir，itwasperfectlycharming，thisgirl”sinnocenceandpurity——exhibitinghernakedself，asitwere，toastrangerandalone，andneveroncedreamingthattherewastheslightestindelicacyaboutthematter。Andsotherewasn”t；butitwillbemanyalongdaybeforeIrunacrossanotherwomanwhocandothelikeandshownotraceofself-consciousness。 Well，thenwesatdown，andItookasmoke，andshetoldmeallaboutherpeopleinMassachusetts——herfatherisaphysiciananditisanoldandrespectablefamily——(Iamabletobelieveanythingshesays。)Andshetoldmehow“Karl“is26yearsold；andhowhehashadpassionatelongingsallhislifetowardart，buthasalwaysbeenpoorandobligedtostruggleforhisdailybread；andhowhefeltsurethatifhecouldonlyhaveoneortwolessonsin—— “Lessons？Hasn”thehadanylessons？“ No。Hehadneverhadalesson。 Andpresentlyitwasdinnertimeand“Karl“arrived——aslenderyoungfellowwithamarvelousheadandanobleeye——andhewasassimpleandnatural，andasbeautifulinspiritashiswifewas。Butshehadtodothetalking——mainly——therewastoomuchthoughtbehindhiscavernouseyesforglibspeech。 Iwenthomeenchanted。ToldLivyandClaraSpauldingallabouttheparadisedownyonderwherethosetwoenthusiastsarehappywithayearlyexpenseof$350。LivyandClarawenttherenextdayandcameawayenchanted。AfewnightslatertheGerhardtskepttheirpromiseandcameherefortheevening。ItwasbilliardnightandIhadcompanyandsowasnotdown；butLivyandClarabecamemorecharmedwiththesechildrenthanever。 WarnerandIplannedtogetsomebodytocriticisethestatuewhosejudgmentwouldbeworthsomething。SoIlaidforChampney，andaftertwofailuresIcapturedhimandtookhimaround，andhesaid“thisstatueisfulloffaults——butithasmeritsenoughinittomakeupforthem“—— whereattheyoungwifedancedaroundasdelightedasachild。Whenwecameaway，Champneysaid，“Ididnotwanttosaytoomuchthere，butthetruthis，itseemstomeanextraordinaryperformanceforanuntrainedhand。YouaskifthereispromiseenoughtheretojustifytheHartfordfolkingoingtoanexpenseoftrainingthisyoungman。Ishouldsay，yes，decidedly；butstill，tomakeeverythingsafe，youhadbettergetthejudgmentofasculptor。” WarnerwasinNewYork。Iwrotehim，andhesaidhewouldfetchupWard——whichhedid。YesterdaytheywenttotheGerhardtsandspenttwohours，andWardcameawaybewitchedwiththosepeopleandmarvelingatthewinninginnocenceoftheyoungwife，whodroppednaturallyintomodel-attitudebesidethestatue(whichisstarknakedfromheadtoheel，now——G。hadremovedthedrapery，fearingWardwouldthinkhewasafraidtotrylegsandhips)justasshehasalwaysdonebefore。 LivyandIhadtwolongtalkswithWardyesterdayevening。Hespokestrongly。Hesaid，“ifanystrangerhadtoldmethatthisapprenticedidnotmodelthatthingfromplastercasts，Iwouldnothavebelievedit。” Hesaid“itisfullofcrudities，butitisfullofgenius，too。Itissuchastatueasthemanofaveragetalentwouldachieveaftertwoyearstrainingintheschools。Andtheboldnessofthefellow，ingoingstraighttonature！Heisanapprentice——hisworkshowsthat，allover； butthestuffisinhim，sure。HartfordmustsendhimtoParis——twoyears；thenifthepromiseholdsgood，keephimtherethreemore——andwarnhimtostudy，study，work，work，andkeephisnameoutofthepapers，andneitheraskforordersnoracceptthemwhenoffered。” Well，yousee，that”sallwewanted。