第20章

Atideofcondolenceflowedinfromallpartsoftheworld。Itwasimpossibletoanswerall。Onlyafewwhohadbeentheirclosestfriendsreceivedawrittenline，butthelittleprintedacknowledgmentwhichwasreturnedwasnomereformality。Itwasaheartfelt，personalword。 TheyarrivedinAmericainJuly，andwereaccompaniedbyTwichelltoElmira，andonthe14thMrs。ClemenswaslaidtorestbythesideofSusyandlittleLangdon。R。W。Gilderhadarrangedforthemtooccupy，forthesummer，acottageonhisplaceatTyringham，intheBerkshireHills。ByNovembertheywereattheGrosvenor，inNewYork，preparingtoestablishthemselvesinahousewhichtheyhadtakenonthecornerofNinthStreetandFifthAvenue——Number21。 ToF。N。Doubleday，inNewYork： DEARDOUBLEDAY，——IdidnotknowyouweregoingtoEngland：IwouldhavefreightedyouwithsuchmessagesofhomageandaffectiontoKipling。 AndIwouldhavepressedhishand，throughyou，forhissympathywithmeinmycrushingloss，asexpressedbyhiminhislettertoGilder。 YouknowmyfeelingforKiplingandthatitantedatesthatexpression。 Iwasgladthattheboyscameheretoinvitemetothehouse-warmingandIthinktheyunderstoodwhyamanintheshadowofacalamitylikeminecouldnotgo。 Ithastakenthreemonthstorepairandrenovateourhouse——cornerof9thand5thAvenue，butIshallbeinitinioor15dayshence。Muchofthefurniturewentintoittoday(fromHartford)。Wehavenotseenitfor13 years。KatyLeary，ouroldhousekeeper，whohasbeeninourservicemorethan24years，criedwhenshetoldmeaboutitto-day。Shesaid“Ihadforgottenitwassobeautiful，anditbroughtMrs。Clemensrightbacktome——inthatoldtimewhenshewassoyoungandlovely。” JeanandmysecretaryandtheservantswhomwebroughtfromItalybecauseMrs。Clemenslikedthemsowell，arestillkeepinghouseintheBerkshirehills——andwaiting。Clara(nervouslywreckedbyhermother”sdeath)isinthehandsofaspecialistin69thSt。，andIshallnotbeallowedtohaveanycommunicationwithher——eventelephone——forayear。Iaminthiscomfortablelittlehotel，andstillinbed——forIdasn”tbudgetillI”msafefrommypetdevil，bronchitis。 Isn”titpathetic？OnehourandtenminutesbeforeMrs。ClemensdiedI wassayingtoher“To-day，afterfivemonthssearch，I”vefoundthevillathatwillcontentyou：to-morrowyouwillexaminetheplansandgiveityourconsentandIwillbuyit。”Hereyesdancedwithpleasure，forshelongedforahomeofherown。Andthere，onthatmorrow，shelaywhiteandcold。Andunresponsivetomyreverentcaresses——anewthingtomeandanewthingtoher；thathadnothappenedbeforeinfiveandthirtyyears。 IamcomingtoseeyouandMrs。Doubledaybyandbye。ShelovedandhonoredMrs。Doubledayandherwork。 Alwaysyours，MARK。 Itwasapresidentialyearandtheairwasthickwithpolitics。 MarkTwainwasnolongeractivelyinterestedinthepoliticalsituation；hewasonlydisheartenedbythehollownessandpretenseofoffice-seeking，andthemethodsofoffice-seekersingeneral。 GrievedthatTwichellshouldstillpinhisfaithtoanypartywhenallpartiesweresoobviouslyvenalandtime-serving，hewroteinoutspokenandrathersomberprotest。 ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford： THEGROSVENOR，Nov。4，”04。 Oh，dear！getoutofthatsewer——partypolitics——dearJoe。Atleastwithyourmouth。Wehailonlytwomenwhocouldmakespeechesfortheirpartiesandpreservetheirhonorandtheirdignity。Oneofthemisdead。 Possiblytherewerefour。IamsorryforJohnHay；sorryandashamed。 AndyetIknowhecouldn”thelpit。Hewearsthecollar，andhehadtopaythepenalty。Certainlyhehadnomoredesiretostandupbeforeamobofconfidinghumanincapablesanddebauchthemthanyouhad。 Certainlyhetooknomorerealpleasureindistortinghistory，concealingfacts，propagatingimmoralities，andappealingtothesordidsideofhumannaturethandidyou；buthewashisparty”sproperty，andhehadtoclimbawaydownanddoit。 Itisinteresting，wonderfullyinteresting——themiracleswhichparty- politicscandowithaman”smentalandmoralmake-up。LookatMcKinley，Roosevelt，andyourself：inprivatelifespotlessincharacter； honorable，honest，just，humane，generous；scorningtrickeries，treacheries，suppressionsofthetruth，mistranslationsofthemeaningsoffacts，thefilchingofcreditearnedbyanother，thecondoningofcrime，theglorifyingofbaseacts：inpublicpoliticallifethereverseofallthis。 McKinleywasasilverite——youconcealedit。Rooseveltwasasilverite—— youconcealedit。Parkerwasasilverite——youpublishit。Alongwithashudderandawarning：“Hewasunsafethen。Isheanysafernow？“ Joe，evenIcouldbeguiltyofsuchathingasthat——ifIwereinparty- politics；Ireallybelieveit。 Mr。Clevelandgavethecountrythegoldstandard；byimplicationyoucreditthemattertotheRepublicanparty。 Byimplicationyouprovethewholeannualpension-scoop，concealingthefactthatthebulkofthemoneygoestopeoplewhoinnowaydeserveit。 Youimplythatallthebattenersuponthisbribery-fundareRepublicans。 Anindiscreetconfession，sinceabouthalfofthemmusthavebeenDemocratsbeforetheywerebought。 YouasgoodaspraiseOrder78。Itistrueyoudonotshout，andyoudonotlinger，youonlywhisperandskip——still，whatlittleyoudointhematteriscomplimentarytothecrime。 Itmeans，ifitmeansanything，thatouroutlyingpropertieswillallbegivenupbytheDemocrats，andourflaghauleddown。Allofthem？NotonlythepropertiesstolenbyMr。McKinleyandMr。Roosevelt，butthepropertieshonestlyacquired？Joe，didyoubelievethathardystatementwhenyoumadeit？Yetyoumadeit，andthereitstandsinpermanentprint。Nowwhatmorallawwouldsufferifweshouldgiveupthestolenones？But—— “Youknowourstandard-bearer。Hewillmaintainallthatwehavegained“——bywhateverprocess。Land，Ibelieveyou！ ByGeorge，Joe，youareashandyatthegameasifyouhadbeenintrainingforitallyourlife。YourcampaignAddressisbuiltfromthegroundupupontheoldestandbestmodels。Thereisn”taparagraphinitwhosefactsormoralswillwash——notevenasentence，Ibelieve。 Butyouwillsoonbeoutofthis。Youdidn”twanttodoit——thatissufficientlyapparent，thanksbe！——butyoucouldn”twellgetoutofit。 Inafewdaysyouwillbeoutofit，andthenyoucanfumigateyourselfandtakeupyourlegitimateworkagainandresumeyourcleanandwholesomeprivatecharacteroncemoreandbehappy——anduseful。 IknowIoughttohandyousomeguff，now，aspropitiationandapologyforthesereproaches，butonthewholeIbelieveIwon”t。 Ihaveinquired，andfindthatMitsikuridoesnotarrivehereuntilto- morrownight。Ishallwatchout，andtelephoneagain，forIgreatlywanttoseehim。 AlwaysYours，MARK。 P-S-Nov，4。IwishIcouldlearntorememberthatitisunjustanddishonorabletoputblameuponthehumanraceforanyofitsacts。Foritdidnotmakeitself，itdidnotmakeitsnature，itismerelyamachine，itismovedwhollybyoutsideinfluences，ithasnohandincreatingtheoutsideinfluencesnorinchoosingwhichofthemitwillwelcomeorreject，itsperformanceiswhollyautomatic，ithasnomoremastershipnorauthorityoveritsmindthanithasoveritsstomach，whichreceivesmaterialfromtheoutsideanddoesasitpleaseswithit，indifferenttoit”sproprietor”ssuggestions，even，letalonehiscommands；wherefore，whateverthemachinedoes——socalledcrimesandinfamiesincluded——isthepersonalactofitsMaker，andHe，solely，isresponsible。