第11章

AndmindyouJoewasabletocomeuphere，daysafterwards，andreproducethatgiant”spicturesqueandadmirablehistory。Butdernhim，hecan”twriteit——whichisallwrong，andnotasitshouldbe。 AndhehasgoneandrakeduptheMSautobiography(writtenin1848，)ofMrs。PhebeBrown，(authorof“ILovetoStealaWhileAway，“)whoeducatedYungWinginherfamilywhenhewasalittleboy；andIcamenearnotgettingtobedatall，lastnight，onaccountoftheluridfascinationsofit。Whyinthenationithasnevergotintoprint，I can”tunderstand。 But，byjings！thepostmanwillbehereinaminute；so，congratulationsuponyourmendinghealth，andgratitudethatitismending；andlovetoyouall。 YrsEverMARK。 Don”tanswer——Isparethesick。 XXII。 LETTERS，1882，MAINLYTOHOWELLS。WASTEDFURY。OLDSCENESREVISITED。 THEMISSISSIPPIBOOK AmanofMarkTwain”sprofessionandprominencemustnecessarilybethesubjectofmuchnewspapercomment。Jest，compliment，criticism——noneofthesethingsdisturbedhim，asarule。Hewaspleasedthathisbooksshouldreceivefavorablenoticesbymenwhoseopinionherespected，buthewasnotgrievedbyadverseexpressions。Jestsathisexpense，ifwellwritten，usuallyamusedhim；cheapjokesonlymadehimsad；butsarcasmsandinnuendoeswerelikelytoenragehim，particularlyifhebelievedthempromptedbymalice。Perhapsamongallthelettersheeverwrote，thereisnonemorecharacteristicthanthisconfessionofviolenceandeagernessforreprisal，followedbyhisacknowledgmentoferrorandamanifestappreciationofhisownweakness。ItshouldbesaidthatMarkTwainandWhitelawReidweregenerallyverygoodfriends，andperhapsforthemomentthisfactseemedtomagnifytheoffense。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Jan。28”82。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——NobodyknowsbetterthanI，thattherearetimeswhenswearingcannotmeettheemergency。HowsharplyIfeelthat，atthismoment。Notasingleprofanewordhasissuedfrommylipsthismornin——Ihavenotevenhadtheimpulsetoswear，sowhollyineffectualwouldswearinghavemanifestlybeen，inthecircumstances。ButIwilltellyouaboutit。 Aboutthreeweeksago，asensitivefriend，approachinghisrevelationcautiously，intimatedthattheN。Y。Tribunewasengagedinakindofcrusadeagainstme。ThisseemedahighercomplimentthanIdeserved；butnomatter，itmademeveryangry。Iaskedmanyquestions，andgathered，insubstance，this：SinceReid”sreturnfromEurope，theTribunehadbeenflingingsneersandbrutalitiesatmewithsuchpersistentfrequency“astoattractgeneralremark。”Iwasanangered——whichisjustasgoodanexpression，Itakeit，asanhungered。Next，IlearnedthatOsgood，amongtherestofthe“general，“wasworryingovertheseconstantandpitilessattacks。Nextcamethetestimonyofanotherfriend，thattheattackswerenotmerely“frequent，“but“almostdaily。”Reflectuponthat：“Almostdaily“insults，fortwomonthsonastretch。Whatwouldyouhavedone？ Asforme，Ididthethingwhichwasthenaturalthingformetodo，thatis，Isetaboutcontrivingaplantoaccomplishoneortheotheroftwothings：1。Forceapeace；or2。Getrevenge。WhenIgotmyplanfinished，itpleasedmemarvelously。Itwasinsixorsevensections，eachsectiontobeusedinitsturnandbyitself；theassaulttobeginatoncewithNo。1，andtheresttofollow，oneaftertheother，tokeepthecommunicationopenwhileIwrotemybiographyofReid。Imeanttowindupwiththislattergreatwork，andthendismissthesubjectforgood。 Well，eversincethenIhaveworkeddayandnightmakingnotesandcollectingandclassifyingmaterial。I”vegotcollectorsatworkinEngland。IwenttoNewYorkandsatthreehourstakingevidencewhileastenographersetitdown。Asmylaborsgrew，soalsogrewmyfascination。Maliceandmalignityfadedoutofme——ormaybeIdrovethemoutofme，knowingthatamalignantbookwouldhurtnobodybutthefoolwhowroteit。Igotthoroughlyinlovewiththiswork；forIsawthatI wasgoingtowriteabookwhichtheverydevilsandangelsthemselveswoulddelighttoread，andwhichwoulddrawdisapprovalfromnobodybuttheheroofit，(andMrs。Clemens，whowasbitteragainstthewholething。)OnepartofmyplanwassodeliciousthatIhadtotrymyhandonitrightaway，justfortheluxuryofit。Isetaboutit，andsureenoughitpannedouttoadmiration。Iwrotethatchaptermostcarefully，andIcouldn”tfindafaultwithit。(Itwasnotforthebiography——no，itbelongedtoanimmediateanddeadlierproject。) Well，fivedaysago，thisthoughtcameintomymind(fromMrs。Clemens”s)： “Wouldn”titbewelltomakesurethattheattackshavebeen”almostdaily”？——andtoalsomakesurethattheirnumberandcharacterwilljustifymeindoingwhatIamproposingtodo？“ IatoncesetamantoworkinNewYorktoseekoutandcopyeveryunpleasantreferencewhichhadbeenmadetomeintheTribunefromNov。 1sttodate。OnmyownpartIbegantowatchthecurrentnumbers，forI hadsubscribedforthepaper。 TheresultarrivedfrommyNewYorkmanthismorning。O，whatapitiablewreckofhighhopes！The“almostdaily“assaults，fortwomonths，consistof——1。AdversecriticismofP。&P。fromanenragedidiotintheLondonAtheneum；2。ParagraphfromsomeindignantEnglishmaninthePallMallGazettewhopaysmethevastcomplimentofgravelyrebukingsomeimaginaryasswhohassetmeupintheneighborhoodofRabelais；3。A remarkoftheTribune”sabouttheMontrealdinner，touchedwithanalmostinvisiblesatire；4。AremarkoftheTribune”saboutrefusalofCanadiancopyright，notcomplimentary，butnotnecessarilymalicious——andofcourseadversecriticismwhichisnotmaliciousisathingwhichnonebutfoolsirritatethemselvesabout。 There——thatistheprodigiousbugaboo，initsentirety！Canyouconceiveofaman”sgettinghimselfintoasweatoversodiminutiveaprovocation？ IamsureIcan”t。Whatthedevilcanthosefriendsofminehavebeenthinkingabout，tospreadthese3or4harmlessthingsoutintotwomonthsofdailysneersandaffronts？Thewholeoffense，boileddown，amountstojustthis：oneuncourteousremarkoftheTribuneaboutmybook——notmebetweenNov。1andDec。20；andacoupleofforeigncriticisms(ofmywritings，notme，)betweenNov。1andJan。26！IfI can”tstandthatamountoffriction，Icertainlyneedreconstruction。 Furtherboileddown，thisvastoutpouringofmaliceamountstosimplythis：onejestfromtheTribune(onecanmakenothingmoreseriousthanthatoutofit。)Onejest——andthatisall；fortheforeigncriticismsdonotcount，theybeingmattersofnews，andproperforpublicationinanybody”snewspaper。 Andtooffsetthatonejest，theTribunepaidmeonecomplimentDec。23，bypublishingmynotedecliningtheNewYorkNewEnglanddinner，whilemerely(inthesamebreath，)mentioningthatsimilarletterswerereadfromGeneralShermanandothermenwhomweallknowtobepersonsofrealconsequence。 Well，mymountainhasbroughtforthitsmouse，andasufficientlysmallmouseitis，Godknows。Andmythreeweeks”hardworkhavegottogointotheignominiouspigeon-hole。Confoundit，Icouldhaveearnedtenthousanddollarswithinfinitelylesstrouble。However，Ishouldn”thavedoneit，forIamtoolazy，now，inmysereandyellowleaf，tobewillingtoworkforanythingbutlove……Ikindofenvyyoupeoplewhoarepermittedforyourrighteousness”saketodwellinaboardinghouse； notthatIshouldalwayswanttoliveinone，butIshouldlikethechangeoccasionallyfromthishousekeepingslaverytothatwildindependence。Alifeofdon”t-care-a-damninaboardinghouseiswhatI haveaskedforinmanyasecretprayer。Ishallcomebyandbyandrequireofyouwhatyouhaveofferedmethere。 Yoursever，MARK。 Howells，whohadalreadyknownsomethingofthegatheringstorm，replied：“Yourletterwasanimmenserelieftome，foralthoughI hadanabidingfaiththatyouwouldgetsickofyourenterprise，Iwasn”teasyuntilIknewthatyouhadgivenitup。 JoelChandlerHarrisappearsagaininthelettersofthisperiod。 Twichell，duringatripSouthaboutthistime，hadcalledonHarriswithsomesortofpropositionorsuggestionfromClemensthatHarrisappearwithhiminpublic，andtell，orread，theRemusstoriesfromtheplatform。ButHarriswasabnormallydiffident。Clemenslaterpronouncedhim“theshyestfull-grownman“hehadevermet，andthewordwhichTwichellbroughthomeevidentlydidnotencouragetheplatformidea。 ToJoelChandlerHarris，inAtlanta： HARTFORD，Apl。2，”82。 Private。 MYDEARMR。HARRIS，——JoTwichellbroughtmeyournoteandtoldmeofhistalkwithyou。