AfterWardwasgoneLivycameoutwiththethingthatwasinhermind。Shesaid，“GoprivatelyandstarttheGerhardtsofftoParis，andsaynothingaboutittoanyoneelse。” SoItrampeddownthismorninginthesnow-storm——andtherewasastirringtime。Theywillsailaweekortendaysfromnow。 AsIwasstartingoutatthefrontdoor，withGerhardtbesidemeandtheyoungwifedancingandjubilatingbehind，thislattercriedoutimpulsively，“TellMrs。ClemensIwanttohugher——Iwanttohugyouboth！“ IgavethemmyoldFrenchbookandtheyweregoingtotacklethelanguage，straightoff。 Nowthisletterisasecret——keepitquiet——Idon”tthinkLivywouldmindmytellingyouthesethings，butthenshemight，youknow，forsheisaqueergirl。 Yrsever，MARK。 ChampneywasJ。WellsChampney，aportrait-painterofdistinction； Wardwasthesculptor，J。Q。A。Ward。 TheGerhardtswerepresentlyofftoParis，wellprovidedwithmeanstomaketheirdreamsreality；induetimetheletterswillreportthemagain。 TheUncleRemustalesofJoelChandlerHarrisgaveMarkTwaingreatpleasure。Hefrequentlyreadthemaloud，notonlyathomebutinpublic。Finally，hewroteHarris，expressinghiswarmappreciation，andmentioningoneofthenegrostoriesofhisownchildhood，“TheGoldenArm，“whichheurgedHarristolookupandaddtohiscollection。 “YouhavepinnedaproudfeatherinUncle-Remus”scap，“repliedHarris。“IdonotknowwhathigherhonorhecouldhavethantoappearbeforetheHartfordpublicarminarmwithMarkTwain。” Hedisclaimedanyoriginalityforthestories，adding，“IunderstandthatmyrelationstowardUncleRemusaresimilartothosethatexistbetweenanalmanacmakerandthecalendar。”Hehadnotheardthe“GoldenArm“storyandaskedfortheoutlines；alsoforsomepublishingadvice，outofMarkTwain”slongexperience。 ToJoelChandlerHarris，inAtlanta： ELMIRA，N。Y。，Aug。10。 MYDEARMR。HARRIS，——Youcanargueyourselfintothedelusionthattheprincipleoflifeisinthestoriesthemselvesandnotintheirsetting； butyouwillsavelaborbystoppingwiththatsolitaryconvert，forheistheonlyintelligentoneyouwillbag。Inrealitythestoriesareonlyalligatorpears——onemerelyeatsthemforthesakeofthesalad-dressing。 UncleRemusismostdeftlydrawn，andisalovableanddelightfulcreation；he，andthelittleboy，andtheirrelationswitheachother，arehighandfineliterature，andworthytolive，fortheirownsakes； andcertainlythestoriesarenottobecreditedwiththem。Butenoughofthis；Iseemtobeprovingtothemanthatmadethemultiplicationtablethattwiceonearetwo。 Ihavebeenthinking，yesterdayandto-day(plentyofchancetothink，asIamabedwithlumbagoatourlittlesummeringfarmamongthesolitudesoftheMountaintops，)andIhaveconcludedthatIcanansweroneofyourquestionswithfullconfidence——thus：Makeitasubscriptionbook。 Mightyfewbooksthatcomestrictlyundertheheadofliteraturewillsellbysubscription；butifUncleRemuswon”t，thegiftofprophecyhasdepartedoutofme。Whenabookwillsellbysubscription，itwillselltwoorthreetimesasmanycopiesasitwouldinthetrade；andtheprofitisbulkierbecausetheretailpriceisgreater…… Youdidn”taskmeforasubscription-publisher。Ifyouhad，IshouldhaverecommendedOsgoodtoyou。Heinaugurateshissubscriptiondepartmentwithmynewbookinthefall…… Nowthedoctorhasbeenhereandtriedtointerruptmyyarnabout“TheGoldenArm，“butI”vegotthrough，anyway。 