第21章

ClemenswasfondofBynnerandbelievedinhiswork。Hedidnotadvisehim，however，tobreakawayentirelyfromasalariedposition——atleastnotimmediately；butonedayBynnerdidso，andreportedthestephehadtaken，withsomedoubtastotheanswerhewouldreceive。 ToWitterBynner，inNewYork： DUBLIN，Oct。5，1906。 DEARPOET，——Youhavecertainlydonerightforseveralgoodreasons；atleast，ofthem，Icannametwo： 1。Withyourreputationyoucanhaveyourfreedomandyetearnyourliving。2。ifyoufallshortofsucceedingtoyourwish，yourreputationwillprovideyouanotherjob。AndsoinhighapprovalI suppressthescoldingandgiveyouthesaintlyandfatherlypatinstead。 MARKTWAIN。 Onanotheroccasion，whenBynnerhadwrittenapoemtoClaraClemens，herfatherpretendedgreatindignationthatthefirstpoemwrittenbyBynnertoanyoneinhishouseholdshouldnotbetohim，andthreatenedrevenge。Atdinnershortlyafterheproducedfromhispocketaslipofpaperonwhichhehadsetdownwhathesaidwas“hisonlypoem。”Hereadthelinesthatfollow： “Ofallsadwordsoftongueorpen，Thesaddestarethese：Itmighthavebeen。 Ah，saynotso！aslifegrowslonger，leaner，thinner，Werecognize，OGod，itmighthaveBynner！“ HereturnedtoNewYorkinOctoberandsoonafterwaspresentedbyMrs。H。H。Rogerswithahandsomebilliard-table。 Hehadapassionforthegame，buthadplayedcomparativelylittlesincetheoldHartforddaysoffifteenyearsbefore，whenagroupofhisfriendsusedtoassembleonFridaynightsintheroomatthetopofthehouseforlong，strenuousgamesandmuchhilarity。Nowtheoldfeverallcameback；thefascinationsofthegamesupersededevenhisinterestinthedailydictations。 ToMrs。H。H。Rogers，inNewYork： 21FIFTHAVENUE，Monday，Nov。，1906。 DEARMRS。ROGERS，——Thebilliardtableisbetterthanthedoctors。Itisdrivingouttheheartburninamostpromisingway。Ihaveabilliardistonthepremises，andIwalknotlessthantenmileseverydaywiththecueinmyhand。Andthewalkingisnotthewholeoftheexercise，northemosthealth-givingpartofit，Ithink。Throughthemultitudeofthepositionsandattitudesitbringsintoplayeverymuscleinthebodyandexercisesthemall。 Thegamesbeginrightafterluncheon，daily，andcontinueuntilmidnight，with2hours”intermissionfordinnerandmusic。Andsoitis9hours” exerciseperday，and10or12onSunday。Yesterdayandlastnightitwas12——andIsleptuntil8thismorningwithoutwaking。Thebilliardtable，asaSabbathbreakercanbeatanycoal-breakerinPennsylvania，andgiveit30in，thegame。IfMr。Rogerswilltaketodailybilliardshecandowithoutdoctorsandthemassageur，Ithink。 Wearereallygoingtobuildahouseonmyfarm，anhourandahalffromNewYork。Itisdecided。Itistobebuiltbycontract，andistocomewithin$25，000。 Withloveandmanythanks。 S。L。C。 P。S。Claraisinthesanitarium——tillJanuary28whenherwesternconcerttourwillbegin。Sheisgettingtobeamightycompetentsinger。 YoumustknowClarabetter；sheisoneoftheveryfinestandcompletestandmostsatisfactorycharactersIhaveevermet。Othersknewitbefore，butIhavealwaysbeenbusywithothermatters。 The“billiardistonthepremises“wasthewriterofthesenotes，who，earlierintheyear，hadbecomehisbiographer，and，inthecourseoftime，hisdailycompanionandfriend。