IwishIcouldlearntopitythehumanraceinsteadofcensuringitandlaughingatit；andIcould，iftheoutsideinfluencesofoldhabitwerenotsostronguponmymachine。ItvexesmetocatchmyselfpraisingthecleanprivatecitizenRoosevelt，andblamingthesoiledPresidentRoosevelt，whenIknowthatneitherpraisenorblameisduetohimforanythoughtorwordordeedofhis，hebeingmerelyahelplessandirresponsiblecoffee-millgroundbythehandofGod。 Throughamisunderstanding，Clemens，somethingmorethanayearearlier，hadseveredhisconnectionwiththePlayers”Club，ofwhichhehadbeenoneofthechartermembers。Now，uponhisreturntoNewYork，anumberofhisfriendsjoinedinaninvitationtohimtoreturn。Itwasnotexactlyalettertheysent，butabitofanoldScotchsong—— “ToMarkTwainfromTheClansmen。 Willyenocomebackagain，Willyenocomebackagain？ Betterlo”edyecannabe。 Willyenocomebackagain？“ ThosewhosigneditwereDavidMonroe，oftheNorthAmericanReview； RobertReid，thepainter，andaboutthirtyothersoftheRoundTableGroup，socalledbecauseitsmemberswereaccustomedtolunchingatalargeroundtableinabaywindowofthePlayerdining-room。MarkTwain”sreplywaspromptandheartfelt。Hewrote： ToRobt。ReidandtheOthers： WELL-BELOVED，——SurelythoselovelyverseswenttoPrinceCharley”sheart，ifhehadone，andcertainlytheyhavegonetomine。IshallbegladandproudtocomebackagainaftersuchamovingandbeautifulcomplimentasthisfromcomradeswhomIhavelovedsolong。Ihopeyoucanpollthenecessaryvote；Iknowyouwilltry，atanyrate。ItwillbemanymonthsbeforeIcanforegatherwithyou，forthisblackborderisnotperfunctory，notaconvention；itsymbolizesthelossofonewhosememoryistheonlythingIworship。 Itisnotnecessaryformetothankyou——andwordscouldnotdeliverwhatIfeel，anyway。IwillputthecontentsofyourenvelopeinthesmallcasketwhereIkeepthethingswhichhavebecomesacredtome。 S。L。C。 Ayearlater，MarkTwaindid“comebackagain，“asanhonorarylifemember，andwasgivenadinnerofwelcomebythosewhohadsignedthelinesurginghisreturn。 XLIV LETTERSOF1905。TOTWICHELL，MR。DUNEKAANDOTHERS。 POLITICSANDHUMANITY。ASUMMERATDUBLIN。MARKTWAINAT70 In1884MarkTwainhadabandonedtheRepublicanPartytovoteforCleveland。Hebelievedthepartyhadbecomecorrupt，andtohislastdayitwashardforhimtoseeanythinggoodinRepublicanpoliciesorperformance。HewasapersonalfriendofThedoreRoosevelt”sbut，aswehaveseeninaformerletter，Rooseveltthepoliticianrarelyfoundfavorinhiseyes。Withorwithoutjustification，mostofthePresident”spoliticalactsinvitedhiscausticsarcasmandunsparingcondemnation。AnotherlettertoTwichellofthistimeaffordsafairexample。 ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford： Feb。16，”05。 DEARJOE，——IknewIhadinmesomewhereadefinitefeelingaboutthePresidentifIcouldonlyfindthewordstodefineitwith。Heretheyare，toahair——fromLeonardJerome：“FortwentyyearsIhavelovedRooseveltthemanandhatedRooseveltthestatesmanandpolitician。” It”smightygood。Everytime，in25years，thatIhavemetRoosevelttheman，awaveofwelcomehasstreakedthroughmewiththehand-grip； butwhenever(asarule)ImeetRooseveltthestatesmanandpolitician，Ifindhimdestituteofmoralsandnotrespectworthy。Itisplainthatwherehispoliticalselfandhispartyselfareconcernedhehasnothingresemblingaconscience；thatunderthoseinspirationsheisnaivelyindifferenttotherestraintsofdutyandevenunawareofthem；readytokicktheConstitutionintothebackyardwheneveritgetsintheway；andwheneverhesmellsavote，notonlywillingbuteagertobuyit，giveextravagantratesforitandpaythebillnotoutofhisownpocketortheparty”s，butoutofthenation”s，bycoldpillage。AsperOrder78 andtheappropriationoftheIndiantrustfunds。 ButRooseveltisexcusable——Irecognizeitand(oughtto)concedeit。 Weareallinsane，eachinhisownway，andwithinsanitygoesirresponsibility。Theodorethemanissane；infairnessweoughttokeepinmindthatTheodore，asstatesmanaridpolitician，isinsaneandirresponsible。 Donotthrowtheseenlightenmentsaside，butstudythem，letthemraiseyoutohigherplanesandmakeyoubetter。Youtaughtmeinmycallowdays，letmepaybackthedebtnowinmyoldageoutofathesauruswithwisdomsmeltedfromthegoldenoresofexperience。 EveryoursforsweetnessandlightMARK。 ThenextlettertoTwichelltakesuppoliticsandhumanityingeneral，inamannercomplimentarytoneither。MarkTwainwasneverreallyapessimist，buthehadpessimisticintervals，suchascometomostofusinlife”slateryears，andatsuchtimeshelethimselfgowithoutstintconcerning“thedamnedhumanrace，“ashecalledit，usuallywithamanifestsenseofindignationthatheshouldbeamemberofit。Inmuchofhislaterwriting—— AMysteriousStrangerforexample——hesaidhissaywithbutsmallrestraint，andcertainlyinhispurelyintellectualmomentshewaslikelytobeapessimistofthemostextremetype，capablydamningtheraceandtheinventorofit。Yet，atheart，nomanlovedhiskindmoregenuinely，orwithdeepercompassion，thanMarkTwain，perhapsforitsveryweaknesses。Itwasonlythathehadintervals——frequentintervals，andratherlongones——whenhedidnotadmireit，andwasstillmoredoubtfulastothewaysofprovidence。 ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford： March14，”05。 DEARJOE，——IhaveaPuddn”headmaxim： “Whenamanisapessimistbefore48heknowstoomuch；ifheisanoptimistafterit，heknowstoolittle。” Itiswithcontentment，therefore，thatIreflectthatIambetterandwiserthanyou。Joe，youseemtobedealingin“bulks，“now；the“bulk“ ofthefarmersandU。S。Senatorsare“honest。”Asregardspurchaseandsalewithmoney？Whodoubtsit？Isthattheonlymeasureofhonesty？ Aren”tthereadozenkindsofhonestywhichcan”tbemeasuredbythemoney-standard？Treasonistreason——andthere”smorethanoneformofit；themoney-formisbutoneofthem。Whenapersonisdisloyaltoanyconfessedduty，heisplainlyandsimplydishonest，andknowsit；knowsit，andisprivatelytroubledaboutitandnotproudofhimself。Judgedbythisstandard——andwhowillchallengethevalidityofit？——thereisn”tanhonestmaninConnecticut，norintheSenate，noranywhereelse。Idonotevenexceptmyself，thistime。 AmIfindingfaultwithyouandtherestofthepopulace？No——IassureyouIamnot。ForIknowthehumanrace”slimitations，andthismakesitmyduty——mypleasantduty——tobefairtoit。Eachpersoninitishonestinoneorseveralways，butnomemberofitishonestinallthewaysrequiredby——bywhat？Byhisownstandard。Outsideofthat，asIlookatit，thereisnoobligationuponhim。 AmIhonest？Igiveyoumywordofhonor(private)Iamnot。ForsevenyearsIhavesuppressedabookwhichmyconsciencetellsmeIoughttopublish。Iholditadutytopublishit。ThereareotherdifficultdutieswhichIamequalto，butIamnotequaltothatone。Yes，evenI amdishonest。Notinmanyways，butinsome。Forty-one，Ithinkitis。 Wearecertainlyallhonestinoneorseveralways——everymanintheworld——thoughIhavereasontothinkIamtheonlyonewhoseblack-listrunssolight。SometimesIfeellonelyenoughinthisloftysolitude。 Yes，oh，yes，Iamnotoverlookingthe“steadyprogressfromagetoageofthecomingofthekingdomofGodandrighteousness。”“Fromagetoage“——yes，itdescribesthatgiddygait。I(andtherocks)willnotlivetoseeitarrive，butthatisallright——itwillarrive，itsurelywill。 