Hesaidyoudidn”tbelieveyouwouldeverbeabletomusterasufficiencyofrecklessdaringtomakeyoucomfortableandateasebeforeanaudience。Well，IhavethoughtoutadevicewherebyI believewecangetaroundthatdifficulty。IwillexplainwhenIseeyou。 JosaysyouwanttogotoCanadawithinamonthorsixweeks——Iforgetjustexactlywhathedidsay；butheintimatedthetripcouldbedelayedawhile，ifnecessary。Ifthisisso，supposeyoumeetOsgoodandmeinNewOrleansearlyinMay——saysomewherebetweenthe1stand6th？ Itwillbewellworthyourwhiletodothis，becausetheauthorwhogoestoCanadaunposted，willnotknowwhatcoursetopursue[tosecurecopyright]whenhegetsthere；hewillfindhimselfinahopelessconfusionastowhatisthecorrectthingtodo。NowOsgoodistheonlymaninAmerica，whocanlayoutyourcourseforyouandtellyouexactlywhattodo。Therefore，youjustcometoNewOrleansandhaveatalkwithhim。 OurideaistostrikeacrosslotsandreachSt。Louisthe20thofApril—— thenceweproposetodriftsouthward，stoppingatsometownafewhoursoranight，everyday，andmakingnotes。 Toescapetheinterviewers，Ishallfollowmyusualcourseanduseafictitiousname(C。L。Samuel，ofNewYork。)Idon”tknowwhatOsgood”snamewillbe，buthecan”tusehisown。 IfyouseeyourwaytomeetusinNewOrleans，dropmealine，now，andasweapproachthatcityIwilltelegraphyouwhatdayweshallarrivethere。 IwouldgotoAtlantaifIcould，butshan”tbeable。WeshallgobackuptherivertoSt。Paul，andthencebyrailX-lotshome。 (Iammakingthislettersodreadfullyprivateandconfidentialbecausemymovementsmustbekeptsecret，elseIshan”tbeabletopickupthekindofbook-materialIwant。) Ifyouarediffident，IsuspectthatyououghttoletOsgoodbeyourmagazine-agent。Hemakesthosepeoplepaythreeorfourtimesasmuchasanarticleisworth，whereasIneverhadthecheektomakethempaymorethandouble。 YrsSincerelyS。L。CLEMENS。 “Mybackwardnessisanaffliction，“wroteHarris……“Theordealofappearingonthestagewouldbeaterribleone，butmyexperienceisthatwhenadiffidentmandoesbecomefamiliarwithhissurroundingshehasmoreimpudencethanhisneighbors。Extremesmeet。” Hewassorelytempted，buthiscouragebecameaswateratthethoughtoffootlightsandassembledlisteners。OnceinNewYorkheappearstohavebeencaughtunawaresataTileClubdinnerandmadetotellastory，buthisagonywassuchthatattheprospectofasimilarordealinBostonheavoidedthatcityandheadedstraightforGeorgiaandsafety。 TheNewOrleansexcursionwithOsgood，asplannedbyClemens，provedagreatsuccess。ThelittlepartytookthesteamerGoldDustfromSt。LouisdownrivertowardNewOrleans。Clemenswasquicklyrecognized，ofcourse，andhisassumednamelaidaside。Theauthorof“UncleRemus“madethetriptoNewOrleans。GeorgeW。Cablewasthereatthetime，andwemaybelievethatinthecompanyofMarkTwainandOsgoodthoseSouthernauthorspassedtwoorthreedelightfuldays。ClemensalsomethisoldteacherBixbyinNewOrleans，andcamebackuptheriverwithhim，spendingmostofhistimeinthepilot-house，asintheolddays。Itwasaglorioustrip，and，reachingSt。Louis，hecontinueditnorthward，stoppingoffatHannibalandQuincy。” ToMrs。Clemens，inHartford： QUINCY，ILL。May17，”82。 Livydarling，Iamdesperatelyhomesick。ButIhavepromisedOsgood，andmuststickitout；otherwiseIwouldtakethetrainatonceandbreakforhome。 IhavespentthreedelightfuldaysinHannibal，loiteringaroundalldaylong，examiningtheoldlocalitiesandtalkingwiththegrey-headswhowereboysandgirlswithme30or40yearsago。Ithasbeenamovingtime。IspentmynightswithJohnandHelenGarth，threemilesfromtown，intheirspaciousandbeautifulhouse。Theywerechildrenwithme，andafterwardsschoolmates。Nowtheyhaveadaughter19or20yearsold。 Spentanhour，yesterday，withA。W。Lamb，whowasnotmarriedwhenIsawhimlast。HemarriedayoungladywhomIknew。AndnowIhavebeentalkingwiththeirgrown-upsonsanddaughters。LieutenantHickman，thespruceyounghandsomely-uniformedvolunteerof1846，calledonme——agrislyelephantinepatriarchof65now，hisgraceallvanished。 ThatworldwhichIknewinitsblossomingyouthisoldandbowedandmelancholy，now；itssoftcheeksareleatheryandwrinkled，thefireisgoneoutinitseyes，andthespringfromitsstep。ItwillbedustandasheswhenIcomeagain。Ihavebeenclaspinghandswiththemoribund- andusuallytheysaid，“Itisforthelasttime。” NowIamunderwayagain，uponthishideoustriptoSt。Paul，withaheartbrimmingfullofthoughtsandimagesofyouandSusieandBayandthepeerlessJean。Andsogoodnight，mylove。 SAML。 Clemens”striphadbeensaddenedbylearning，inNewOrleans，thenewsofthedeathofDr。JohnBrown，ofEdinburgh。ToDoctorBrown”sson，whomhehadknownas“Jock，“hewroteimmediatelyonhisreturntoHartford。 ToMr。JohnBrown，inEdinburghHARTFORD，June1，1882。 MYDEARMR。BROWN，——Iwasthreethousandmilesfromhome，atbreakfastinNewOrleans，whenthedampmorningpaperrevealedthesorrowfulnewsamongthecabledispatches。TherewasnoplaceinAmerica，howeverremote，orhoweverrich，orpoororhighorhumblewherewordsofmourningforyourfatherwerenotutteredthatmorning，forhisworkshadmadehimknownandlovedallovertheland。ToMrs。Clemensandme，thelossispersonal；andourgriefthegriefonefeelsforonewhowaspeculiarlynearanddear。Mrs。ClemenshasneverceasedtoexpressregretthatwecameawayfromEnglandthelasttimewithoutgoingtoseehim，andoftenwehavesinceprojectedavoyageacrosstheAtlanticforthesolepurposeoftakinghimbythehandandlookingintohiskindeyesoncemorebeforeheshouldbecalledtohisrest。 WeboththankyougreatlyfortheEdinburghpaperswhichyousent。MywifeandIjoininaffectionateremembrancesandgreetingstoyourselfandyouraunt，andinthesinceretenderofoursympathies。 Faithfullyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 OurSusieisstill“Megalops。”Hegaveherthatname： Canyouspareaphotographofyourfather？Wehavenonebuttheonetakeninagroupwithourselves。 WilliamDeanHowells，attheageofforty-five，reachedwhatmanystillregardhishighestpointofachievementinAmericanrealism。 Hisnovel，TheRiseofSilasLapham，whichwasrunningasaCenturyserialduringthesummerof1882，attractedwideattention，anduponitsissueinbookformtookfirstplaceamonghispublishednovels。 MarkTwain，totheendofhislife，lovedallthatHowellswrote。 Once，longafterward，hesaid：“Mostauthorsgiveusglimpsesofaradiantmoon，butHowells”smoonshinesandsailsallnightlong。” WhentheinstalmentsofTheRiseofSilasLaphambegantoappear，heoverflowedinadjectives，thesincerityofwhichweneednotdoubt，inviewofhisquiteopencriticismsoftheauthor”sreadingdelivery。 ToW。D。Howells，inBelmont，Mass。： MYDEARHOWELLS，——IaminastateofwildenthusiasmoverthisJulyinstalmentofyourstory。It”sperfectlydazzling——it”smasterly—— incomparable。YetIheardyoureadit——withoutlosingmybalance。 Well，thedifferencebetweenyourreadingandyourwritingis-remarkable。 Imean，intheeffectsproducedandtheimpressionleftbehind。Why，theoneistotheotherasisoneofJoeTwichell”syarnsrepeatedbyasomnambulist。Goodnessgracious，youreadmeachapter，anditisagentle，pearlydawn，withasprinkleoffaintstarsinit；butbyandbyIstrikeitinprint，andshouttomyself，“Godblessus，howhasthatpallidformerspectaclebeenturnedintothesegorgeoussunsetsplendors！“ Well，Idon”tcarehowmuchyoureadyourtrucktome，youcan”tpermanentlydamageitformethatway。ItisalwaysperfectlyfreshanddazzlingwhenIcomeonitinthemagazine。OfcourseIrecognizetheformofitasbeingfamiliar——butthatisall。Thatis，Irememberitaspyrotechnicfigureswhichyousetupbeforeme，deadandcold，butreadyforthematch——andnowIseethemtouchedoffandallablazewithblindingfires。Youcanread，ifyouwantto，butyoudon”treadworthadamn。Iknowyoucanread，becauseyourreadingsofCableandyourrepeatingsoftheGermandoctor”sremarksprovethat。 That”sthebestdrunkscene——becausethetruest——thatIeverread。TherearetouchesinitthatIneversawanywritertakenoteofbefore。Andtheyaresetbeforethereaderwithamazingaccuracy。Howverydrunk，andhowrecentlydrunk，andhowaltogetheradmirablydrunkyoumusthavebeentoenableyoutocontrivethatmasterpiece！ WhyIdidn”tnoticethatthatreligiousinterviewbetweenMarciaandMrs。 