OfcourseItellitinthenegrodialect——thatisnecessary；butIhavenotwrittenitso，forIcan”tspellitinyourmatchlessway。ItismarvelousthewayyouandCablespellthenegroandcreoledialects。 Twograndfeaturesarelostinprint：theweirdwailing，therisingandfallingcadencesofthewind，soeasilymimickedwithone”smouth；andtheimpressivepausesandeloquentsilences，andsubduedutterances，towardtheendoftheyarn(whichchaintheattentionofthechildrenhandandfoot，andtheysitwithpartedlipsandbreathless，tobewrenchedlimbfromlimbwiththesuddenandappalling“Yougotit“)。 OldUncleDan”l，aslaveofmyuncle”s”aged60，usedtotelluschildrenyarnseverynightbythekitchenfire(nootherlight；)andthelastyarndemanded，everynight，wasthisone。Bythistimetherewasbutaghastlyblazeortwoflickeringabouttheback-log。Wewouldhuddlecloseabouttheoldman，andbegintoshudderwiththefirstfamiliarwords；andunderthespellofhisimpressivedeliverywealwaysfellapreytothatclimaxattheendwhentherigidblackshapeinthetwilightsprangatuswithashout。 Whenyoucometoglanceatthetaleyouwillrecollectit——itisascommonandfamiliarastheTarBaby。Workuptheatmospherewithyourcustomaryskillanditwill“go“inprint。 Lumbagoseemstomakeabodygarrulous——butyou”llforgiveit。 TrulyyoursS。L。CLEMENS The“GoldenArm“storywasonethatClemensoftenusedinhispublicreadings，andwasveryeffectiveashegaveit。 Inhissketch，“HowtoTellaStory，“itappearsaboutasheusedtotellit。Harris，receivingtheoutlinesoftheoldMissouritale，presentlyannouncedthathehaddugupitsGeorgiarelative，aninterestingvariant，aswegatherfromMarkTwain”sreply。 ToJoelChandlerHarris，inAtlanta： HARTFORD，”81。 MYDEARMR。HARRIS，——IwasverysureyouwouldrunacrossthatStorysomewhere，andamgladyouhave。ADrummondlight——no，ImeanaBrushlight——isthrownuponthenegroestimateofvaluesbyhiswillingnesstoriskhissoulandhismightypeaceforeverforthesakeofasilversev”m-punce。Andthisformofthestoryseemsrathernearerthetruefield-handstandardthanthatachievedbymyFlorida，Mo。，negroeswiththeirsumptuousarmofsolidgold。 Ijudgeyouhaven”treceivedmynewbookyet——however，youwillinadayortwo。MeantimeyoumustnottakeitillifIdropOsgoodahintaboutyourproposedstoryofslavelife…… WhenyoucomenorthIwishyouwoulddropmealineandthenfollowitinpersonandgivemeadayortwoatourhouseinHartford。Ifyouwill，IwillsnatchOsgooddownfromBoston，andyouwon”thavetogothereatallunlessyouwantto。Pleasetobearthisstrictlyinmind，anddon”tforgetit。 SincerelyyoursS。L。CLEMENS。 CharlesWarrenStoddard，towhomthenextletteriswritten，wasoneoftheoldCalifornialiterarycrowd，agracefulwriterofverseandprose，neverquitearrivingatthesuccessbelievedbyhisfriendstobehisdue。Hewasagentle，irresponsiblesoul，welllovedbyallwhoknewhim，andalways，byoneoranother，providedagainstwant。ThereadermayrememberthatduringMarkTwain”sgreatlectureengagementinLondon，winterof1873-74，Stoddardlivedwithhim，actingashissecretary。Atalaterperiodinhislifehelivedforseveralyearswiththegreattelephonemagnate，TheodoreN。Vail。Atthetimeofthisletter，StoddardhaddecidedthatinthewarmlightandcomfortoftheSandwichIslandshecouldsurviveonhisliteraryearnings。 ToCharlesWarrenStoddard，intheSandwichIslands： HARTFORD，Oct。26”81。 