ButyououghtnottobealwaysironicallyapologizingfortheDeity。Ifthatthingisgoingtoarrive，itisinferablethatHewantsittoarrive；andsoitisnotquitekindofyou，andithurtsme，toseeyouflingingsarcasmsatthegaitofit。Andyetitwouldnotbefairinmenottoadmitthatthesarcasmsaredeserved。WhentheDeitywantsathing，andafterworkingatitfor“agesandages“can”tshowevenashadeofprogresstowarditsaccomplishment，we——well，wedon”tlaugh，butitisonlybecausewedasn”t。Thesourceof“righteousness“——isintheheart？Yes。Andengineeredanddirectedbythebrain？Yes。Well，historyandtraditiontestifythattheheartisjustaboutwhatitwasinthebeginning；ithasundergonenoshadeofchange。ItsgoodandevilimpulsesandtheirconsequencesarethesametodaythattheywereinOldBibletimes，inEgyptiantimes，inGreektimes，inMiddleAgetimes，inTwentiethCenturytimes。Therehasbeennochange。 Meantime，thebrainhasundergonenochange。Itiswhatitalwayswas。 Thereareafewgoodbrainsandamultitudeofpoorones。ItwassoinOldBibletimesandinallothertimes——Greek，Roman，MiddleAgesandTwentiethCentury。Amongthesavages——allthesavages——theaveragebrainisascompetentastheaveragebrainhereorelsewhere。Iwillproveittoyou，sometime，ifyoulike。Andtherearegreatbrainsamongthem，too。Iwillprovethatalso，ifyoulike。 Well，the19thcenturymadeprogress——thefirstprogressafter“agesandages“——colossalprogress。Inwhat？Materialities。Prodigiousacquisitionsweremadeinthingswhichaddtothecomfortofmanyandmakelifeharderforasmanymore。Buttheadditiontorighteousness？ Isthatdiscoverable？Ithinknot。Thematerialitieswerenotinventedintheinterestofrighteousness；thatthereismorerighteousnessintheworldbecauseofthemthanthere，wasbefore，ishardlydemonstrable，I think。InEuropeandAmerica，thereisavastchange(duetothem)inideals——doyouadmireit？AllEuropeandallAmerica，arefeverishlyscramblingformoney。Moneyisthesupremeideal——allotherstaketenthplacewiththegreatbulkofthenationsnamed。Money-lusthasalwaysexisted，butnotinthehistoryoftheworldwasiteveracraze，amadness，untilyourtimeandmine。Thislusthasrottedthesenations； ithasmadethemhard，sordid，ungentle，dishonest，oppressive。 DidEnglandriseagainsttheinfamyoftheBoerwar？No——roseinfavorofit。DidAmericariseagainsttheinfamyofthePhillipinewar？No—— roseinfavorofit。DidRussiariseagainsttheinfamyofthepresentwar？No——satstillandsaidnothing。HastheKingdomofGodadvancedinRussiasincethebeginningoftime？ OrinEuropeandAmerica，consideringthevastbackwardstepofthemoney-lust？Oranywhereelse？IftherehasbeenanyprogresstowardrighteousnesssincetheearlydaysofCreation——which，inmyineradicablehonesty，Iamobligedtodoubt——IthinkwemustconfineittotenpercentofthepopulationsofChristendom，(butleaving，Russia，SpainandSouthAmericaentirelyout。)Thisgivesus320，000，000todrawthetenpercentfrom。Thatistosay，32，000，000haveadvancedtowardrighteousnessandtheKingdomofGodsincethe“agesandages“havebeenflyingalong，theDeitysittingupthereadmiring。Well，youseeitleaves1，200，000，000outoftherace。Theystandjustwheretheyhavealwaysstood；therehasbeennochange。 N。B。Nochargefortheseinformations。Docomedownsoon，Joe。 Withlove，MARK。 St。ClairMcKelway，ofTheBrooklynEagle，narrowlyescapedinjuriesinarailwayaccident，andreceivedthefollowing。ClemensandMcKelwaywereoldfriends。 ToSt。ClairMcKelway，inBrooklyn： 21FIFTHAVE。SundayMorning。 April30，1905。 DEARMcKELWAY，Yourinnumerablefriendsaregrateful，mostgrateful。 AsIunderstandthetelegrams，theengineerofyourtrainhadneverseenalocomotivebefore。Verywell，then，IamoncemoregladthatthereisanEver-watchfulProvidencetoforeseepossibleresultsandsendOgdensandMcIntyresalongtosaveourfriends。 TheGovernment”sOfficialreport，showingthatourrailwayskilledtwelvehundredpersonslastyearandinjuredsixtythousandconvincesmethatunderpresentconditionsoneProvidenceisnotenoughtoproperlyandefficientlytakecareofourrailroadbusiness。ButitischaracteristicallyAmerican——alwaystryingtogetalongshort-handedandsavewages。 Iamhelpingyourfamilycongratulatethemselves，andamyourfriendasalways。 S。L。CLEMENS。 ClemensdidnotspendanymoresummersatQuarryFarm。Allitsassociationswerebeautifulandtender，buttheycouldonlysaddenhim。Thelifetherehadbeenasofanotherworld，sunlit，idyllic，nowforevervanished。Forthesummerof1905heleasedtheCopleyGreenhouseatDublin，NewHampshire，wheretherewasaBostoncolonyofwritingandartisticfolk，includingmanyofhislong-timefriends。AmongthemwasColonelThomasWentworthHigginson，whowroteaheartyletterofwelcomewhenheheardthenews。Clemensrepliedinkind。 ToCol。ThomasWentworthHigginson，inBoston： 21FIFTHAVE。Sunday，March26，z9o。5。 DEARCOL。HIGGINSON，——IearlylearnedthatyouwouldbemyneighborintheSummerandIrejoiced，recognizinginyouandyourfamilyalargeasset。Ihopeforfrequentintercoursebetweenthetwohouseholds。I shallhavemyyoungestdaughterwithme。Theotheronewillgofromtherest-cureinthiscitytotherest-cureinNorfolkConnandweshallnotseeherbeforeautumn。WehavenotseenhersincethemiddleofOctober。 Jean(theyoungestdaughter)wenttoDublinandsawthehouseandcamebackcharmedwithit。IknowtheThayersofold——manifestlythereisnolackofattractionsupthere。Mrs。ThayerandIwereshipmatesinawildexcursionperilouslynear40yearsago。 Yousayyou“sendwiththis“thestory。Thenitshouldbeherebutitisn”t，whenIsendathingwithanotherthing，theotherthinggoesbutthethingdoesn”t，Ifinditlater——stillonthepremises。Willyoulookitupnowandsendit？ Aldrichwasherehalfanhourago，likeabreezefromoverthefields，withthefragrancestilluponhisspirit。Iamtiredofwaitingforthatmantogetold。 Sincerelyyours，S。L。C。 MarkTwainwasinhisseventiethyear，oldneitherinmindnorbody，butwillingtotakelifemorequietly，torefrainfromtravelandgayevents。Asortofpioneers”reunionwastobeheldonthePacificCoast，andaletterfromRobertFulton，ofReno，Nevada，invitedClemenstoattend。Hedidnotgo，buthesentaletterthatwemaybelievewasthenextbestthingtothosewhohearditread。 ToRobertFulton，inReno，Nevada： INTHEMOUNTAINS，May24，1905。 DEARMR。FULTON，——Iremember，asifitwereyesterday，thatwhenI disembarkedfromtheoverlandstageinfrontoftheOrmsbyinCarsonCityinAugust，1861，Iwasnotexpectingtobeaskedtocomeagain。Iwastired，discouraged，whitewithalkalidust，anddidnotknowanybody；andifyouhadsaidthen，“Cheerup，desolatestranger，don”tbedown- hearted——passon，andcomeagainin1905，“youcannotthinkhowgratefulIwouldhavebeenandhowgladlyIwouldhaveclosedthecontract。 AlthoughIwasnotexpectingtobeinvited，Iwaswatchingoutforit，andwashurtanddisappointedwhenyoustartedtoaskmeandchangeditto，“Howsoonareyougoingaway？“ Butyouhavemadeitallright，now，thewoundisclosed。AndsoIthankyousincerelyfortheinvitation；andwithyou，allReno，andifIwereafewyearsyoungerIwouldacceptit，andpromptly。Iwouldgo。Iwouldletsomebodyelsedotheoration，but，asforme，Iwouldtalk—— justtalk。Iwouldrenewmyyouth；andtalk——andtalk——andtalk——andhavethetimeofmylife！