ThefarmmentionedwasonewhichhehadboughtatRedding，Connecticut，where，later，hebuiltthehouseknownas“Stormfield。” HenryMillsAlden，fornearlyfortyyearseditorofHarper”sMagazine，arrivedathisseventiethbirthdayonNovember11ththatyear，andHarper&BrothershadarrangedtogivehimagreatdinnerintheofficesofFranklinSquare，where，forhalfacentury，hehadbeenanactiveforce。MarkTwain，threatenedwithacold，andknowingthedinnerwouldbestrenuous，didnotfeelabletoattend，sowrotealetterwhich，iffoundsuitable，couldbereadatthegathering。 ToMr。HenryAlden： ALDEN，——dearandancientfriend——itisasolemnmoment。Youhavenowreachedtheageofdiscretion。Youhavebeenalongtimearriving。Manyyearsagoyoudockedmeonanarticlebecausethesubjectwastooold； later，youdockedmeonanarticlebecausethesubjectwastoonew；laterstill，youdockedmeonanarticlebecausethesubjectwasbetwixtandbetween。Once，whenIwroteaLettertoQueenVictoria，youdidnotputitintherespectablepartoftheMagazine，butinterreditinthatpotter”sfield，theEditor”sDrawer。Asaresult，sheneveransweredit。 Howoftenwerecall，withregret，thatNapoleononceshotatamagazineeditorandmissedhimandkilledapublisher。Butweremember，withcharity，thathisintentionsweregood。 Youwillreform，now，Alden。Youwillceasefromtheseeconomies，andyouwillbedischarged。Butinyourretirementyouwillcarrywithyoutheadmirationandearnestgoodwishesoftheoppressedandtoilingscribes。Thiswillbebetterthanbread。Letthisconsoleyouwhenthebreadfails。 Youwillcarrywithyouanotherthing，too——theaffectionofthescribes； fortheyallloveyouinspiteofyourcrimes。Foryoubearakindheartinyourbreast，andthesweetandwinningspiritthatcharmsawayallhostilitiesandanimosities，andmakesofyourenemyyourfriendandkeepshimso。Youhavereignedoverusthirty-sixyears，and，pleaseGod，youshallreignanotherthirty-six”andpeacetoMahmoudonhisgoldenthrone！“ AlwaysyoursMARK AcopyrightbillwascomingupinWashingtonandadelegationofauthorswentdowntoworkforit。Clemenswasnottheheadofthedelegation，buthewasthemostprominentmemberofit，aswellasthemostuseful。Heinvitedthewritertoaccompanyhim，andelsewhereIhavetoldindetailthestoryofthatexcursion，——[SeeMarkTwain；ABiography，chap。ccli，]——whichneedbebutbrieflytoucheduponhere。 Hisworkwasmainlydoneasidefromthatofthedelegation。Theyhadhimscheduledforaspeech，however，whichhemadewithoutnotesandwithscarcelyanypreparation。MeantimehehadappliedtoSpeakerCannonforpermissiontoallowhimontheflooroftheHouse，wherehecouldbuttonholetheCongressmen。HewasnoteligibletothefloorwithouthavingreceivedthethanksofCongress，hencethefollowingletter： ToHon。JosephCannon，HouseofRepresentatives： Dec。7，1906。 DEARUNCLEJOSEPH，——PleasegetmethethanksoftheCongress——notnextweekbutrightaway。Itisverynecessary。Doaccomplishthisforyouraffectionateoldfriendrightaway；bypersuasion，ifyoucan，byviolenceifyoumust，foritisimperativelynecessarythatIgetonthefloorfortwoorthreehoursandtalktothemembers，manbyman，inbehalfofthesupport，encouragementandprotectionofoneofthenation”smostvaluableassetsandindustries——itsliterature。Ihaveargumentswithme，alsoabarrel，withliquidinit。 Givemeachance。GetmethethanksofCongress。Don”twaitforothers； thereisn”ttime。