Halleckwassodeliciouslyhumorouswhenyoureadittome——butdearme，it”sjusttoolovelyforanything。(WroteClarktocollaritforthe“Library。”) Hangit，Iknowwherethemysteryis，now；whenyouarereading，yougliderightalong，andIdon”tgetachancetoletthethingssoakhome； butwhenIcatchitinthemagazine，Igiveapage20or30minutesinwhichtogentlyandthoroughlyfilterintome。Yourhumorissoverysubtle，andelusive——(well，oftenit”sjustavanishingbreathofperfumewhichabodyisn”tcertainhesmelttillhestopsandtakesanothersmell)whereasyoucansmellother(Remainderobliterated。) AmongMarkTwain”soldschoolmatesinHannibalwaslittleHelenKercheval，forwhominthoseearlydayshehadaverytenderspotindeed。Butshemarriedanotherschoolmate，JohnGarth，whointimebecameabanker，highlyrespectedandagreatinfluence。JohnandHelenGarthhavealreadybeenmentionedintheletterofMay17th。 ToJohnGarth，inHannibal： HARTFORD，July3”82。 DEARJOHN，——YourletterofJunei9arrivedjustonedayafterweoughttohavebeeninElmira，N。Y。forthesummer：butatthelastmomentthebabywasseizedwithscarletfever。Ihadtotelegraphandcountermandtheorderforspecialsleepingcar；andinfactweallhadtoflyaroundinalivelywayandundothepatientpreparationsofweeks——rehabilitatethedismantledhouse，unpackthetrunks，andsoon。Acoupleofdayslater，theeldestchildwastakendownwithsofierceafeverthatshewassoondelirious——notscarletfever，however。Next，Imyselfwasstretchedonthebedwiththreediseasesatonce，andallofthemfatal。 ButIneverdidcareforfataldiseasesifIcouldonlyhaveprivacyandroomtoexpressmyselfconcerningthem。 Wegaveearlywarning，andofcoursenobodyhasenteredthehouseinallthistimebutoneortworecklessoldbachelors——andtheyprobablywantedtocarrythediseasetothechildrenofformerflamesoftheirs。Thehouseisstillinquarantineandmustremainsoforaweekortwoyet——atwhichtimewearehopingtoleaveforElmira。 AlwaysyourfriendS。L。CLEMENS。 BytheendofsummerHowellswasinEurope，andClemens，inElmira，wastryingtofinishhisMississippibook，whichwasgivinghimagreatdealoftrouble。Itwasusuallysowithhisnon-fictionbooks；hisinterestinthemwasnotcumulative；hewaspronetogrowwearyofthem，whilethemenaceofhispublisher”scontractwasmaddening。Howells”sletters，meanttobecomforting，oratleastentertaining，didnotalwayscontributetohispeaceofmind。TheLibraryofAmericanHumorwhichtheyhadplannedwasanaddedburden。Beforesailing，Howellshadwritten：“DoyousupposeyoucandoyourshareofthereadingatElmira，whileyouarewritingattheMississippibook？“ InaletterfromLondon，HowellswritesofthegoodtimesheishavingovertherewithOsgood，Hutton，JohnHay，Aldrich，andAlmaTadema，excursioningtoOxford，feasting，especially“attheMitreTavern，wheretheyletyouchooseyourdinnerfromthejointshangingfromtherafter，andhavepassagesthatyouloseyourselfineverytimeyoutrytogotoyourroom……Couldn”tyouandMrs。 Clemensstepoverforalittlewhile？……Wehaveseenlotsofnicepeopleandhavebeenmostpleasantlymadeof；butIwouldratherhaveyousmokeinmyface，andtalkforhalfadayjustforpleasure，thantogotothebesthouseorclubinLondon。”Thereaderwillgatherthatthiscouldnotbeentirelysoothingtoamanshackledbyacontractandabookthatrefusedtocometoanend。 ToW。D。Howells，inLondon： HARTFORD，CONN。Oct30，1882。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Idonotexpecttofindyou，soIshan”tspendmanywordsonyoutowindupintheperditionofsomeEuropeandead-letteroffice。Ionlyjustwanttosaythattheclosinginstallmentsofthestoryareprodigious。AllalongIwasafraiditwouldbeimpossibleforyoutokeepupsosplendidlytotheend；butyouwereonly，Iseenow，strikingeleven。Itisintheselastchaptersthatyoustrucktwelve。 Goonandwrite；youcanwritegoodbooksyet，butyoucannevermatchthisone。Andspeakingofthebook，Iinclosesomethingwhichhasbeenhappeningherelately。 Wehaveonlyjustarrivedathome，andIhavenotseenClarkonourmatters。Icannotseehimoranyoneelse，untilIgetmybookfinished。 Theweatherturnedcold，andwehadtorushhome，whileIstilllackedthirtythousandwords。Ihadbeensickandgotdelayed。Iamgoingtowritealldayandtwothirdsofthenight，untilthethingisdone，orbreakdownatit。Thespurandburdenofthecontractareintolerabletome。Icanenduretheirritationofitnolonger。Iwenttoworkatnineo”clockyesterdaymorning，andwenttobedanhouraftermidnight。 Resultoftheday，(mainlystolenfrombooks，tho”creditgiven，)9500 words，soIreducedmyburdenbyonethirdinoneday。Itwasfivedaysworkinone。Ihavenothingmoretoborroworsteal；therestmustallbewritten。Itistendayswork，andunlesssomethingbreaks，itwillbefinishedinfive。WeallsendlovetoyouandMrs。Howells，andallthefamily。 Yoursasever，MARK。 Again，fromVilleneuve，onlakeGeneva，HowellswroteurginghimthistimetospendthewinterwiththeminFlorence，wheretheywouldwritetheirgreatAmericanComedyof”Orme”sMotor”“whichistoenrichusbeyondthedreamsofavarice……Wecouldhavealotoffunwritingit，andyoucouldgohomewithsomeofthegoodoldEtruscanmalariainyourbones，insteadofthewretchedpinch-beckHartfordarticlethatyouaresufferingfromnow……it”sagreatopportunityforyou。Besides，nobodyovertherelikesyouhalfaswellasIdo。” Itshouldbeaddedthat”Orme”sMotor”wastheprovisionaltitlethatClemensandHowellshadselectedfortheircomedy，whichwastobebuilt，insomemeasure，atleast，aroundthecharacter，orratherfromthepeculiarities，ofOrionClemens。TheCablementionedinMarkTwain”sreplyis，ofcourse，GeorgeW。Cable，whoonlyalittlewhilebeforehadcomeupfromNewOrleanstoconquertheNorthwithhiswonderfultalesandreadings。 ToW。D。Howells，inSwitzerland： HARTFORD，Nov。4th，1882。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Yes，itwouldbeprofitableformetodothat，becausewithyoursocietytohelpme，Ishouldswiftlyfinishthisnowapparentlyinterminablebook。ButIcannotcome，becauseIamnotBosshere，andnothingbutdynamitecanmoveMrs。Clemensawayfromhomeinthewinterseason。 Ineverhadsuchafightoverabookinmylifebefore。Andthefoolishestpartofthewholebusinessis，thatIstartedOsgoodtoeditingitbeforeIhadfinishedwritingit。Asaconsequence，largeareasofitarecondemnedhereandthereandyonder，andIhavetheburdenoftheseunfilledgapsharassingmeandthethoughtofthebrokencontinuityofthework，whileIamatthesametimetryingtobuildthelastquarterofthebook。However，atlastIhavesaidwithsufficientpositivenessthatIwillfinishthebookatnoparticulardate；thatI willnothurryit；thatIwillnothurrymyself；thatIwilltakethingseasyandcomfortably，writewhenIchoosetowrite，leaveitalonewhenI soprefer。Theprintersmustwait，theartists，thecanvassers，andalltherest。Ihavegoteverythingatadeadstandstill，andthatiswhereitoughttobe，andthatiswhereitmustremain；tofollowanyotherpolicywouldbetomakethebookworsethanitalreadyis。Ioughttohavefinisheditbeforeshowingtoanybody，andthensentitacrosstheoceantoyoutobeedited，asusual；foryouseemtobeagreatmanyshadeshappierthanyoudeservetobe，andifIhadthoughtofthisthingearlier，Iwouldhaveacteduponitandtakenthetucksomewhatoutofyourjoyousness。 Inthesamemailwithyourletter，arrivedtheenclosedfromOrmethemotorman。Youwillobservethathehasanoffice。IwillexplainthatthisisalawofficeandIthinkitprobablydoeshimasmuchgoodtohavealawofficewithoutanythingtodoinit，asitwouldanothermantohaveonewithanactivebusinessattached。Youseeheisontheelectriclightlaynow。GoingtolightthecityandallowmetotakeallthestockifIwantto。Andhewillmanageitfreeofcharge。Itneverwouldoccurtothissimplesoulhowmuchlesscostlyitwouldbetome，tohirehimonagoodsalarynottomanageit。Doyouobservethesameoldeagerness，thesameoldhurry，springingfromthefearthatifhedoesnotmovewiththeutmostswiftness，thatcolossalopportunitywillescapehim？Nowjustfancythissamefranticplungingaftervastopportunities，goingonweekafterweekwiththissameman，duringfiftyentireyears，andhehasnotyetlearned，intheslightestdegree，thatthereisn”tanyoccasiontohurry；thathisvastopportunitywillalwayswait；andthatwhetheritwaitsorflies，hecertainlywillnevercatchit。