Iwouldmarchtheunforgottenandunforgettableantiquesby，andnametheirnames，andgivethemreverentHailand-farewellastheypassed：Goodman，McCarthy，Gillis，Curry，Baldwin，Winters，Howard，Nye，Stewart；NeelyJohnson，HalClayton，North，Root，——andmybrother，uponwhombepeace！——andthenthedesperadoes，whomadelifeajoyandthe“Slaughter-house“apreciouspossession：SamBrown，FarmerPete，BillMayfield，Six-fingeredJake，JackWilliamsandtherestofthecrimsondiscipleship——andsoonandsoon。Believeme，Iwouldstartaresurrectionitwoulddoyoumoregoodtolookatthanthenextonewill，ifyougoonthewayyouaredoingnow。 Thosewerethedays！thoseoldones。Theywillcomenomore。Youthwillcomenomore。Theyweresofulltothebrimwiththewineoflife；therehavebeennootherslikethem。Itchokesmeuptothinkofthem。Wouldyoulikemetocomeoutthereandcry？Itwouldnotbeseemmywhitehead。 Good-bye。Idrinktoyouall。Haveagoodtime——andtakeanoldman”sblessing。 MARKTWAIN。 AfewdayslaterhewaswritingtoH。H。Bancroft，ofSanFrancisco，whohadinvitedhimforavisitineventofhiscomingtotheCoast。 HenryJameshadjustbeenthereforaweekanditwashopedthatHowellswouldsoonfollow。 ToH。H。Bancroft，inSanFrancisco： UPINNEWHAMPSHIRE，May27，1905。 DEARMR。BANCROFT，——Ithankyousincerelyforthetemptinghospitalitieswhichyouofferme，butIhavetodenymyself，formywanderingdaysareover，anditismydesireandpurposetositbythefiretherestofmyremnantoflifeandindulgemyselfwiththepleasureandreposeofwork——workuninterruptedandunmarredbydutiesorexcursions。 Amanwholikeme，isgoingtostrike70onthe30thofnextNovemberhasnobusinesstobeflittingaroundthewayHowellsdoes——thatshamelessoldfictitiousbutterfly。(Butifhecomes，don”ttellhimIsaidit，foritwouldhurthimandIwouldn”tbrushaflakeofpowderfromhiswingforanything。Ionlysayitinenvyofhisindestructibleyouth，anyway。Howellswillbe88inOctober。)Withthanksagain，Sincerelyyours，S。L。C。 ClemensfoundthattheairoftheNewHampshirehillsagreedwithhimandstimulatedhimtowork。HebegananentirelynewversionofTheMysteriousStranger，ofwhichhealreadyhadabulkyandnearlyfinishedmanuscript，writteninVienna。Hewroteseveralhundredpagesofanextravaganzaentitled，ThreeThousandYearsAmongtheMicrobes，andthen，havinggothissuperabundantvitalityreduced(itwaslikelytoexpenditselfintheseweirdmentalexploits)，hesettleddownonedayandwrotethatreallytenderandbeautifulidyl，Eve”sDiary，whichhehadbegun，oratleastplanned，theprevioussummeratTyringham。InalettertoMr。FrederickA。 Duneka，generalmanagerofHarper&Brothers，hetellssomethingofthemannerofthestory；alsohisrevisedopinionofAdam”sDiary，writtenin”93，andoriginallypublishedasasouvenirofNiagaraFalls。 ToFrederickA。Duneka，inNewYork： DUBLIN，July16，”05。 DEARMR。DUNEKA，——IwroteEve”sDiary，sheusingAdam”sDiaryasher(unwittingandunconscious)text，ofcourse，sincetouseanyothertextwouldhavebeenanimbecility——thenItookAdam”sDiaryandreadit。Itturnedmystomach。Itwasnotliterature；yetithadbeenliteratureonce——beforeIsoldittobedegradedtoanadvertisementoftheBuffaloFair。Iwasgoingtowriteandaskyoutomelttheplatesandputitoutofprint。 ButthismorningIexamineditwithouttemper，andsawthatifI abolishedtheadvertisementitwouldbeliteratureagain。 SoIhavedoneit。Ihavestruckout700wordsandinserted5MSpagesofnewmatter(650words)，andnowAdam”sDiaryisdamgood——sixtytimesasgoodasiteverwasbefore。 IbelieveitisasgoodasEve”sDiarynow——no，it”snotquitethatgood，Iguess，butitisgoodenoughtogointhesamecoverwithEve”s。I”msureofthat。 IhatetohavetheoldAdamgooutanymore——don”tputitonthepressesagain，let”sputthenewoneinplaceofit；andnextXmas，letusbindAdamandEveinonecover。Theyscorepointsagainsteachother——so，ifnotboundtogether，someofthepointswouldnotbeperceived…… P。S。PleasesendanotherAdam”sDiary，sothatIcanmake2revisedcopies。Eve”sDiaryisEve”slove-Story，butwewillnotnameitthat。 Yrsever，MARK。 Thepeace-makingatPortsmouthbetweenJapanandRussiawasnotsatisfactorytoMarkTwain，whohadfondlyhopedtherewouldbenopeaceuntil，ashesaid，“Russianlibertywassafe。OnemorebattlewouldhaveabolishedthewaitingchainsofmillionsuponmillionsofunbornRussiansandIwishitcouldhavebeenfought。”HesetdownanexpressionofhisfeelingsfortheAssociatedPress，anditinvitedmanyletters。CharlesFrancisAdamswrote，“ItattractedmyattentionbecauseitsoexactlyexpressestheviewsIhavemyselfallalongentertained。” ClemenswasinvitedbyColonelGeorgeHarveytodinewiththeRussianemissaries，BaronRosenandSergiusWitte。Hedeclined，buthistelegramsopleasedWittethatheaskedpermissiontopublishit，andannouncedthathewouldshowittotheCzar。 Telegram。ToCol。GeorgeHarvey，inNewYork： TOCOLONELHARVEY，——Iamstillacripple，otherwiseIshouldbemorethangladofthisopportunitytomeettheillustriousmagicianswhocamehereequippedwithnothingbutapen，andwithithavedividedthehonorsofthewarwiththesword。Itisfairtopresumethatinthirtycenturieshistorywillnotgetdoneadmiringthesemenwhoattemptedwhattheworldregardedasimpossibleandachievedit。 WittewouldnothavecaredtoshowtheCzarthetelegraminitsoriginalform，whichfollows。 Telegram(unsent)。ToCol。GeorgeHarvey，inNewYork： TOCOLONELHARVEY，——Iamstillacripple，otherwiseIshouldbemorethangladofthisopportunitytomeetthoseillustriousmagicianswhowiththepenhaveannulled，obliterated，andabolishedeveryhighachievementoftheJapaneseswordandturnedthetragedyofatremendouswarintoagayandblithesomecomedy。IfImay，letmeinallrespectandhonorsalutethemasmyfellow-humorists，Itakingthirdplace，asbecomesonewhowasnotborntomodesty，butbydiligenceandhardworkisacquiringit。 MARK。 Norstillanotherunsentform，perhapsmorecharacteristicthaneitheroftheforegoing。 Telegram(unsent)。ToCol。GeorgeHarvey，inNewYork： DEARCOLONEL，——No，thisisalove-feast；whenyoucallalodgeofsorrowsendforme。 MARK。 ToMrs。Crane，QuarryFarm： DUBLIN，Sept。24，”05。 Susydear，Ihavehadalovelydream。Livy，dressedinblack，wassittingupinmybed(here)atmyrightandlookingasyoungandsweetassheusedtodowhenshewasinhealth。Shesaid：“whatisthenameofyoursweetsister？“Isaid，“Pamela。”“Oh，yes，thatisit，Ithoughtitwas——(naminganamewhichhasescapedme)“Won”tyouwriteitdownforme？“Ireachedeagerlyforapenandpad——laidmyhandsuponboth——thensaidtomyself，“Itisonlyadream，“andturnedbacksorrowfullyandthereshewas，still。Theconvictionflamedthroughmethatourlamenteddisasterwasadream，andthisareality。Isaid，“Howblesseditis，howblesseditis，itwasalladream，onlyadream！“SheonlysmiledanddidnotaskwhatdreamImeant，whichsurprisedme。SheleanedherheadagainstmineandIkeptsaying，“Iwasperfectlysureitwasadream，Ineverwouldhavebelieveditwasn”t。” Ithinkshesaidseveralthings，butifsotheyaregonefrommymemory。 IwokeanddidnotknowIhadbeendreaming。Shewasgone。Iwonderedhowshecouldgowithoutmyknowingit，butIdidnotspendanythoughtuponthat，Iwastoobusythinkingofhowvividandrealwasthedreamthatwehadlostherandhowunspeakablyblesseditwastofindthatitwasnottrueandthatshewasstilloursandwithus。 S。L。C。 