MYDEARCHARLIE，——NowwhathaveIeverdonetoyouthatyoushouldnotonlyslideofftoHeavenbeforeyouhaveearnedarighttogo，butmustaddthegratuitousvillainyofinformingmeofit？…… Thehouseisfullofcarpentersanddecorators；whereas，whatwereallyneedhere，isanincendiary。Ifthehousewouldonlyburndown，wewouldpackupthecubsandflytotheislesoftheblest，andshutourselvesupinthehealingsolitudesofthecraterofHaleakalaandgetagoodrest； forthemailsdonotintrudethere，noryetthetelephoneandthetelegraph。Andafterresting，wewouldcomedownthemountainapieceandboardwithagodly，breech-cloutednative，andeatpoianddirtandgivethankstowhomallthanksbelong，fortheseprivileges，andneverhouse-keepanymore。 Ithinkmywifewouldbetwiceasstrongassheis，butforthiswearingandwearyingslaveryofhouse-keeping。However，shethinksshemustsubmittoitforthesakeofthechildren；whereas，Ihavealwayshadatendernessforparentstoo，so，forhersakeandmine，Isighfortheincendiary。Whentheeveningcomesandthegasislitandthewearandtearoflifeceases，wewanttokeephousealways；butnextmorningwewish，oncemore，thatwewerefreeandirresponsibleboarders。 Work？——onecan”tyouknow，toanypurpose。Idon”treallygetanythingdoneworthspeakingof，exceptduringthethreeorfourmonthsthatweareawayintheSummer。IwishtheSummerweresevenyearslong。Ikeepthreeorfourbooksonthestocksallthetime，butIseldomaddasatisfactorychaptertooneofthemathome。Yes，anditisallbecausemytimeistakenupwithansweringthelettersofstrangers。Itcan”tbedonethroughashorthandamanuensis——I”vetriedthat——itwouldn”twork——Icouldn”tlearntodictate。Whatdoespossessstrangerstowritesomanyletters？Inevercouldfindthatout。However，IsupposeIdiditmyselfwhenIwasastranger。ButIwillneverdoitagain。 MaybeyouthinkIamnothappy？theverythingthatgravelsmeisthatI am。Idon”twanttobehappywhenIcan”twork；IamresolvedthathereafterIwon”tbe。WhatIhavealwayslongedfor，wastheprivilegeoflivingforeverawayupononeofthosemountainsintheSandwichIslandsoverlookingthesea。 YourseverMARK。 Thatmagazinearticleofyourswasmightygood：uptoyourverybestI think。IencloseabookreviewwrittenbyHowells。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Oct。26”81。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Iamdelightedwithyourreview，andsoisMrs。 Clemens。Whatyouhavesaid，there，willconvinceanybodythatreadsit； abodycannothelpbeingconvincedbyit。Thatisthekindofareviewtohave；thedoubtfulman；eventheprejudicedman，ispersuadedandsuccumbs。 Whataqueerblunderthatwas，aboutthebaronet。Ican”tquiteseehowIevermadeit。TherewasanopulentabundanceofthingsIdidn”tknow； andconsequentlynoneedtotrenchuponthevest-pocketfulofthingsI didknow，togetmaterialforablunder。 CharleyWarrenStoddardhasgonetotheSandwichIslandspermanently。 Luckydevil。Itistheonlysupremelydelightfulplaceonearth。Itdoesseemthatthemoreadvantageabodydoesn”tearn，here，themoreofthemGodthrowsathishead。Thisfellow”spostalcardhassetthevisionofthosegraciousislandsbeforemymind，again，withnotaleafwithered，norarainbowvanished，norasun-flashmissingfromthewaves，andnowitwillbemonths，Ireckon，beforeIcandriveitawayagain。 Itisbeautifulcompany，butitmakesonerestlessanddissatisfied。 