Thisimmortalhopefulness，fortifiedbyitsimmortalandunteachablemisjudgment，istheimmortalfeatureofthischaracter，foraplay；andwewillwritethatplay。Weshouldbefoolselse。Thatstaccatopostscriptreadsasifsomenewandmightybusinesswereimminent，foritisslungonthepapertelegraphically，allthesmallwordsleftout。 Iamafraidsomethingnewerandbiggerthantheelectriclightisswingingacrosshisorbit。Savethisletterforaninspiration。Ihavegotahundredmore。 Cablehasbeenhere，creatingworshipersonallhands。Heisamarveloustalkeronadeepsubject。IdonotseehowevenSpencercouldunwindathoughtmoresmoothlyororderly，anddoitinacleaner，clearer，crisperEnglish。HeastoundedTwichellwithhisfaculty。Youknowwhenitcomesdowntomoralhonesty，limpidinnocence，andutterlyblemishlesspiety，theApostlesweremerepolicementoCable；sowiththisinmindyoumustimaginehimatamidnightdinnerinBostontheothernight，wherewegatheredaroundtheboardoftheSummersetClub；Osgood，full，BoyleO”Reilly，full，Fairchildresponsivelyloaded，andAldrichandmyselfpossessingthefloor，andproperlyfortified。CabletoldMrs。 Clemenswhenhereturnedhere，thatheseemedtohavebeenentertaininghimselfwithhorses，andhadadreamyideathathemusthavegonetoBostoninacattle-car。Itwasaverylargetime。Hecalleditanorgy。 Andnodoubtitwas，viewedfromhisstandpoint。 IwishIwereinSwitzerland，andIwishwecouldgotoFlorence；butwehavetoleavethesedelightstoyou；thereisnohelpingit。Wealljoininlovetoyouandallthefamily。 YoursaseverMARK。 XXIII。 LETTERS，1883，TOHOWELLSANDOTHERS。AGUESTOFTHEMARQUISOFLORNE。 THEHISTORYGAME。APLAYBYHOWELLSANDMARKTWAIN MarkTwain，indueseason，finishedtheMississippibookandplaceditinOsgood”shandsforpublication。ItwasasortofpartnershiparrangementinwhichClemenswastofurnishthemoneytomakethebook，andpayOsgoodapercentageforhandlingit。Itwas，infact，thebeginningofMarkTwain”sadventuresasapublisher。 HowellswasnotashappyinFlorenceashehadhopedtobe。Thesociallifethereoverwhelmedhim。InFebruaryhewrote：“OurtwomonthsinFlorencehavebeenthemostridiculoustimethateverevenhalf-wittedpeoplepassed。Wehavespenttheminchasingroundafterpeopleforwhomwecarednothing，andbeingchasedbythem。 Mystoryisn”tfinishedyet，andwhatpartofitisdonebearsthefatalmarksofhasteanddistraction。Ofcourse，Ihaven”tputpentopaperyetontheplay。IwringmyhandsandbeatmybreastwhenIthinkofhowtheseweekshavebeenwasted；andhowIhavebeenforcedtowastethembytheinfernalsocialcircumstancesfromwhichIcouldn”tescape。” Clemens，nowfreefromtheburdenofhisownbook，waslightofheartandfullofideasandnews；alsoofsympathyandappreciation。 Howells”sstoryofthistimewas“AWoman”sReason。”GovernorJewell，ofthisletter，wasMarshallJewell，GovernorofConnecticutfrom1871to1873。Later，hewasMinistertoRussia，andin1874 wasUnitedStatesPostmaster-General。 ToW。D。Howells，inFlorence： HARTFORD，March1st，1883。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Wegotourselvesgroundupinthatsamemill，once，inLondon，andanothertimeinParis。Itisakindofforetasteofhell。 Thereisnowaytoavoiditexceptbythemethodwhichyouhavenowchosen。Onemustlivesecretlyandcuthimselfutterlyofffromthehumanrace，orlifeinEuropebecomesanunbearableburdenandworkanimpossibility。Ilearnedsomethinglastnight，andmaybeitmayreconcilemetogotoEuropeagainsometime。IattendedoneoftheastonishinglypopularlecturesofamanbythenameofStoddard，whoexhibitsinterestingstereopticonpicturesandthenknockstheinterestalloutofthemwithhiscommentsuponthem。Butalltheworldgotheretolookandlisten，andareapparentlywellsatisfied。Andtheyoughttobefullysatisfied，ifthelecturerwouldonlykeepstill，ordieinthefirstact。ButhedescribedhowretiredtradesmenandfarmersinHollandloadalazyscowwiththefamilyandthehouseholdeffects，andthenloafalongthewaterwaysofthelowcountriesallthesummerlong，payingnovisits，receivingnone，andjustlazyingaheavenlylifeoutintheirownprivateunpesteredsociety，anddoingtheirliterarywork，iftheyhaveany，whollyuninterrupted。Ifyouhadhiredsuchaboatandsentforusweshouldhaveacoupleofsatisfactorybooksreadyforthepressnowwithnomarksofinterruption，vexatiouswearinesses，andotherhellishnessesvisibleuponthemanywhere。Weshallhavetodothisanothertime。Wehavelostanopportunityforthepresent。DoyouforgetthatHeavenispackedwithamultitudeofallnationsandthatthesepeopleareallonthemostfamiliarhow-the-hell-are-youfootingwithTalmageswingingaroundthecircletoalleternityhuggingthesaintsandpatriarchsandarchangels，andforcingyoutodothesameunlessyouchoosetomakeyourselfanobjectofremarkifyourefrain？ ThenwhydoyoutrytogettoHeaven？Bewarnedintime。 WehaveallreadyourtwoopeningnumbersintheCentury，andconsiderthemalmostbeyondpraise。Ihearnodissentfromthisverdict。IdidnotknowtherewasanuntouchedpersonageinAmericanlife，butIhadforgottentheauctioneer。Youhavephotographedhimaccurately。 Ihavebeenanutterlyfreepersonforamonthortwo；andIdonotbelieveIeversogreatlyappreciatedandenjoyed——andrealizedtheabsenceofthechainsofslaveryasIdothistime。Usuallymyfirstwakingthoughtinthemorningis，“Ihavenothingtodoto-day，Ibelongtonobody，Ihaveceasedfrombeingaslave。”Ofcoursethehighestpleasuretobegotoutoffreedom，andhavingnothingtodo，islabor。 ThereforeIlabor。ButItakemytimeaboutit。Iworkonehourorfourashappenstosuitmymind，andquitwhenIplease。Andsothesedaysaredaysofentireenjoyment。ItoldClarktheotherday，tojogalongcomfortableandnotgetinasweat。IsaidIbelievedyouwouldnotbeabletoenjoyeditingthatlibraryoverthere，whereyouhaveyourownlegitimateworktodoandbepesteredtodeathbysocietybesides； thereforeIthoughtifhegotitreadyforyouagainstyourreturn，thatthatwouldbebestandpleasantest。 YourememberGovernorJewell，andthenighthetoldaboutRussia，downinthelibrary。Hewastakenwithacoldaboutthreeweeksago，andI steppedoveroneevening，proposingtobeguileanidlehourforhimwithayarnortwo，butwasreceivedatthedoorwithwhispers，andtheinformationthathewasdying。Hiscasehadbeendangerousduringthatdayonlyandhediedthatnight，twohoursafterIleft。Histakingoffwasaprodigioussurprise，andhisdeathhasbeenmostwidelyandsincerelyregretted。Win。E。Dodge，thefather-in-lawofoneofJewell”sdaughters，droppedsuddenlydeadthedaybeforeJewelldied，butJewelldiedwithoutknowingthat。Jewell”swidowwentdowntoNewYork，toDodge”shouse，thedayafterJewell”sfuneral，andwastoreturnheredaybeforeyesterday，andshedid——inacoffin。Shefelldead，ofheartdisease，whilehertrunkswerebeingpackedforherreturnhome。 FlorenceStrong，oneofJewell”sdaughters，wholivesinDetroit，startedEastonanurgenttelegram，butmissedaconnectionsomewhere，anddidnotarrivehereintimetoseeherfatheralive。Shewashisfavoritechild，andtheyhadalwaysbeenlikeloverstogether。Healwayssentheraboxoffreshflowersonceaweektothedayofhisdeath；acustomwhichheneversuspendedevenwhenhewasinRussia。Mrs。StronghadonlyjustreachedherWesternhomeagainwhenshewassummonedtoHartfordtoattendhermother”sfuneral。 Ihavehadtheimpulsetowriteyouseveraltimes。Ishalltrytorememberbetterhenceforth。 Withsincerestregardstoallofyou，Yoursasever，MARK。 MarkTwainmadeanothertriptoCanadaintheinterestofcopyright- thistimetoprotecttheMississippibook。Whenhisjourneywasannouncedbythepress，theMarquisofLornetelegraphedaninvitationinvitinghimtobehisguestatRideauHall，inOttawa。 Clemensaccepted，ofcourse，andwashandsomelyentertainedbythedaughterofQueenVictoriaandherhusband，thenGovernor-GeneralofCanada。 OnhisreturntoHartfordhefoundthatOsgoodhadissuedacuriouslittlebook，forwhichClemenshadpreparedanintroduction。Itwasanabsurdvolume，thoughoriginallyissuedwithseriousintent，itstitlebeingTheNewGuideoftheConversationinPortugueseandEnglish。”——[TheNewGuideoftheConversationinPortugueseandEnglish，byPedroCaxolino，withanintroductionbyMarkTwain。 Osgood，Boston，1883。]