OnedaythatsummerMarkTwainreceivedaletterfromtheactress，MinnieMaddernFiske，askinghimtowritesomethingthatwouldaidherinhercrusadeagainstbull-fighting。Theideaappealedtohim； herepliedatonce。 ToMrs。Fiske： DEARMRS。FISKE，——Ishallcertainlywritethestory。ButImaynotgetittosuitme，inwhichcaseitwillgointhefire。LaterIwilltryagain——andyetagain——andagain。Iamusedtothis。Ithastakenmetwelveyearstowriteashortstory——theshortestoneIeverwrote，I think——[Probably“TheDeathDisk。”]——Sodonotbediscouraged；Iwillsticktothisoneinthesameway。Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 Hedidnotdelayinhisbeginning，andafewweekslaterwassendingwordtohispublisheraboutit。 ToFrederickA。Duneka，inNewYork： Oct。2，”05。 DEARMR。DUNEKA，——IhavejustfinishedashortstorywhichI“greatlyadmire，“andsowillyou”AHorse”sTale“——about15，000words，ataroughguess。Ithasgoodfuninit，andseveralcharacters，andislively。Ishallfinishrevisingitinafewdaysormore，thenJeanwilltypeit。 Don”tyouthinkyoucangetitintotheJan。andFeb。numbersandissueitasadollarbookletjustafterthemiddleofJan。whenyouissuetheFeb。number？ Itoughttobeablyillustrated。 Whynotsellsimultaneousrights，forthisonce，totheLadies”HomeJournalorCollier”s，orboth，andrecoupyourself？——forIwouldliketogetittoclassesthatcan”taffordHarper”s。Althoughitdoesn”tpreach，there”sasermonconcealedinit。 Yrsincerely，MARK。 Fivedayslaterheaddedsomeratherinterestingfactsconcerningthenewstory。 ToF。A。Duneka，inNewYork： Oct。7，1906。[”05] DEARMR。DUNEKA，……I”vemadeapoorguessastonumberofwords。 Ithinktheremustbe20，000。MyusualpageofMS。containsabout130 words；butwhenIamdeeplyinterestedinmyworkanddeadtoeverythingelse，myhand-writingshrinksandshrinksuntilthere”sagreatdealmorethan130onapage——oh，yes，adealmore。Well，Idiscover，thismorning，thatthistaleiswritteninthatsmallhand。 Thisstronginterestisnatural，fortheheroineismydaughter，Susy，whomwelost。Itwasnotintentional——itwasagoodwhilebeforeIfounditout。 SoIamsendingyouherpicturetouse——andtoreproducewithphotographicexactnesstheunsurpassableexpressionandall。Mayyoufindanartistwhohaslostanidol！ TakeasgoodcareofthepictureasyoucanandrestoreittomewhenI come。 Ihopeyouwillillustratethistaleconsiderably。Nothumorouspictures。No。Whentheyaregood(orbad)one”shumorgetsnochancetoplaysurprisesonthereader。Ahumoroussubjectillustratedseriouslyisallright，butahumorousartistisnofitpersonforsuchwork。Yousee，thehumorouswriterpretendstoabsoluteseriousness(whenheknowshistrade)thenforanartist——tostepinandgivehiscalculatedgravityallawaywithafunnypicture——oh，myland！Itgivesmethedrygripesjusttothinkofit。Itwouldbejustaboutuptotheaveragecomicartist”sintellectualleveltomakeafunnypictureofthehorsekickingthelungsoutofatrader。Hangit，theremarkisfunny——becausethehorseisnotawareofitbutthefactisnothumorous，itistragicanditisnosubjectforahumorouspicture。 CouldIbeallowedtositinjudgmentuponthepicturesbeforetheyareaccepted——atleastthoseinwhichCathymayfigure？ Thisisnotessential。Itisbutasuggestion，anditisherebywithdrawn，ifitwouldbetroublesomeorcausedelay。 Ihopeyouwillreproducethecat-pile，fullpage。Andsavethephotoformeinasgoodconditionaspossible。WhenSusyandClarawerelittletotsthosecatshadtheirprofoundestworship，andthereisnoduplicateofthispicture。Thesecatsallhadthunderingnames，orinappropriateones——furnishedbythechildrenwithmyhelp。OnewasnamedBuffaloBill。 Areyouinterestedincoincidences？ Afterdiscovering，aboutthemiddleofthebook，thatCathywasSusyClemens，IputherpicturewithmyMS。，tobereproduced。AfterthebookwasfinisheditwasdiscoveredthatSusyhadadimmodelofSoldierBoyinherarms；Ihadforgottenallaboutthattoy。 ThenIexaminedthecat-pictureandlaiditwiththeMS。forintroduction；butitwasnotuntilyesterdaythatIrememberedthatoneofthecatswasnamedBuffaloBill。 Sincerelyyours，MARK。 Thereferenceinthislettertoshrinkageofhishand-writingwiththeincreasingintensityofhisinterest，andtheconsequentadditionofthenumberofwordstothepage，recallsanotherfact，notedbyMr。Duneka，viz。：thatbecauseofhisterseAnglo-Saxondiction，MarkTwaincouldputmorewordsonamagazinepagethananyotherwriter。Itishardlynecessarytoaddthathegotmoreforceintowhatheputonthepageforthesamereason。 TherewasalwaysarunofreportersatMarkTwain”sNewYorkhome。 Hisopinionwassoughtforoneverymatterofpublicinterest，andwhateverhappenedtohiminparticularwasconsideredgoodforatleasthalfacolumnofcopy，withhisnameasacatch-lineatthetop。WhenitwaslearnedthathewastospendthesummerinNewHampshire，thereportershadallwantedtofindoutaboutit。Nowthatthesummerwasending，theybegantowanttoknowhowhehadlikedit，whatworkhehaddoneandwhatwerehisplansforanotheryear。Astheyfrequentlyappliedtohispublishersforthesedetailsitwasfinallysuggestedtohimthathewritealetterfurnishingtherequiredinformation。Hisreply，handedtoMr。 Duneka，whowasvisitinghimatthemoment，isfullofinterest。 Mem。forMr。Duneka： DUBLIN，Oct。9，1905……Astotheothermatters，herearethedetails。 Yes，Ihavetriedanumberofsummerhomes，hereandinEuropetogether。 Eachofthesehomeshadcharmsofitsown；charmsanddelightsofitsown，andsomeofthem——eveninEuropehadcomforts。Severalofthemhadconveniences，too。Theyallhada“view。” Itismyconvictionthatthereshouldalwaysbesomewaterinaview—— alakeorariver，butnottheocean，ifyouaredownonitslevel。I thinkthatwhenyouaredownonitslevelitseldominflamesyouwithanecstasywhichyoucouldnotgetoutofasand-flat。Itislikebeingonboardship，overagain；indeeditisworsethanthat，forthere”sthreemonthsofit。Onboardshiponetiresoftheaspectsinacoupleofdays，andquitslooking。Thesamevastcircleofheavinghumpsisspreadaroundyouallthetime，withyouinthecentreofitandnevergaininganinchonthehorizon，sofarasyoucansee；forvariety，aflightofflying-fish，mornings；aflockofporpoisesthrowingsummersaultsafternoons；aremotewhalespouting，Sundays；occasionalphosphorescenteffects，nights；everyotherdayastreakofblacksmoketrailingalongunderthehorizon；ontheonesingleredletterday，theillustriousiceberg。Ihaveseenthaticebergthirty-fourtimesinthirty-sevenvoyages；itisalwaysthesameshape，itisalwaysthesamesize，italwaysthrowsupthesameoldflashwhenthesunstrikesit；youmaysetitonanyNewYorkdoor-stepofaJunemorningandlightitupwithamirror-flash；andIwillengagetorecognizeit。Itisartificial，anditisprovidedandanchoredoutbythesteamercompanies。Iusedtolikethesea，butIwasyoungthen，andcouldeasilygetexcitedoveranykindofmonotony，andkeepituptillthemonotoniesranout，ifitwasafortnight。 LastJanuary，whenwewerebeginningtoinquireaboutahomeforthissummer，IrememberedthatAbbottThayerhadsaid，threeyearsbefore，thattheNewHampshirehighlandswasagoodplace。Hewasright——itwasagoodplace。Anyplacethatisgoodforanartistinpaintisgoodforanartistinmoralsandink。Brushishere，too；soisCol。T。W。 Higginson；soisRaphaelPumpelly；soisMr。SecretaryHitchcock；soisHenderson；soisLearned；soisSummer；soisFranklinMacVeigh；soisJosephL。