IhavestayedawayandletCongressaloneforseventy- oneyearsandIamentitledtothanks。CongressknowsitperfectlywellandIhavelongfelthurtthatthisquiteproperandearnedexpressionofgratitudehasbeenmerelyfeltbytheHouseandneverpubliclyuttered。 SendmeanorderontheSergeant-at-Armsquick。WhenshallIcome？Withloveandabenediction。 MARKTWAIN。 Thiswasmainlyajoke。MarkTwaindidnotexpectany“thanks，“buthedidhopeforaccesstothefloor，whichonce，inanearlierday，hadbeenaccordedhim。WedrovetotheCapitolandhedeliveredhisletterto“UncleJoe“byhand。“UncleJoe“couldnotgivehimtheprivilegeofthefloor；theruleshadbecomemorestringent。Hedeclaredtheywouldhanghimifhedidsuchathing。Headdedthathehadaprivateroomdown-stairs，whereMarkTwainmightestablishheadquarters，andthathewouldassignhiscoloredservant，Neal，oflongacquaintanceshipwithmanyofthemembers，topassthewordthatMarkTwainwasreceiving。 Theresultwasagreatsuccess。AllthatafternoonmembersofCongresspouredintotheSpeaker”sroomand，inanatmospherebluewithtobaccosmoke，MarkTwaintalkedthegospelofcopyrighttohisheart”scontent。 Thebilldidnotcomeupforpassagethatsession，butMarkTwainlivedtoseehisafternoon”slobbyingbringareturn。In1909，ChampClark，andthoseotherswhohadgatheredaroundhimthatafternoon，passedameasurethataddedfourteenyearstothecopyrightterm。 Thenextletterreferstoaproposedlobbyofquiteadifferentsort。 ToHelenKeller，inWrentham，Mass。： 21FIFTHAVENUE，Dec。23，”06。 DEARHELENKELLER，……Yousay，“Asareformer，youknowthatideasmustbedrivenhomeagainandagain。” Yes，Iknowit；andbyoldexperienceIknowthatspeechesanddocumentsandpublicmeetingsareaprettypoorandlamewayofaccomplishingit。 LastyearIproposedasaneway——onewhichIhadpracticedwithsuccessforaquarterofacentury——butIwasn”texpectingittogetanyattention，anditdidn”t。 Givemeabattalionof200winsomeyounggirlsandmatrons，andletmetellthemwhattodoandhowtodoit，andIwillberesponsibleforshiningresults。IfIcouldmassthemonthestageinfrontoftheaudienceandinstructthemthere，Icouldmakeapublicmeetingtakeholdofitselfanddosomethingreallyvaluableforonce。Notthattherealinstructionwouldbedonethere，foritwouldn”t；itwouldbepreviouslydoneprivately，andmerelyrepeatedthere。 Butitisn”tgoingtohappen——thegoodoldwaywillbestuckto：there”llbeapublicmeeting：withmusic，andprayer，andawearyingreport，andaverbaldescriptionofthemarvelstheblindcando，and17speeches——thenthecalluponallpresentwhoarestillalive，tocontribute。Thishoaryprogramwasinventedintheidiotasylum，andwillneverbechanged。Itsfunctionistobreedhostilitytogoodcauses。 Somedaysomebodywillrecruitmy200——mydearbeguilesomeKnightsoftheGoldenFleece——andyouwillseethemmakegoodtheirominousname。 Mind，wemustmeet！notinthegrimandghastlyairoftheplatform，mayhap，butbythefriendlyfire——hereat21。 Affectionatelyyourfriend，S。L。CLEMENS。 TheydidmeetsomewhatlaterthatwinterinthefriendlyparlorsofNo。21，andfriendsgatheredintomeetthemarvelousblindgirlandtopaytributetoMissSullivan(Mrs。Macy)forheralmostincredibleachievement。 EndLettersVol。6 byMarkTwainVOLUMEVI。 MARKTWAIN”SLETTERS1907-1910 XLVI LETTERS1907-08。ADEGREEFROMOXFORD。THENEWHOMEATREDDING Theauthor，J。