——Evidentlythe“NewGuide“waspreparedbysomesimplePortuguesesoulwithbutslightknowledgeofEnglishbeyondthatwhichcouldbeobtainedfromadictionary，andhisliteraltranslationofEnglishidiomsareoftenstartling，as，forinstance，thisone，takenatrandom： “Alittlelearnedsarehappiesenoughfortomaytosatisfytheirfanciesontheliterature。” MarkTwainthoughtthisquaintbookmightamusehisroyalhostess，andforwardedacopyinwhatheconsideredtobethesafeandproperform。 ToCol。DeWinton，inOttawa，Canada： HARTFORD，June4，”83。 DEARCOLONELDEWINTON，——IverymuchwanttosendalittlebooktoherRoyalHighness——thefamousPortuguesephrasebook；butIdonotknowtheetiquetteofthematter，andIwouldnotwittinglyinfringeanyruleofpropriety。ItisabookwhichIperfectlywellknowwillamuseher“someatmost“ifshehasnotseenitbefore，andwillstillamuseher“someatleast，“evenifshehasinspecteditahundredtimesalready。SoIwillsendthebooktoyou，andyouwhoknowallabouttheproperobservanceswillprotectmefromindiscretion，incaseofneed，byputtingthesaidbookinthefire，andremainingasdumbasIgenerallywaswhenIwasupthere。Idonotrebindthething，becausethatwouldlookasifI thoughtitworthkeeping，whereasitisonlyworthglancingatandcastingaside。 WillyoupleasepresentmycomplimentstoMrs。DeWintonandMrs。 Mackenzie？——andIbegtomakemysincerecomplimentstoyou，also，foryourinfinitekindnessestome。Ididhaveadelightfultimeupthere，mostcertainly。 TrulyyoursS。L。CLEMENS。 P。S。Althoughtheintroductiondatesayearback，thebookisonlyjustnowissued。Agoodlongdelay。 S。L。C。 Howells，writingfromVenice，inApril，manifestedspecialinterestintheplayproject：“SomethingthatwouldrunlikeScheherazade，forathousandandonenights，“soperhapshisbookwasgoingbetter。HeproposedthattheydevotethemonthofOctobertothework，andinclosedaletterfromMallory，whoownednotonlyareligiouspaper，TheChurchman，butalsotheMadisonSquareTheater，andwasanxiousforaHowellsplay。TwentyyearsbeforeHowellshadbeenConsultoVenice，andhewrote，now：“Theideaofmybeinghereisbenumbingandsilencing。IfeelliketheWanderingJew，ortheghostoftheCardiffgiant。” HereturnedtoAmericainJuly。Clemenssenthimwordofwelcome，withglowingreportsofhisownundertakings。ThestoryonwhichhewaspilingupMS。wasTheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn，begunsevenyearsbeforeatQuarryFarm。Hehadnogreatfaithinitthen，andthoughhehadtakenitupagainin1880，hisinteresthadnotlastedtoitsconclusion。Thistime，however，hewasintheproperspirit，andthestorywouldbefinished。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： ELMIRA，July20，”83。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Wearedesperatelygladyouandyourgangarehomeagain——mayyounevertravelagain，tillyougoaloftoralow。CharleyClarkhasgonetotheothersideforarun——willbebackinAugust。Hehasbeensick，andneededthetripverymuch。 Mrs。ClemenshadalongandwastingspellofsicknesslastSpring，butsheispullingup，now。Thechildrenarebooming，andmyhealthisridiculous，it”ssorobust，notwithstandingthenewspapermisreports。 Ihaven”tpiledupMSsoinyearsasIhavedonesincewecameheretothefarmthreeweeksandahalfago。Why，it”slikeoldtimes，tosteprightintothestudy，dampfromthebreakfasttable，andsailrightinandsailrighton，thewholedaylong，withoutthoughtofrunningshortofstufforwords。 Iwrote4000wordsto-dayandItouch3000andupwardsprettyoften，anddon”tfallbelow1600anyworkingday。AndwhenIgetfaggedout，Ilieabedacoupleofdaysandreadandsmoke，andthengoitagainfor6or7 days。Ihavefinishedonesmallbook，andamawayalonginabig433 onethatIhalf-finishedtwoorthreeyearsago。Iexpecttocompleteitinamonthorsixweeksortwomonthsmore。AndIshalllikeit，whetheranybodyelsedoesornot。 It”sakindofcompaniontoTomSawyer。There”saraftepisodefromitinsecondorthirdchapteroflifeontheMississippi…… I”mbooming，thesedays——gothealthandspiritstowaste——gotanoverplus；andifIwereathome，wewouldwriteaplay。Butwemustdoitanyhowbyandby。 WestayheretillSep。10；thenmaybeaweekatIndianNeckforseaair，thenhome。 Wearepowerfulgladyouareallback；andsendloveaccording。 YrsEverMARK ToOnionClemensandfamily，inKeokuk，Id。： ELMIRA，July22，”83。 PrivateDEARMAANDORIONANDMOLLIE，——Idon”tknowthatIhaveanythingnewtoreport，exceptthatLivyisstillgaining，andalltherestofusflourishing。Ihaven”thadsuchboomingworking-daysformanyyears。 Iampilingupmanuscriptinareallyastonishingway。IbelieveIshallcomplete，intwomonths，abookwhichIhavebeenfoolingoverfor7years。Thissummeritisnomoretroubletometowritethanitistolie。 DaybeforeyesterdayIfeltslightlywarnedtoknockoffworkforoneday。SoIdidit，andtooktheopenair。ThenIstruckanideafortheinstructionofthechildren，andwenttoworkandcarrieditout。Ittookmeallday。Imeasuredoff817feetoftheroad-wayinourfarmgrounds，withafoot-rule，andthendivideditupamongtheEnglishreigns，fromtheConquerordownto1883，allowingonefoottotheyear。 IwhittledoutabasketoflittlepegsaNddroveoneinthegroundatthebeginningofeachreign，andgaveitthatKing”sname-thus： Imeasuredallthereignsexactlyasmanyfeettothereignastherewereyearsinit。Youcanlookoutoverthegroundsandseethelittlepegsfromthefrontdoor——someofthemclosetogether，likeRichardII，RichardCromwell，JamesII，&c；andsomeprodigiouslywideapart，likeHenryIII，EdwardIII，GeorgeIII，&c。Itgivesthechildrenarealizingsenseofthelengthorbrevityofareign。Shallinventaviolentgametogowithit。 Andinbed，lastnight，Iinventedawaytoplayitindoors——inafarmorevoluminousway，astomultiplicityofdatesandevents——onacribbageboard。 Hello，supper”sready。 Lovetoall。 Goodbye。 SAML。 OnionClemenswouldnaturallygetexcitedovertheideaofthegameanditscommercialpossibilities。Notmoresothanhisbrother，however，whopresentlyemployedhimtoarrangeaquantityofhistoricaldatawhichthegamewastoteach。Foraseason，indeed，interestinthegamebecameasortofmidsummermadnesswhichpervadedthetwohouseholds，atKeokukandatQuarryFarm。Howellswrotehisapprovaloftheideaof“learninghistorybytherunningfoot，“whichwasapun，evenifunintentional，forinitsout-doorformitwasagameofspeedaswellasknowledge。 HowellsaddsthathehasnoticedthatthenewspapersareexploitingMarkTwain”snewinventionofahistorygame，andweshallpresentlyseehowthishappened。 Also，inthisletter，HowellsspeaksofanEnglishnoblemantowhomhehasgivenaletterofintroduction。“Heseemedasimple，quiet，gentlemanlyman，withagoodtasteinliterature，whichheevincedbygoingaboutwithmybooksinhispockets，andtalkingofyours。” ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： MYDEARHOWELLS，——Howodditseems，tositdowntowritealetterwiththefeelingthatyou”vegottimetodoit。ButI”mdonework，forthisseason，andsohavegottime。I”vedonetwoseasons”workinone，andhaven”tanythinglefttodo，now，butrevise。I”vewritteneightorninehundredMSpagesinsuchabriefspaceoftimethatImustn”tnamethenumberofdays；Ishouldn”tbelieveitmyself，andofcoursecouldn”texpectyouto。Iusedtorestrictmyselfto4or5hoursadayand5daysintheweek，butthistimeI”vewroughtfrombreakfasttill5。15p。m。sixdaysintheweek；andonceortwiceIsmouchedaSundaywhenthebosswasn”tlooking。NothingishalfsogoodasliteraturehookedonSunday，onthesly。 IwroteyouandTwichellonthesamenight，aboutthegame，andwasappalledtogetanotefromhimsayinghewasgoingtoprintpartofmyletter，andwasgoingtodoitbeforeIcouldgetachancetoforbidit。 Itelegraphedhim，butwasofcoursetoolate。 Ifyouhaven”tevertriedtoinventanindoorhistoricalgame，don”t。 I”vegotthethingatlastsoitwillwork，Iguess，butIdon”twantanymoretasksofthatkind。WhenIwroteyou，IthoughtIhadit；whereasI wasonlymerelyenteringupontheinitiatorydifficultiesofit。Imighthaveknownitwouldn”tbeaneasyjob，orsomebodywouldhaveinventedadecenthistoricalgamelongago——athingwhichnobodyhaddone。IthinkI”vegotitinprettyfairshape——soIhavecaveatedit。 EarlofOnston——isthatit？Allright，weshallbeverygladtoreceivethemandgetacquaintedwiththem。Andmuchobligedtoyou，too。 There”splentyofworsepeoplethanthenobilities。