Smith；soisHenryCopleyGreene，whenIamnotoccupyinghishouse，whichIamdoingthisseason。Paint，literature，science，statesmanship，history，professorship，law，morals，——theseareallrepresentedhere，yetcrimeissubstantiallyunknown。 Thesummerhomesoftheserefugeesaresprinkled，amileapart，amongtheforest-cladhills，withaccesstoeachotherbyfirmsmoothcountryroadswhicharesoemboweredindensefoliagethatitisalwaystwilightinthere，andcomfortable。Theforestsarespider-webbedwiththesegoodroads，theygoeverywhere；butforthehelpoftheguide-boards，thestrangerwouldnotarriveanywhere。 Thevillage——Dublin——isbunchedtogetherinitsownplace，butagoodtelephoneservicemakesitsmarketshandytoallthoseoutliars。Ihavespeltitthatwaytobewitty。Thevillageexecutesorderson，theBostonplan——promptnessandcourtesy。 Thesummerhomesarehigh-perched，asarule，andhavecontentingoutlooks。Thehouseweoccupyhasone。Monadnock，asoaringdoublehump，risesintotheskyatitsleftelbow——thatistosay，itiscloseathand。Fromthebaseofthelongslantofthemountainthevalleyspreadsawaytothecirclingframeofthehills，andbeyondtheframethebillowysweepofremotegreatrangesrisestoviewandflows，folduponfold，waveuponwave，softandblueandunwordly，tothehorizonfiftymilesaway。IntheseOctoberdaysMonadnockandthevalleyanditsframinghillsmakeaninspiringpicturetolookat，fortheyaresumptuouslysplashedandmottledandbe-torchedfromsky-linetosky-linewiththerichestdyestheautumncanfurnish；andwhentheylieflaminginthefulldrenchofthemid-afternoonsun，thesightaffectsthespectatorphysically，itstirshisbloodlikemilitarymusic。 Thesesummerhomesarecommodious，wellbuilt，andwellfurnished——factswhichsufficientlyindicatethattheownersbuiltthemtoliveinthemselves。Theyhavefurnacesandwoodfireplaces，andtherestofthecomfortsandconveniencesofacityhome，andcanbecomfortablyoccupiedalltheyearround。 Wecannothavethishousenextseason，butIhavesecuredMrs。Upton”shousewhichisoverinthelawandsciencequarter，twoorthreemilesfromhere，andaboutthesamedistancefromtheart，literary，andscholasticgroups。Thescienceandlawquarterhasneededimproving，thisgoodwhile。 Thenearestrailway-stationisdistantsomethinglikeanhour”sdrive；itisthreehoursfromtheretoBoston，overabranchline。YoucangotoNewYorkinsixhoursperbranchlinesifyouchangecarseverytimeyouthinkofit，butitisbettertogotoBostonandstopoverandtakethetrunklinenextday，thenyoudonotgetlost。 ItisclaimedthattheatmosphereoftheNewHampshirehighlandsisexceptionallybracingandstimulating，andafineaidtohardandcontinuouswork。Itisajustclaim，Ithink。IcameinMay，andwrought35successivedayswithoutabreak。ItispossiblethatIcouldnothavedoneitelsewhere。Idonotknow；Ihavenothadanydispositiontotryit，before。IthinkIgotthedispositionoutoftheatmosphere，thistime。Ifeelquitesure，infact，thatthatiswhereitcamefrom。 IamashamedtoconfesswhatanintolerablepileofmanuscriptIgroundoutinthe35days，thereforeIwillkeepthenumberofwordstomyself。 Iwrotethefirsthalfofalongtale”TheAdventuresofaMicrobe“andputitawayforafinishnextsummer，andstartedanotherlongtale”TheMysteriousStranger；“Iwrotethefirsthalfofitandputitwiththeotherforafinishnextsummer。Istopped，then。Iwasnottired，butI hadnobooksonhandthatneededfinishingthisyearexceptonethatwassevenyearsold。AfteralittleItookthatoneupandfinishedit。Notforpublication，buttohaveitreadyforrevisionnextsummer。 SinceIstoppedworkIhavehadatwomonths”holiday。Thesummerhasbeenmyworkingtimefor35years；tohaveaholidayinit(inAmerica) isnewforme。Ihavenotbrokenit，excepttowrite“Eve”sDiary“and“AHorse”sTale“——shortthingsoccupyingthemill12days。 Thisyearoursummeris6monthslongandendswithNovemberandtheflighthometoNewYork，butnextyearwehopeandexpecttostretchitanothermonthandenditthefirstofDecember。 [Nosignature。] Thefactthathewasapersistentsmokerwaswidelyknown，andmanyfriendsandadmirersofMarkTwainsenthimcigars，mostofwhichhecouldnotuse，becausetheyweretoogood。HedidnotcareforHavanacigars，butsmokedthefragrant，inexpensivedomestictobaccowithplentyof“pep“init，aswesaytoday。Nowandthenhehadanopportunitytoheadoffsomeliberalfriend，whowroteaskingpermissiontocontributetohiscigarcollection，asinstancethefollowing。 ToRev。L。M。Powers，inHaverhill，Mass。： Nov。9，1905。 DEARMR。POWERS，——IshouldacceptyourhospitableofferatoncebutforthefactIcouldn”tdoitandremainhonest。ThatistosayifIallowedyoutosendmewhatyoubelievetobegoodcigarsitwoulddistinctlymeanthatImeanttosmokethem，whereasIshoulddonothingofthekind。 Iknowagoodcigarbetterthanyoudo，forIhavehad6oyearsexperience。 No，thatisnotwhatImean；ImeanIknowabadcigarbetterthananybodyelse；Ijudgebythepriceonly；ifitcostsabove5centsIknowittobeeitherforeignorhalf-foreign，andunsmokeable。Byme。IhavemanyboxesofHavanacigars，ofallpricesfrom20ctsapieceupto1。66 apiece；Iboughtnoneofthem，theywereallpresents，theyareanaccumulationofseveralyears。Ihaveneversmokedoneofthemandnevershall，Iworkthemoffonthevisitor。Youshallhaveachancewhenyoucome。 Pessimistsarebornnotmade；optimistsarebornnotmade；butnomanisborneitherpessimistwhollyoroptimistwholly，perhaps；heispessimisticalongcertainlinesandoptimisticalongcertainothers。 Thatismycase。 Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 Inspiteofallthefinephotographsthatweremadeofhim，thererecurredconstantlyamongthosesenthimtobeautographedaprintofonewhich，yearsbefore，Saronyhadmadeandplacedonpublicsale。Itwasagoodphotograph，mechanicallyandevenartistically，butitdidnotpleaseMarkTwain。WheneverhesawitherecalledSaronywithbitternessandseverity。Oncehereceivedaninquiryconcerningit，andthusfeelinglyexpressedhimself。 ToMr。Row(noaddress)： 21FIFTHAVENUE，NEWYORK，November14，1905。 DEARMR。ROW，——Thatallegedportraithasaprivatehistory。Saronywasasmuchofanenthusiastaboutwildanimalsashewasaboutphotography； andwhenDuChaillubroughtthefirstGorillatothiscountryin1819hecametomeinafeverofexcitementandaskedmeifmyfatherwasofrecordandauthentic。Isaidhewas；thenSarony，withoutanyabatementofhisexcitementaskedifmygrandfatheralsowasofrecordandauthentic。Isaidhewas。ThenSarony，withstillrisingexcitementandwithjoyaddedtoit，saidhehadfoundmygreatgrandfatherinthepersonofthegorilla，andhadrecognizedhimatoncebyhisresemblancetome。Iwasdeeplyhurtbutdidnotrevealthis，becauseIknewSaxonymeantnooffenseforthegorillahadnotdonehimanyharm，andhewasnotamanwhowouldsayanunkindthingaboutagorillawantonly。Iwentwithhimtoinspecttheancestor，andexaminedhimfromseveralpointsofview，withoutbeingabletodetectanythingmorethanapassingresemblance。“Wait，“saidSaronywithconfidence，“letmeshowyou。” Heborrowedmyovercoat-andputitonthegorilla。Theresultwassurprising。IsawthatthegorillawhilenotlookingdistinctlylikemewasexactlywhatmygreatgrandfatherwouldhavelookedlikeifIhadhadone。Sarongphotographedthecreatureinthatovercoat，andspreadthepictureabouttheworld。Ithasremainedspreadabouttheworldeversince。