Withloveandthanks，Yrsever，MARK。 ThereviewmentionedinthisletterwasofThePrinceandthePauper。Whatthequeer“blunder“aboutthebaronetwas，thepresentwriterconfesseshedoesnotknow；butperhapsacarefulreadercouldfindit，atleastintheearlyedition；verylikelyitwascorrectedwithoutlossoftime。 ClemensnowandthenfounditnecessarytopayavisittoCanadaintheefforttoprotecthiscopyright。Heusuallyhadagrandtimeonthesetrips，beinglavishlyentertainedbytheCanadianliteraryfraternity。InNovember，1881，hemadeoneofthesejourneysintheinterestofThePrinceandthePauper，thistimewithOsgood，whowasnowhispublisher。Inletterswrittenhomewegetahintofhisdiversions。TheMonsieurFrechettementionedwasaCanadianpoetofconsiderabledistinction。“Clara“wasMissClaraSpaulding，ofElmira，whohadaccompaniedMr。andMrs。ClemenstoEuropein1873，andagainin1878。LatershebecameMrs。JohnB。Staachfield，ofNewYorkCity。Hernamehasalreadyappearedintheselettersmanytimes。 ToMrs。Clemens，inHartford： MONTREAL，Nov。28”81。 Livydarling，youandClaraoughttohavebeenatbreakfastinthegreatdiningroomthismorning。Englishfemalefaces，distinctiveEnglishcostumes，strangeandmarvelousEnglishgaits——andyetsuchhonest，honorable，clean-souledcountenances，justastheseEnglishwomenalmostalwayshave，youknow。Rightaway—— Butthey”vecometotakemetothetopofMountRoyal，itbeingacold，dry，sunny，magnificentday。Goinginasleigh。 Yourslovingly，SAML。 ToMrs。Clemens，inHartford： MONTREAL，Sunday，November27，1881。 Livydear，amousekeptmeawakelastnighttill3or4o”clock——soIamlyingabedthismorning。Iwouldnotgivesixpencetobeoutyonderinthestorm，althoughitisonlysnow。 [Theaboveparagraphiswrittenintheformofarebusillustratedwithvarioussketches。] There——that”sforthechildren——wasnotsurethattheycouldreadwriting；especiallyjean，whoisstrangelyignorantinsomethings。 Icannotonlylookoutuponthebeautifulsnow-storm，pastthevigorousblazeofmyfire；anduponthesnow-veiledbuildingswhichIhavesketched；anduponthechurchwarddriftingumbrellas；anduponthebuffalo-cladcabmenstampingtheirfeetandthrashingtheirarmsonthecorneryonder：butIalsolookoutuponthespotwherethefirstwhitemenstood，intheneighborhoodoffourhundredyearsago，admiringthemightystretchofleafysolitudes，andbeingadmiredandmarveledatbyaneagermultitudeofnakedsavages。Thediscovererofthisregion，andnamerofit，JacquesCartier，hasasquarenamedforhiminthecity。I wishyouwerehere；youwouldenjoyyourbirthday，Ithink。 Ihopedforaletter，andthoughtIhadonewhenthemailwashandedin，aminuteago，butitwasonlythatnotefromSylvesterBaxter。Youmustwrite——doyouhear？——orIwillberemissmyself。 Givemyloveandakisstothechildren，andaskthemtogiveyoumyloveandakissfromSAML。 ToMrs。Clemens，inHartford： QUEBEC，Sunday。”81。 Livydarling，IreceivedaletterfromMonsieurFrechettethismorning，inwhichcertaincitizensofMontrealtenderedmeapublicdinnernextThursday，andbyOsgood”sadviceIacceptedit。Iwouldhaveacceptedanyway，andverycheerfullybutforthedelayoftwodays——forIwaspurposingtogotoBostonTuesdayandhomeWednesday；whereas，nowIgotoBostonFridayandhomeSaturday。IhavetogobyBostononaccountofbusiness。 