IwentupandspentaweekwiththeMarquisandthePrincessLouise，andhadasgoodatimeasIwant。 I”mpowerfulgladyouareallbackagain；andwewillcomeupthereifourlittletribewillgiveusthenecessaryfurlough；andifwecan”tgetit，youfolksmustcometousandgiveusanextensionoftime。WegethomeSept。11。 Hello，IthinkIseeWaringcoming！ Good-by-letterfromClark，whichexplainsforhim。 LovetoyouallfromtheCLEMENSES。 No——itwasn”tWaring。Iwonderwhatthedevilhasbecomeofthatman。 Hewastospendto-daywithus，andtheday”smostgone，now。 Weareenjoyingyourstorywithourusualunspeakableness；andI”mrightgladyouthrewintheshipwreckandthemystery——Ilikeit。Mrs。Cranethinksit”sthebeststoryyou”vewrittenyet。We——butwealwaysthinkthelastoneisthebest。Andwhyshouldn”titbe？Practicehelps。 P。S。IthoughtIhadsentallourlovestoallofyou，butMrs。ClemenssaysIhaven”t。Damnit，abodycan”tthinkofeverything；butawomanthinksyoucan。Ibettersealthis，now——elsethere”llbemorecriticism。 IperceiveIhaven”tgotthelovein，yet。Well，wedosendtheloveofallthefamilytoalltheHowellses。 S。L。C。 TherehadbeensomedelayandpostponementinthematteroftheplaywhichHowellsandClemensagreedtowrite。TheydidnotputintheentiremonthofOctoberastheyhadplanned，buttheydidputinaportionofthatmonth，thelatterhalf，workingouttheiroldidea。 IntheenditbecamearevivalofColonelSellers，orratheracaricatureofthatgentleheartedoldvisionary。ClemenshadalwayscomplainedthattheactorRaymondhadneverbroughtoutthefinershadesofColonelSellers”scharacter，butRaymondinhisworstperformanceneverbeliedhisoriginalasdidHowellsandClemensinhisdramaticrevival。Thesetwo，workingtogether，lettheirimaginationsrunriotwithdisastrousresults。Thereadercanjudgesomethingofthishimself，fromTheAmericanClaimantthebookwhichMarkTwainwouldlaterbuildfromtheplay。 Butatthistimetheythoughtitagreattriumph。Theyhad“crackedtheirsides“laughingoveritsconstruction，asHowellsoncesaid，andtheythoughttheworldwoulddothesameoveritsperformance。TheydecidedtoofferittoRaymond，butratherhaughtily，indifferently，becauseanynumberofotheractorswouldbewaitingforit。 Butthiswasamiscalculation。Raymondnowturnedthetables。Thoughfavorabletotheideaofanewplay，hedeclaredthisonedidnotpresenthisoldSellersatall，butalunatic。IntheendhereturnedtheMS。 withabriefnote。Attemptshadalreadybeenmadetointerestotheractors，andwouldcontinueforsometime。 XXIV LETTERS，1884，TOHOWELLSANDOTHERS。CABLE”SGREATAPRILFOOL。 “HUCKFINN“INPRESS。MARKTWAINFORCLEVELAND。CLEMENSANDCABLE MarkTwainhadalingeringattackofthedramaticfeverthatwinter。 HemadeaplayofthePrinceandPauper，whichHowellspronounced“toothinandslightandnothalflongenough。”HemadeanotherofTomSawyer，andprobablydestroyedit，fornotraceoftheMS。existsto-day。 Howellscouldnotjoinintheseventures，forhewasotherwiseoccupiedandhadsicknessinhishousehold。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： Jan。7，”84。 MYDEARHOWELLS”Omygoodn”s“，asJeansays。Youhavenowencounteredatlasttheheaviestcalamitythatcanbefallanauthor。Thescarletfever，oncedomesticated，isapermanentmemberofthefamily。Moneymaydesertyou，friendsforsakeyou，enemiesgrowindifferenttoyou，butthescarletfeverwillbetruetoyou，throughthickandthin，tillyoubeallsavedordamned，downtothelastone。Isaythesethingstocheeryou。 Thebaresuggestionofscarletfeverinthefamilymakesmeshudder；I believeIwouldalmostratherhaveOsgoodpublishabookforme。 Youfolkshaveourmostsinceresympathy。Oh，theintrusionofthishideousdiseaseisanunspeakabledisaster。 MybilliardtableisstackedupwithbooksrelatingtotheSandwichIslands：thewallsaxeupholsteredwithscrapsofpaperpenciledwithnotesdrawnfromthem。Ihavesaturatedmyselfwithknowledgeofthatunimaginablybeautifullandandthatmoststrangeandfascinatingpeople。 AndIhavebegunastory。Itshiddenmotivewillillustrateabut-littleconsideredfactinhumannature；thatthereligiousfollyyouareborninyouwilldiein，nomatterwhatapparentlyreasonablerreligiousfollymayseemtohavetakenitsplacemeanwhile，andabolishedandobliteratedit。IstartBillRagsdaleat12yearsofage，andtheheroineat4，inthemidstoftheancientidolatroussystem，withitspicturesqueandamazingcustomsandsuperstitions，3monthsbeforethearrivalofthemissionariesandtheerectionofashallowChristianityupontheruinsoftheoldpaganism。ThenthesetwowillbecomeeducatedChristians，andhighlycivilized。 AndthenIwilljump15years，anddoRagsdale”sleperbusiness。Whenwecametodramatize，wecandrawadealofmatterfromthestory，allreadytoourhand。 YrsEverMARK。 HeneverfinishedtheSandwichIslandsstorywhichheandHowellsweretodramatizelater。Hisheadfilledupwithotherprojects，suchaspublishingplans，reading-tours，andthelike。Thetype- settingmachinedoesnotappearinthelettersofthisperiod，butitwasanimportantfactor，nevertheless。ItwascostingseveralthousanddollarsamonthforconstructionandbecomingaheavydrainonMarkTwain”sfinances。Itwasnecessarytorecuperate，andtheanxietyforaprofitableplay，orsomeotheradventurethatwouldbringaquickandgenerousreturn，grewoutofthisneed。 ClemenshadestablishedCharlesL。Webster，hisnephewbymarriage，inaNewYorkoffice，assellingagentfortheMississippibookandforhisplays。HewasalsoplanningtoletWebsterpublishthenewbook，HuckFinn。 GeorgeW。Cablehadprovenhisabilityasareader，andClemenssawpossibilitiesinareadingcombination，whichwasfirstplannedtoincludeAldrich，andHowells，andaprivatecar。 ButAldrichandHowellsdidnotwarmtotheidea，andthecarwaseliminatedfromtheplan。CablecametovisitClemensinHartford，andwastakenwiththemumps，sothatthereading-tripwaspostponed。 ThefortunesoftheSellersplayweremostuncertainandbecomingdailymoredoubtful。InFebruary，Howellswrote：“IfyouhavegotanycomfortinregardtoourplayIwishyouwouldheaveitintomybosom。” Cablerecoveredintime，andoutofgratitudeplannedagreatApril- foolsurpriseforhishost。Hewasasystematicman，anddiditinhisusualthoroughway。Hesenta“privateandconfidential“ suggestiontoahundredandfiftyofMarkTwain”sfriendsandadmirers，nearlyalldistinguishedliterarymen。ThesuggestionwasthateachoneofthemshouldsendarequestforMarkTwain”sautograph，timingitsothatitwouldarriveonthe1stofApril。 Allseemedtohaveresponded。MarkTwain”swriting-tableonAprilFoolmorningwasheapedwithletters，askingineveryridiculousfashionforhis“valuableautograph。”TheonefromAldrichwasafairsample。Hewrote：“Iammakingacollectionofautographsofourdistinguishedwriters，andhavingreadoneofyourworks，GabrielConvoy，Iwouldliketoaddyournametothelist。” Ofcourse，thejokeinthiswasthatGabrielConvoywasbyBretHarte，whobythistimewasthoroughlydetestedbyMarkTwain。Thefirstoneortwooftheletterspuzzledthevictim；thenhecomprehendedthesizeandcharacterofthejokeandenteredintoitthoroughly。OneoftheletterswasfromBloodgoodH。Cutter，the“PoetLariat“ofInnocentsAbroad。Cutter，ofcourse，wrotein“poetry，“thatistosay，doggerel。MarkTwain”sAprilFoolwasamostpleasantone。 RhymedletterbyBloodgoodH。CuttertoMarkTwain： LITTLENECK，LONGISLAND。 LONGISLANDFARMER，TOHISFRIENDANDPILGRIMBROTHER，SAMUELL。CLEMENS，ESQ。 Friends，suggestineachone”sbehalfTowrite，andaskyourautograph。 Torefusethat，Iwillnotdo，Afterthelongvoyagehadwithyou。 ThatwasamemorabletimeYouwroteinprose，IwroteinRhymeTodescribethewondersofeachplace，Andthequeercustomsofeachrace。 ThatisinmymemoryyetForwhileIliveI”llnotforget。 IoftenthinkofthataffairAndthemanythatwerewithusthere。 AsyourfriendsthinkitforthebestIaskyourAutographwiththerest，Hopingyouwillittomesend”Twillpleaseandcheeryourdearoldfriend： Yourstruly，BLOODGOODH。CUTTER。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： HARTFORD，Apl8，”84。 MYDEARHOWELLS，Ittookmybreathaway，andIhaven”trecoveredityet，entirely——ImeanthegenerosityofyourproposaltoreadtheproofsofHuckFinn。 Nowifyoumeanit，oldman——ifyouareinearnest——proceed，inGod”sname，andbebymeforeverblest。