HowardMoore，sentacopyofhisbook，TheUniversalKinship，withaletterinwhichhesaid：“Mosthumoristshavenoanxietyexcepttoglorifythemselvesandaddsubstancetotheirpocket-booksbymakingtheirreaderslaugh。Youhaveshown，onmanyoccasions，thatyourmissionisnotsimplytoantidotethemelancholyofaworld，butincludesarealandintelligentconcernforthegeneralwelfareofyourfellowman。” TheUniversalKinshipwasthekindofabookthatMarkTwainappreciated，ashisacknowledgmentclearlyshows。 ToMr。J。HowardMoore： Feb。2，”07。 DEARMR。MOORE，Thebookhasfurnishedmeseveraldaysofdeeppleasureandsatisfaction；ithascompelledmygratitudeatthesametime，sinceitsavesmethelaborofstatingmyownlong-cherishedopinionsandreflectionsandresentmentsbydoingitlucidlyandferventlyandirasciblyforme。 Thereisonethingthatalwayspuzzlesme：asinheritorsofthementalityofourreptileancestorswehaveimprovedtheinheritancebyathousandgrades；butinthematterofthemoralswhichtheyleftuswehavegonebackwardasmanygrades。Thatevolutionisstrange，andtomeunaccountableandunnatural。Necessarilywestartedequippedwiththeirperfectandblemishlessmorals；nowwearewhollydestitute；wehavenoreal，morals，butonlyartificialones——moralscreatedandpreservedbytheforcedsuppressionofnaturalandhellishinstincts。Yetwearedullenoughtobevainofthem。Certainlyweareasufficientlycomicalinvention，wehumans。 SincerelyYours，S。L。CLEMENS。 MarkTwain”sownbookswerealwaysbeingexcommunicatedbysomelibrarian，andthematterneverfailedtoinvitetheattentionandamusementofthepress，andtheindignationofmanycorrespondents。 UsuallythebookswereTomSawyerandHuckFinn，themoralsofwhichwerenotregardedaswhollyexemplary。Butin1907asmalllibrary，inaverysmalltown，attainedaday”snationalnotorietybyputtingthebanonEve”sDiary，notsomuchonaccountofitstextasforthechasteandexquisiteillustrationsbyLesterRalph。Whenthereporterscameinatrooptolearnaboutit，theauthorsaid：“I believethistimethetroubleismainlywiththepictures。Ididnotdrawthem。IwishIhad——theyaresobeautiful。” Justatthistime，Dr。WilliamLyonPhelps，ofYale，wasgivingaliterarytalktotheTeachers”Club，ofHartford，dwellingonthesuperlativevalueofMarkTwain”swritingsforreadersoldandyoung。Mrs。F。G。Whitmore，anoldHartfordfriend，wroteClemensofthethingsthatPhelpshadsaid，asconsolationforEve”slatestbanishment。Thisgavehimachancetoaddsomethingtowhathehadsaidtothereporters。 ToMrs。Whitmore，inHartford： Feb。7，1907。 DEARMRS。WHITMORE，——Butthetruthis，thatwhenaLibraryexpelsabookofmineandleavesanunexpurgatedBiblelyingaroundwhereunprotectedyouthandagecangetholdofit，thedeepunconsciousironyofitdelightsmeanddoesn”tangerme。ButevenifitangeredmesuchwordsasthoseofProfessorPhelpswouldtakethestingallout。NobodyattachesweighttothefreaksoftheCharltonLibrary，butwhenamanlikePhelpsspeaks，theworldgivesattention。SomedayIhopetomeethimandthankhimforhiscourageforsayingthosethingsoutinpublic。 Customis，tothinkahandsomethinginprivatebuttameitdownintheutterance。 Ihopeyouareallwellandhappy；andtheretoIaddmylove。 Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 InMay，1907，MarkTwainwasinvitedtoEnglandtoreceivefromOxfordthedegreeofLiteraryDoctor。