Wedroveaboutthesteephillsandnarrow，crookedstreetsofthisoldtownduringthreehours，yesterday，inasleigh，inadrivingsnow-storm。 Thepeopleheredon”tmindsnow；theywereallout，ploddingaroundontheiraffairs——especiallythechildren，whowerewallowingaroundeverywhere，likesnowimages，andhavingamightygoodtime。IwishI coulddescribethewintercostumeoftheyounggirls，butIcan”t。Itisgraveandsimple，butgracefulandpretty——thetopofitisabrimlessfurcap。Maybeitisthecostumethatmakesprettygirlsseemsomonotonouslyplentyhere。Itwasakindofrelieftostrikeahomelyfaceoccasionally。 Youdescendintosomeofthestreetsbylong，deepstairways；andinthestrongmoonlight，lastnight，thesewereverypicturesque。Ididwishyouwereheretoseethesethings。Youcouldn”tbyanypossibilitysleepinthesebeds，though，orenjoythefood。 Goodnight，sweetheart，andgivemyrespectstothecubs。 SAML。 IthadbeenhopedthatW。D。HowellswouldjointheCanadianexcursion，butHowellswasnotverywellthatautumn。Hewrotethathehadbeeninbedfiveweeks，“mostofthetimerecovering；soyouseehowbadImusthavebeentobeginwith。ButnowIamoutofanyfirst-classpain；Ihaveagoodappetite，andIamasabusiveandperemptoryasGuiteau。”Clemens，returningtoHartford，wrotehimaletterthatexplainsitself。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Dec。16”81。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Itwasasharpdisappointment——yourinabilitytoconnect，ontheCanadianraid。Whatagaudygoodtimeweshouldhavehad！ Disappointed，again，whenIgotbacktoBoston；forIwaspromisingmyselfhalfanhour”slookatyou，inBelmont；butyournotetoOsgoodshowedthatthatcouldnotbeallowedoutyet。 TheAtlanticarrivedanhourago，andyourfaultlessanddeliciousPoliceReportbroughtthatblamedJoeTwichellpowerfullybeforeme。There”samanwhocantellsuchthingshimself(bywordofmouth，)andhasassureaneyefordetectingathingthatisbeforehiseyes，asanymanintheworld，perhaps——thenwhyinthenationdoesn”thereporthimselfwithapen？ Oneofthosedrenchingdayslastweek，hesloppeddowntownwithhiscubs，andvisitedapoorlittlebeggarlyshedwherewereadwarf，afatwoman，andagiantofhonesteightfeet，onexhibitionbehindtawdryshow-canvases，butwithnobodytoexhibitto。Thegianthadabroom，andwascleaningupandfixingaround，diligently。Joeconceivedtheideaofgettingsometalkoutofhim。Nowthatneverwouldhaveoccurredtome。 Sohedroppedinundertheman”selbow，doggedhimpatientlyaround，proddinghimwithquestionsandgettingirritatedsnarlsinreturnwhichwouldhavefinishedmeearly——butatlastoneofJoe”srandomshaftsdrovethecentreofthatgiant”ssympathiessomehow，andfetchedhim。 Thefountainsofhisgreatdeepwerebrokenup，andherainedafloodofpersonalhistorythatwasunspeakablyentertaining。 AmongotherthingsitturnedoutthathehadbeenaTurkish(native) colonel，andhadfoughtallthroughtheCrimeanwar——andso，forthefirsttime，JoegotapictureoftheChargeoftheSixHundredthatmadehimseethelivingspectacle，theflashofflagandtongue-flame，therollingsmoke，andheartheboomingoftheguns；andforthefirsttimealso，heheardthereasonsforthatwildchargedeliveredfromthemouthofamaster，andrealizedthatnobodyhad“blundered，“butthatacold，logical，militarybrainhadperceivedthisoneandsolewaytowinanalreadylostbattle，andsogavethecommandanddidachievethevictory。