Icannotconceiveofarationalmandeliberatelypilingsuchanatrociousjobuponhimself；butifthereissuchamanandyoubethatman，whythenpileiton。ItwillcostmeapangeverytimeIthinkofit，butthisanguishwillbeeingebussttomeinthejoyandcomfortIshallgetoutofthenothavingtoreadtheverfluchteteproofsmyself。ButifyouhaverepentedofyouraugenblichlicherTobsuchtandgotbacktocalmcoldreasonagain，Iwon”tholdyoutoitunlessIfindIhavegotyoudowninwritingsomewhere。 Herr，Iwouldnotreadtheproofofoneofmybooksforanyfairandreasonablesumwhatever，ifIcouldgetoutofit。 Theproof-readingontheP&Pcostmethelastragsofmyreligion。 M。 HowellshadwrittenthathewouldbegladtohelpoutinthereadingoftheproofsofHuckFinn，whichbookWebsterbythistimehadinhand。 ReplyingtoClemens”seagerandgratefulacceptancenow，hewrote：“Itisallperfectlytrueaboutthegenerosity，unlessIamgoingtoreadyourproofsfromoneoftheshabbymotiveswhichIalwaysfindatthebottomofmysoulifIexamineit。”Acharacteristicutterance，thoughwemaybepermittedtobelievethathisshabbymotiveswerefewerandlessshabbythanthoseofmankindingeneral。 TheproofswhichHowellswasreadingpleasedhimmightily。Once，duringthesummer，hewrote：“ifIhadwrittenhalfasgoodabookasHuckFinnIshouldn”taskanythingbetterthantoreadtheproofs；evenasitis，Idon”t，sosendthemon；theywillalwaysfindmesomewhere。” ThiswasthesummeroftheBlaine-Clevelandcampaign。MarkTwain，incompanywithmanyotherleadingmen，hadmugwumped，andwassupportingCleveland。Fromthenextletterwegathersomethingoftheaspectsofthatmemorablecampaign，whichwasoneofscandalandvituperation。Welearn，too，thattheyoungsculptor，KarlGerhardt，havingcompletedathreeyears”studyinParis，hadreturnedtoAmericaaqualifiedartist。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： ELMIRA，Aug。21，”84。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——Thispresidentialcampaignistoodeliciousforanything。Isn”thumannaturethemostconsummateshamandliethatwaseverinvented？Isn”tmanacreaturetobeashamedofinprettymuchallhisaspects？Man，“knowthyself“——andthenthouwiltdespisethyself，toadeadmoralcertainty。Takethreequitegoodspecimens——Hawley，Warner，andCharleyClark。EvenIdonotloatheBlainemorethantheydo；yetHawleyishowlingforBlaine，WarnerandClarkareeatingtheirdailycrowinthepaperforhim，andallthreewillvoteforhim。O Stultification，whereisthysting，Oslavewhereisthyhickory！ IsupposeyouheardhowamarblemonumentforwhichSt。Gaudenswaspecuniarilyresponsible，burneddowninHartfordtheotherday，uninsured——forwhointheworldwouldeverthinkofinsuringamarbleshaftinacemeteryagainstafire？——andleftSt。Gaudenoutofpocket$15，000。 Itwasabaddayforartists。Gerhardtfinishedmybustthatday，andtheworkwaspronouncedadmirablebyallthekinandfriends；butinputtingitinplaster(orrathertakingitout)nextdayitgotruined。 Itwasfourorfiveweekshardworkgonetothedogs。Thenewsflew，andeverybodyonthefarmflockedtothearborandgroupedthemselvesaboutthewreckinaprofoundandmovingsilence——thefarm-help，thecoloredservants，theGermannurse，thechildren，everybody——asilenceinterruptedatwideintervalsbyabsent-mindedejaculationswisingfromunconsciousbreastsasthewholesizeofthedisastergraduallyworkeditswayhometotherealizationofonespiritafteranother。 Someburstoutwithonething，someanother；theGermannurseputupherhandsandsaid，“Oh，Schade！oh，schrecklich！“ButGerhardtsaidnothing；oralmostthat。Hecouldn”twordit，Isuppose。Buthewenttowork，andbydarkhadeverythingthoroughlywellunderwayforafreshstartinthemorning；andinthreedays”timehadbuiltanewbustwhichwasatriflebetterthantheoldone——andto-morrowweshallputthefinishingtouchesonit，anditwillbeaboutasgoodaoneasnearlyanybodycanmake。 YrsEverMARK。 Ifyourunacrossanybodywhowantsabust，besureandrecommendGerhardtonmysay-so。 ButHowellswasdeterminedlyforBlaine。“IshallvoteforBlaine，“hereplied。“Idonotbelieveheisguiltyofthethingstheyaccusehimof，andIknowtheyarenotprovedagainsthim。AsforCleveland，hisprivatelifemaybenoworsethanthatofmostmen，butasanenemyofthatcontemptible，hypocritical，lop-sidedmoralitywhichsaysawomanshallsufferalltheshameofunchastityandmannone，Iwanttoseehimdestroyedpoliticallybyhispast。ThemenwhodefendhimwouldtaketheirwivestotheWhiteHouseifhewerepresident，butifhemarriedhisconcubine——”madeheranhonestwoman”theywouldnotgonearhim。I can”tstandthat。” Certainlythiswassoundlogic，inthatday，atleast。ButitleftClemensfarfromsatisfied。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： ELMIRA，Sept。17，”84。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——SomehowIcan”tseemtorestquietundertheideaofyourvotingforBlaine。Ibelieveyousaidsomethingaboutthecountryandtheparty。Certainlyallegiancetotheseiswell；butascertainlyaman”sfirstdutyistohisownconscienceandhonor——thepartyorthecountrycomesecondtothat，andneverfirst。Idon”taskyoutovoteatall——IonlyurgeyoutonotsoilyourselfbyvotingforBlaine。 Whenyouwrotebefore，youwereabletosaythechargesagainsthimwerenotproven。Butyouknownowthattheyareproven，anditseemstomethatthatbarsyouandallotherhonestandhonorablemen(whoareindependentlysituated)fromvotingforhim。 ItisnotnecessarytovoteforCleveland；theonlynecessarythingtodo，asIunderstandit，isthatamanshallkeephimselfclean，(bywithholdinghisvoteforanimproperman)eventhoughthepartyandthecountrygotodestructioninconsequence。Itisnotpartiesthatmakeorsavecountriesorthatbuildthemtogreatness——itiscleanmen，cleanordinarycitizens，rankandfile，themasses。Cleanmassesarenotmadebyindividualsstandingbacktilltherestbecomeclean。 AsIsaidbefore，Ithinkaman”sfirstdutyistohisownhonor；nottohiscountryandnottohisparty。Don”tbeoffended；Imeannooffence。 Iamnotsoconcernedabouttherestofthenation，but——well，good-bye。 YsEverMARK。 TheredoesnotappeartobeanyfurtherdiscussionofthematterbetweenHowellsandClemens。Theirlettersforatimecontainednosuggestionofpolitics。 PerhapsMarkTwain”sownpoliticalconsciencewasnotentirelyclearinhisrepudiationofhisparty；atleastwemaybelievefromhisnextletterthathisClevelandenthusiasmwasqualifiedbyawillingnesstosupportaRepublicanwhowouldcommandhisadmirationandhonor。Theideaofaneleventh-hournominationwasratherstartling，whateveritsmotive。 ToMr。Pierce，inBoston： HARTFORD，Oct。22，”84。 MYDEARMR。PIERCE，——Youknow，aswellasIdo，thatthereasonthemajorityofrepublicansaregoingtovoteforBlaineisbecausetheyfeelthattheycannothelpthemselves。DonotyoubelievethatifMr。EdmundswouldconsenttorunforPresident，ontheIndependentticket——evenatthislateday——hemightbeelected？ Well，ifhewouldn”tconsent，butshouldevenstrenuouslyprotestandsayhewouldn”tserveifelected，isn”titstillwiseandfairtonominatehimandvoteforhim？sincehisprotestwouldrelievehimfromallresponsibility；andhecouldn”tsurelyfindfaultwithpeopleforforcingacomplimentuponhim。AnddonotyoubelievethathisnamethuscompulsorilyplacedattheheadoftheIndependentcolumnwouldworkabsolutelycertaindefeattoBlainandsavethecountry”shonor？ Politiciansoftencarryavictorybyspringingsomedisgracefulandrascallymineunderthefeetoftheadversaryattheeleventhhour；woulditnotbewholesometovarythisthingforonceandspringasformidableamineofabettersortundertheenemy”sworks？ IfEdmunds”snamewereputup，Iwouldvoteforhimintheteethofalltheprotestingandblaspheminghecoulddoinamonth；andtherearelotsofotherswhowoulddolikewise。 Ifthisnotionisnotafoolishandwickedone，won”tyoujustconsultwithsomechiefIndependents，andseeiftheywon”tcallasuddenconventionandwhoopthethingthrough？TonominateEdmundsthe1stofNovember，wouldbesoonenough，wouldn”tit？ WithkindestregardstoyouandtheAldriches，YrTrulyS。L。CLEMENS。 ClemensandCablesetoutontheirreading-tourinNovember。Theywereacuriously-assortedpair：Cablewasoforthodoxreligion，exactastohabits，neat，prim，allthatClemenswasnot。