Itturnsupeveryweekinsomenewspapersomewhereorother。Itisnotmyfavorite，buttomyexasperationitiseverybodyelse”s。 Doyouthinkyoucouldgetitsuppressedforme？Iwillpaythelimit。 Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 Theyear1905closedtriumphantlyforMarkTwain。Thegreat“SeventiethBirthday“dinnerplannedbyColonelGeorgeHarveyisrememberedto-dayasthemostnotablefestivaloccasioninNewYorkliteraryhistory。Otherdinnersandovationsfollowed。Atseventyhehadreturnedtotheworld，morebeloved，morehonoredthaneverbefore。 XLV LETTERS，1906，TOVARIOUSPERSONS。THEFAREWELLLECTURE。ASECOND SUMMERINDUBLIN。BILLIARDSANDCOPYRIGHT MARKTWAINat“PierSeventy，“ashecalledit，pausedtolookbackwardandtorecordsomememoirsofhislong，eventfulpast。TheAutobiographydictationsbeguninFlorencewereresumed，anddailyhetraveledback，recallinglong-agoscenesandall-but-forgottenplaces。Hewasnotwithoutreminders。Nowandagaintherecamesomemessagethatbroughtbacktheolddays——theTomSawyerandHuckFinndays——ortheromanceoftheriverthatheneverrecalledotherthanwithtendernessandatoneofregretthatitwasgone。Aninvitationtothegoldenweddingoftwoancientfriendsmovedandsaddenedhim，andhisanswertoitconveysaboutallthestoryoflife。 ToMr。andMrs。Gordon： 21FIFTHAVENUE，Jan。24，”06。 DEARGORDONS，——Ihavejustreceivedyourgolden-wedding“AtHome“andamtryingtoadjustmyfocustoitandrealizehowmuchitmeans。Itisinconceivable！Withasimplesweepitcarriesmebackoverastretchoftimemeasurableonlyinastronomicaltermsandgeologicalperiods。 ItbringsbeforemeMrs。Gordon，young，round-limbed，handsome；andwithhertheYoungbloodsandtheirtwobabies，andLauraWright，thatunspoiledlittlemaid，thatfreshflowerofthewoodsandtheprairies。 Forty-eightyearsago！ Lifewasafairy-tale，then，itisatragedynow。WhenIwas43andJohnHay41hesaidlifewasatragedyafter40，andIdisputedit。Threeyearsagoheaskedmetotestifyagain：Icountedmygraves，andtherewasnothingformetosay。 Iamold；IrecognizeitbutIdon”trealizeit。Iwonderifapersoneverreallyceasestofeelyoung——Imean，forawholedayatatime。Mylovetoyouboth，andtoallofusthatareleft。 MARK。 Thoughheusedverylittleliquorofanykind，itwasMarkTwain”scustomtokeepabottleofScotchwhiskeywithhiscollectionofpipesandcigarsandtobaccoonalittletablebyhisbed-side。 Duringrestlessnightshefoundasmallquantityofitconducivetosleep。AndrewCarnegie，learningofthiscustom，madeithisbusinesstosupplyScotchofhisownspecialimportation。Thefirstcasecame，directfromScotland。WhenitarrivedClemenssentthischaracteristicacknowledgment。 ToAndrewCarnegie，inScotland： 21FIFTHAVE。Feb。10，”06。 DEARST。ANDREW，——Thewhiskyarrivedinduecoursefromoverthewater； lastweekonebottleofitwasextractedfromthewoodandinsertedintome，ontheinstalmentplan，withthisresult：thatIbelieveittobethebest，smoothestwhiskynowontheplanet。Thanks，oh，thanks：IhavediscardedPeruna。 Hopingthatyouthreearewellandhappyandwillbecomingbackbeforethewintersetsin。 Iam，Sincerelyyours，MARK。 Itmusthavebeenasmallbottletobeconsumedbyhiminaweek，orperhapshehadableassistance。Thenextbrieflinereferstothemanuscriptofhisarticle，“SaintJoanofArc，“presentedtothemuseumatRouen。 ToEdwardE。Clarke： 21FIFTHAVE。Feb。，1906。 DEARSIR，——IhavefoundtheoriginalmanuscriptandwithgreatpleasureI transmititherewith，alsoaprintedcopy。 Itisamatterofgreatpridetometohaveanywordofmineconcerningtheworld”ssupremestheroinehonoredbyaplaceinthatMuseum。 Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 TheseriesofletterswhichfollowswaspreparedbyMarkTwainandGeneralFredGrant，mainlywithaviewofadvertisingthelecturethatClemenshadagreedtodeliverforthebenefitoftheRobertFultonMonumentAssociation。Itwas，infact，tobeMarkTwain”s“farewelllecture，“andtheassociationhadreallyproposedtopayhimathousanddollarsforit。Theexchangeoftheseletters，however，wasnevermadeoutsideofMarkTwain”sbed-room。Proppedagainstthepillows，peninhand，withGeneralGrantbesidehim，theyarrangedtheserieswiththeideaofpublication。Latertheplanwasdiscarded，sothatthispleasantfooleryappearshereforthefirst，time。 PRIVATEANDCONFIDENTIAL (Correspondence) TelegramArmyHeadquarters(date) MARKTWAIN，NewYork，——WouldyouconsideraproposaltotalkatCarnegieHallforthebenefitoftheRobertFultonMonumentAssociation，ofwhichyouareaVicePresident，forafeeofathousanddollars？ F。D。GRANT，President，FultonMonumentAssociation。 TelegraphicAnswer： MAJOR-GENERALF。D。GRANT，ArmyHeadquarters，——Ishallbegladtodoit，butImuststipulatethatyoukeepthethousanddollarsandaddittotheMonumentfundasmycontribution。 CLEMENS。 Letters： DEARMR。CLEMENS，——YouhavethethanksoftheAssociation，andthetermsshallbeasyousay。Butwhygiveallofit？Whynotreserveaportion——whyshouldyoudothisworkwhollywithoutcompensation？ TrulyyoursFRED。D。GRANT。 MAJORGENERALGRANT，ArmyHeadquarters。 DEARGENERAL，——BecauseIstoppedtalkingforpayagoodmanyyearsago，andIcouldnotresumethehabitnowwithoutagreatdealofpersonaldiscomfort。Ilovetohearmyselftalk，becauseIgetsomuchinstructionandmoralupheavaloutofit，butIlosethebulkofthisjoywhenIchargeforit。Letthetermsstand。 General，ifIhaveyourapproval，Iwishtousethisgoodoccasiontoretirepermanentlyfromtheplatform。 TrulyyoursS。L。CLEMENS。 DEARMR。CLEMENS，——Certainly。Butasanoldfriend，permitmetosay，Don”tdothat。Whyshouldyou？——youarenotoldyet。 Yourstruly，FREDD。GRANT。 DEARGENERAL，——Imeanthepay-platform；Ishan”tretirefromthegratis- platformuntilafterIamdeadandcourtesyrequiresmetokeepstillandnotdisturbtheothers。 WhatshallItalkabout？Myideaisthis：toinstructtheaudienceaboutRobertFulton，and……Tellme-wasthathisrealname，orwasithisnomdeplume？However，nevermind，itisnotimportant——Icanskipit，andthehousewillthinkIknewallaboutit，butforgot。CouldyoufindoutformeifhewasoneoftheSignersoftheDeclaration，andwhichone？Butifitisanytrouble，letitalone，Icanskipit。WasheoutwithPaulJones？WillyouaskHoracePorter？Andaskhimifhebroughtbothofthemhome。Thesewillbeveryinterestingfacts，iftheycanbeestablished。Butnevermind，don”ttroublePorter，Icanestablishthemanyway。ThewayIlookatit，theyarehistoricalgems——gemsoftheveryfirstwater。 Well，thatismyidea，asIhavesaid：first，excitetheaudiencewithaspoonfulofinformationaboutFulton，thenquietdownwithabarrelofillustrationdrawnbymemoryfrommybooks——andifyoudon”tsayanythingthehousewillthinktheyneverheardofitbefore，becausepeopledon”treallyreadyourbooks，theyonlysaytheydo，tokeepyoufromfeelingbad。Next，excitethehousewithanotherspoonfulofFultonianfact，thentranquilizethemagainwithanotherbarrelofillustration。Andsoonandsoon，allthroughtheevening；andifyouarediscreetanddon”ttellthemtheillustrationsdon”tillustrateanything，theywon”tnoticeitandIwillsendthemhomeaswell-informedaboutRobertFultonasIammyself。Don”tbeafraid；Iknowallaboutaudiences，theybelieveeverythingyousay，exceptwhenyouaretellingthetruth。 Trulyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 P。