Itwasanhonorthatcametohimasasortoflaurelcrownattheendofagreatcareer，andgratifiedhimexceedingly。ToMoberlyBell，oftheLondonTimes，heexpressedhisappreciation。BellhadbeenoverinAprilandClemensbelievedhimconcernedinthematter。 ToMoberlyBell，inLondon： 21FIFTHAVENUE，May3，”07 DEARMR。BELL，——Yourhandisinit！andyouhavemybestthanks。 AlthoughIwouldn”tcrossanoceanagainforthepriceoftheshipthatcarriedme，IamgladtodoitforanOxforddegree。IshallplantosailforEnglandashadebeforethemiddleofJune，sothatIcanhaveafewdaysinLondonbeforethe26th。 Sincerely，S。L。CLEMENS。 HehadtakenahouseatTuxedoforthesummer，desiringtobenearNewYorkCity，andinthenextletterhewritesMr。RogersconcerninghisLondonplans。Wediscover，also，inthisletterthathehasbegunworkontheReddinghomeandthecostistocomeentirelyoutoftheautobiographicalchaptersthenrunningintheNorthAmericanReview。Itmaybeofpassinginteresttonoteherethathehadtheusualhouse-builder”sfortune。Hereceivedthirtythousanddollarsforthechapters；thehousecosthimnearlydoublethatamount。 ToH。H。Rogers，inNewYork： TUXEDOPARK，May29，”07。 DEARADMIRAL，——Whyhangit，IamnotgoingtoseeyouandMrs。RogersatallinEngland！Itisagreatdisappointment。Ileavethereamonthfromnow——June29。No，Ishallseeyou；forbyyouritineraryyouaremostlikelytocometoLondonJune21storalongthere。Sothatisverygoodandsatisfactory。Ihavedeclinedallengagementsbuttwo——WhitelawReid(dinner)June21，andthePilgrims(lunch)，June25。TheOxfordceremonyisJune26。IhavepaidmyreturnpassageintheMinne- something，butitisjustpossiblethatImaywanttostayinEnglandaweekortwolonger——Ican”ttell，yet。Idoverymuchwanttomeetupwiththeboysforthelasttime。 IhavesignedthecontractforthebuildingofthehouseonmyConnecticutfarmandspecifiedthecostlimit，andworkhasbeenbegun。 Thecosthastoallcomeoutofayear”sinstalmentsofAutobiographyintheN。A。Review。 Clara，iswinningherwaytosuccessanddistinctionwithsureandsteadystrides。Byallaccountssheissinginglikeabird，andisnotafraidontheconcertstageanymore。 Tuxedoisacharmingplace；Ithinkithasn”titsequalanywhere。 Verybestwishestoyouboth。 S。L。C。 ThestoryofMarkTwain”sextraordinaryreceptionandtriumphinEnglandhasbeentold——[MarkTwain；ABiography，chaps。cclvi- cclix]——Itwas，infact，thecrowninggloryofhiscareer。PerhapsoneofthemostsatisfactoryincidentsofhissojournwasadinnergiventohimbythestaffofPunch，inthehistoricofficesat10 BouverieStreetwherenootherforeignvisitorhadbeenthushonored——anotabledistinction。Whenthedinnerended，littlejoyAgnew，daughterofthechiefeditor，enteredandpresentedtothechiefguesttheoriginaldrawingofacartoonbyBernardPartridge，whichhadappearedonthefrontpageofPunch。InthispicturethepresidinggeniusofthepaperisofferingtoMarkTwainhealth，longlife，andhappinessfrom“ThePunchBowl。” AshorttimeafterhisreturntoAmericahereceivedaprettychildishletterfromlittleMissAgnewacknowledgingaphotographhehadsenther，andgivingalistofherpetsandoccupations。SuchaletteralwaysdelightedMarkTwain，andhispleasureinthisoneisreflectedinhisreply。 ToMissJoyAgnew，inLondon： TUXEDOPARK，NEWYORK。 