InthebeginningCableundertooktoreadtheBiblealoudtoClemenseachevening，butthispartoftheday”sprogramwaspresentlyomittedbyrequest。IftheyspentSundayinatown，CablewasupbrightandearlyvisitingthevariouschurchesandSunday-schools，whileMarkTwainremainedatthehotel，inbed，readingorasleep。 XXV THEGREATYEAROF1885。CLEMENSANDCABLE。PUBLICATIONOF“HUCKFINN。” THEGRANTMEMOIRS。MARKTWAINATFIFTY Theyear1885wasinsomerespectsthemostimportant，certainlythemostpleasantlyexciting，inMarkTwain”slife。Itwastheyearinwhichheenteredfullyintothepublishingbusinessandlaunchedoneofthemostspectacularofallpublishingadventures，ThePersonalMemoirsofGeneralU。S。Grant。ClemenshadnotintendedtodogeneralpublishingwhenhearrangedwithWebstertobecomesales- agentfortheMississippibook，andlatergeneralagentforHuckFinn”sadventures；hehadintendedonlytohandlehisownbooks，becausehewasprettythoroughlydissatisfiedwithotherpublishingarrangements。EventheLibraryofHumor，whichHowells，withClark，oftheCourant，hadputtogetherforhim，heleftwithOsgooduntilthatpublisherfailed，duringthespringof1885。CertainlyheneverdreamedofundertakinganythingoftheproportionsoftheGrantbook。 HehadalwaysbelievedthatGrantcouldmakeabook。Morethanonce，whentheyhadmet，hehadurgedtheGeneraltopreparehismemoirsforpublication。Howells，inhis”MyMarkTwain”，tellsofgoingwithClemenstoseeGrant，thenamemberoftheill-fatedfirmofGrantandWard，andhowtheylunchedonbeans，baconandcoffeebroughtinfromanear-byrestaurant。ItwaswhiletheywereeatingthissoldierfarethatClemens——verylikelyabettedbyHowells—— especiallyurgedthegreatcommandertopreparehismemoirs。ButGranthadbecomeafinancier，ashebelieved，andtheprospectofliteraryearnings，howeverlarge，didnotappealtohim。 Furthermore，hewasconvincedthathewaswithoutliteraryabilityandthatabookbyhimwouldproveafailure。 Butthen，byandby，cameafailuremoredisastrousthananythinghehadforeseen——thedownfallofhisfirmthroughtheNapoleonicrascalityofWard。GeneralGrantwasutterlyruined；hewasleftwithoutincomeandapparentlywithoutthemeansofearningone。ItwastheperiodwhenthegreatWarSerieswasappeasingintheCenturyMagazine。GeneralGrant，hard-pressed，wasinducedbytheeditorstoprepareoneormorearticles，and，findingthathecouldwritethem，becameinterestedintheideaofabook。ItisunnecessarytorepeatherethestoryofhowthepublicationofthisimportantworkpassedintothehandsofMarkTwain；thatistosay，thefirmofCharlesL。Webster&Co。，thedetailshavingbeenfullygivenelsewhere——[SeeMarkTwain：ABiography，chap。cliv。]—— Wewillnowreturnforthemomenttoothermatters，asreportedinorderbytheletters。ClemensandCablehadcontinuedtheirreading-tourintoCanada，andinFebruaryfoundthemselvesinMontreal。HeretheywereinvitedbytheToqueBleueSnow-shoeClubtojoininoneoftheirweeklyexcursionsacrossMt。Royal。Theycouldnotgo，andthereasonsgivenbyMarkTwainarenotwithoutinterest。TheletteristoMr。GeorgeIles，authorofFlame，Electricity，andtheCamera，andmanyotherusefulworks。 ToGeorgeIles，fartheToqueBlewSnow-shoeClub，Montreal： DETROIT，February12，1885。 Midnight，P。S。 MYDEARILES，——Igotyourothertelegramawhileago，andansweredit，explainingthatIgetonlyacoupleofhoursinthemiddleofthedayforsociallife。Iknowitdoesn”tseemrationalthatamanshouldhavetolieabedalldayinordertoberestedandequippedfortalkinganhouratnight，andyetinmycaseandCable”sitisso。UnlessIgetagreatdealofrest，aghastlydulnesssettlesdownuponmeontheplatform，andturnsmyperformanceintowork，andhardwork，whereasitoughtalwaystobepastime，recreation，solidenjoyment。Usuallyitisjustthislatter，butthatisbecauseItakemyrestfaithfully，andpreparemyselftodomydutybymyaudience。 IamtheobligedandappreciativeservantofmybrethrenoftheSnow-shoeClub，andnothingintheworldwoulddelightmemorethantocometotheirhousewithoutnamingtimeortermsonmyownpart——butyouseehowitis。Mycastirondutyistomyaudience——itleavesmenolibertyandnooption。 WithkindestregardstotheClub，andtoyou，IamSincerelyyoursS。L。CLEMENS。 InthenextletterwereachtheendoftheClemens-CableventureandgetacharacteristicsummingupofMarkTwain”sgeneralattitudetowardthecompanionofhistravels。ItmustbereadonlyintheclearrealizationofMarkTwain”sattitudetowardorthodoxy，andhishabitofhumor。CablewasasrigidlyorthodoxasMarkTwainwasrevolutionary。Thetwowereneveranythingbutthebestoffriends。 ToW。D。Howells，inBoston： PHILADA。Feb。27，”85。 MYDEARHOWELLS，——To-nightinBaltimore，to-morrowafternoonandnightinWashington，andmyfour-monthsplatformcampaignisendedatlast。Ithasbeenacuriousexperience。IthastaughtmethatCable”sgiftsofmindaregreaterandhigherthanIhadsuspected。But—— That“But“ispointingtowardhisreligion。Youwillnever，neverknow，neverdivine，guess，imagine，howloathsomeathingtheChristianreligioncanbemadeuntilyoucometoknowandstudyCabledailyandhourly。Mindyou，Ilikehim；heispleasantcompany；Irageandswearathimsometimes，butwedonotquarrel；wegetalongmightyhappilytogether；butinhimandhispersonIhavelearnedtohateallreligions。 HehastaughtmetoabhoranddetesttheSabbath-dayandhuntupnewandtroublesomewaystodishonorit。 NatGoodwinwasonthetrainyesterday。HeplaysinWashingtonallthecomingweek。HeisveryanxioustogetourSellersplayandplayitunderchangednames。IsaidtheonlythingIcoulddowouldbetowritetoyou。Well，I”vedoneit。 YsEverMARK。 ClemensandWebsterwereoftenatthehouseofGeneralGrantduringtheseearlydaysof1885，anditmusthavebeenWebsterwhowaspresentwithClemensonthegreatoccasiondescribedinthefollowingtelegram。ItwasonthelastdayandhourofPresidentArthur”sadministrationthatthebillwaspassedwhichplacedUlyssesS。GrantasfullGeneralwithfullpayontheretiredlist，anditissaidthatthecongressionalclockwassetbackinorderthatthisenactmentmightbecomealawbeforetheadministrationchanged。GeneralGranthadbythistimedevelopedcancerandwasalreadyinfeeblehealth。 TelegramtoMrs。Clemens，inHartford： NEWYORK，Mar。4，1885。 ToMRS。S。L。CLEMENS，WewereatGeneralGrant”satnoonandatelegramarrivedthatthelastactoftheexpiringcongresslatethismorningretiredhimwithfullGeneral”srankandaccompanyingemoluments。Theeffectuponhimwaslikeraisingthedead。Wewerepresentwhenthetelegramwasputinhishand。 S。L。CLEMENS。 SomethinghasbeenmentionedbeforeofMarkTwain”sinvestmentsandthegenerallyunprofitablehabitofthem。Hehadatrustingnature，andwasusuallywillingtoinvestmoneyonanyplausiblerecommendation。Hewasoneofthousandssuch，andbeingapersonofdistinctionhenowandthenreceivedlettersofinquiry，complaint，orcondolence。AministerwrotehimthathehadboughtsomestocksrecommendedbyaHartfordbankerandadvertisedinareligiouspaper。Headded，“AfterImadethatpurchasetheywrotemethatyouhadjustboughtahundredsharesandthatyouwerea”shrewd”man。” Thewriterclosedbyaskingforfurtherinformation。Hereceivedit，asfollows： TotheRev。J——，inBaltimore： WASHINGTON，Mch。2”85。 MYDEARSIR，——ItakemyearliestopportunitytoansweryourfavorofFeb。 B——wasprematureincallingmea“shrewdman。”Iwasn”toneatthattime，butamonenow——thatis，IamatleasttooshrewdtoeveragaininvestinanythingputonthemarketbyB。IknownothingwhateverabouttheBankNoteCo。，andneverdidknowanythingaboutit。B—— soldmeabout$4，000or$5，000worthofthestockat$110，andIownityet。Hesoldme$10，000worthofanotherrose-tintedstockaboutthesametime。Ihavegotthatyet，also。IjudgethatapeculiarityofB——”sstocksisthattheyareofthestayingkind。IthinkyoushouldhaveaskedsomebodyelsewhetherIwasashrewdmanornotfortworeasons：thestockwasadvertisedinareligiouspaper，acircumstancewhichwasverysuspicious；andthecomplimentcametoyoufromamanwhowasinterestedtomakeapurchaserofyou。Iamafraidyoudeserveyourloss。Afinancialschemeadvertisedinanyreligiouspaperisathingwhichanylivingpersonoughttoknowenoughtoavoid；andwhenthefactorisaddedthatM。runsthatreligiouspaper，adeadpersonoughttoknowenoughtoavoidit。 VeryTrulyYoursS。L。CLEMENS。