S。Markalltheadvertisements“PrivateandConfidential，“otherwisethepeoplewillnotreadthem。 M。T。 DEARMR。CLEMENS，——Howlongshallyoutalk？Iaskinorderthatwemaybeabletosaywhencarriagesmaybecalled。 VeryTrulyyours，HUGHGORDONMILLER，Secretary。 DEARMR。MILLER，——Icannotsayforsure。ItismycustomtokeepontalkingtillIgettheaudiencecowed。Sometimesittakesanhourandfifteenminutes，sometimesIcandoitinanhour。 Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 Mem。Mychargeis2boxesfree。Notthechoicest——sellthechoicest，andgivemeany6-seatboxesyouplease。 S。L。C。 IwantFredGrant(inuniform)onthestage；alsotherestoftheofficialsoftheAssociation；alsootherdistinguishedpeople——alltheattractionswecanget。Also，aseatforMr。AlbertBigelowPaine，whomaybeusefultomeifheisnearmeandonthefront。 S。L。C。 TheseatchosenforthewriterofthesenoteswastobeatthefrontofthestageinorderthatthelecturermightleanovernowandthenandpretendtobeaskinginformationconcerningFulton。Iwasnotentirelyhappyinthethoughtofthisshowyhonor，andbreathedmorefreelywhenthisplanwasabandonedandthepartassignedtoGeneralGrant。 ThelecturewasgiveninCarnegieHall，whichhadbeengaylydecoratedfortheoccasion。Thehousewasmorethanfilled，andagreatsumofmoneywasrealizedforthefund。 ItwasthatspringthatGorkyandTchaikowski，theRussianrevolutionists，cametoAmericahopingtoarouseinterestintheircause。TheideaoftheoverthrowoftheRussiandynastywaspleasanttoMarkTwain。FewthingswouldhavegivenhimgreatercomfortthantohaveknownthatalittlemorethantenyearswouldseethedownfallofRussianimperialism。TheletterwhichfollowswasareplytoaninvitationfromTchaikowski，urginghimtospeakatoneofthemeetings。 DEARMR。TCHAIKOWSKI，——Ithankyouforthehonoroftheinvitation，butIamnotabletoacceptit，becauseonThursdayeveningIshallbepresidingatameetingwhoseobjectistofindremunerativeworkforcertainclassesofourblindwhowouldgladlysupportthemselvesiftheyhadtheopportunity。 MysympathiesarewiththeRussianrevolution，ofcourse。Itgoeswithoutsaying。Ihopeitwillsucceed，andnowthatIhavetalkedwithyouItakehearttobelieveitwill。Governmentbyfalsifiedpromises； bylies，bytreacheries，andbythebutcher-knifefortheaggrandizementofasinglefamilyofdronesanditsidleandviciouskinhasbeenbornequitelongenoughinRussia，Ishouldthink，anditistobehopedthattherousednation，nowrisinginitsstrength，willpresentlyputanendtoitandsetuptherepublicinitsplace。Someofus，evenofthewhiteheaded，maylivetoseetheblesseddaywhenCzarsandGrandDukeswillbeasscarcethereasItrusttheyareinheaven。 Mostsincerelyyours，MARKTWAIN。 TherecameanothersummeratDublin，NewHampshire，thistimeinthefineUptonresidenceontheotherslopeofMonadnock，aplaceofequallybeautifulsurroundings，andanevenmoreextendedview。 Clemenswasatthistimeworkingsteadilyonhisso-calledAutobiography，whichwasnotthat，infact，butaseriesofremarkablechapters，reminiscent，reflective，commentative，writtenwithoutanyparticularsequenceastotimeorsubject-matter。Hedictatedthesechapterstoastenographer，usuallyintheopenair，sittinginacomfortablerockerorpacingupanddownthelongverandathatfacedavastexpanseofwoodedslopeandlakeanddistantbluemountains。Itbecameoneofthehappiestoccupationsofhislateryears。 ToW。D。Howells，inMaine： DUBLIN，Sunday，June17，”06。 DEARHOWELLS，……Thedictatinggoeslazilyandpleasantlyon。Withintervals。IfindthatIhavebeenatit，offandon，nearlytwohoursadayfor155days，sinceJan。9。TobeexactI”vedictated75hoursin80 daysandloafed75days。I”veadded60，000wordsinthemonththatI”vebeenhere；whichindicatesthatI”vedictatedduring20daysofthattime——40hours，atanaverageof1，500wordsanhour。It”saplenty，andIamsatisfied。 There”sagooddealof“fat“I”vedictated，(fromJan。9)210，000words，andthe“fat“addsabout50，000more。 The“fat“isoldpigeon-holedthings，oftheyearsgoneby，whichIoreditorsdidn”tdas”ttoprint。Forinstance，IamdumpinginthelittleoldbookwhichIreadtoyouinHartfordabout30yearsagoandwhichyousaid“publish——andaskDeanStanleytofurnishanintroduction；he”lldoit。”(“CaptainStormfield”sVisittoHeaven。”)Itreadsquitetosuitme，withoutalteringaword，nowthatitisn”ttoseeprintuntilIamdead。 To-morrowImeantodictateachapterwhichwillgetmyheirsandassignsburntaliveiftheyventuretoprintitthissideof2006A。D——whichI judgetheywon”t。There”llbelotsofsuchchaptersifIlive3or4 yearslonger。TheeditionofA。D。2006willmakeastirwhenitcomesout。Ishallbehoveringaroundtakingnotice，alongwithotherdeadpals。Youareinvited。 MARK。 Histendencytoestimatethemeasureoftheworkhewasdoing，andhadcompleted，musthaveclungtohimfromhisoldprinterdays。 ThechapterwhichwastogethisheirsandassignsburnedalivewasontheorthodoxGod，andtherewasmorethanonesuchchapter。InthenextletterhereferstotwoexquisitepoemsbyHowells，andthewriterofthesenotesrecallshiswonderfulreadingofthemaloud。”InOurTown”wasacollectionofshortstoriesthenrecentlyissuedbyWilliamAllenWhite。Howellshadrecommendedthem。 ToW。D。Howells，inMaine： 21FIFTHAVE。，TuesdayEve。 DEARHOWELLS，——Itislovelyofyoutosaythosebeautifulthings——Idon”tknowhowtothankyouenough。ButIloveyou，thatIknow。 Iread“AftertheWedding“aloudandwefeltallthepainofitandthetruth。Itwasverymovingandverybeautiful——wouldhavebeenover- cominglymoving，attimes，butforthehaltingsandpausescompelledbythedifficultiesofMS——thesewereaprotection，inthattheyfurnishedmetimetobraceupmyvoice，andgetanewstart。JeanwantedtokeeptheMSforanotherreading-aloud，andfor“keeps，“too，Isuspected，butIsaiditwouldbesafesttowriteyouaboutit。 Ilike“InOurTown，“particularlythatColonel，oftheLookoutMountainOration，andveryparticularlypages212-16。IwroteandtoldWhiteso。 After“AftertheWedding“Iread“TheMother“aloudandsoundeditshumandeepswithyourdeep-sealead。Ihadnotreaditbefore，sinceitwasfirstpublished。 Ihavebeendictatingsomefearfulthings，for4successivemornings——fornoeyebutyourstoseeuntilIhavebeendeadacentury——ifthen。ButIgotthemoutofmysystem，wheretheyhadbeenfesteringforyears——andthatwasthemainthing。Ifeelbetter，now。 Icamedowntodayonbusiness——fromhousetohousein12？hours，andexpectedtoarrivedead，butamneithertirednorsleepy。 YoursasalwaysMARK。 ToWilliamAllenWhite，inEmporia，Kans。： DUBLIN，NEWHAMPSHIRE，June24，1906。 DEARMR。WHITE，——Howellstoldmethat“InOurTown“wasacharmingbook，andindeeditis。Allofitisdelightfulwhenreadone”sself，partsofitcanscorefinelywhensubjectedtothemostexactingoftests——thereadingaloud。Pages197and216areofthatgrade。Ihavetriedthemacoupleoftimesonthefamily，andpages212and216arequalifiedtofetchanyhouseofanycountry，casteorcolor，endowedwiththosericheswhicharedeniedtononationontheplanet——humorandfeeling。 Talkagain——thecountryislistening。 Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 WitterBynner，thepoet，wasoneoftheeditorsofMcClure”sMagazineatthistime，butwastryingtomusterthecouragetogiveuproutineworkforverse-makingandthepossibilityofpoverty。