Untoyougreetingsandsalutationandworship，youdear，sweetlittlerightly-namedJoy！IcanseeyounowalmostasvividlyasIsawyouthatnightwhenyousatflashingandbeaminguponthosesombreswallow-tails。 “FairasastarwhenonlyoneIsshininginthesky。” Oh，youwereindeedtheonlyone——therewasn”teventheremotestchanceofcompetitionwithyou，dear！Ah，youareadecoration，youlittlewitch！ Theideaofyourhousegoingtothewantonexpenseofaflowergarden！—— aren”tyouenough？Andwhatdoyouwanttogoanddiscouragetheotherflowersfor？Isthattherightspirit？isitconsiderate？isitkind？ Howdoyousupposetheyfeelwhenyoucomearound——lookingthewayyoulook？Andyousopinkandsweetanddaintyandlovelyandsupernatural？ Why，itmakesthemfeelembarrassedandartificial，ofcourse；andinmyopinionitisjustaspatheticasitcanbe。Nowthenyouwanttoreform——dear——anddoright。 Wellcertainlyyouarewelloff，Joy： 3bantams； 3goldfish； 3doves； 6canaries； 2dogs； 1cat； Allyouneed，now，tobepermanentlybeyondthereachofwant，isonemoredog——justonemoregood，gentle，highprincipled，affectionate，loyaldogwhowouldn”twantanynoblerservicethanthegoldenprivilegeoflyingatyourdoor，nights，andbitingeverythingthatcamealong——andIamthatveryone，andreadytocomeatthedroppingofahat。 Doyouthinkyoucouldconveymyloveandthankstoyour“daddy“andOwenSeamanandthoseotheroppressedanddown-troddensubjectsofyours，youdarlingsmalltyrant？ Onmyknees！These——withthekissoffealtyfromyourothersubject—— MARKTWAIN ElinorGlyn，authorofThreeWeeksandothererotictales，wasinAmericathatwinterandaskedpermissiontocallonMarkTwain。AnappointmentwasmadeandClemensdiscussedwithher，foranhourormore，thosecrucialphasesoflifewhichhavemadelivingacomplexproblemsincethedaysofEveinEden。Mrs。GlynhadneverbeforeheardanythinglikeMarkTwain”swonderfultalk，andshewasanxioustoprinttheirinterview。Shewrotewhatshecouldrememberofitandsentittohimforapproval。Ifhisconversationhadbeenfrank，hisrefusalwashardlylessso。 ToMrs。ElinorGlyn，inNewYork： Jan。22，”08。 DEARMRS。GLYN，Itreadsprettypoorly——Igetthesenseofit，butitisapoorliteraryjob；however，itwouldhavetobethatbecausenobodycanbereportedevenapproximately，exceptbyastenographer。 Approximations，synopsizedspeeches，translatedpoems，artificialflowersandchromosallhaveasortofvalue，butitissmall。IfyouhadputuponpaperwhatIreallysaiditwouldhavewreckedyourtype-machine。 Isaidsomefetid，over-vigorousthings，butthatwasbecauseitwasaconfidentialconversation。Isaidnothingforprint。MyownreportofthesameconversationreadslikeSatanroastingaSundayschool。It，andcertainotherreadablechaptersofmyautobiographywillnotbepublisheduntilalltheClemensfamilyaredead——deadandcorrespondinglyindifferent。Theywerewrittentoentertainme，nottherestoftheworld。Iamnotheretodogood——atleastnottodoitintentionally。 Youmustpardonmefordictatingthisletter；Iamsicka-bedandnotfeelingaswellasImight。 SincerelyYours，S。L。CLEMENS。 AmongtheculturedmenofEnglandMarkTwainhadnogreateradmirer，orwarmerfriend，thanAndrewLang。Theywereatoneonmostliterarysubjects，andespeciallysointheiradmirationofthelifeandcharacterofJoanofArc。Bothhadwrittenofher，andbothheldhertobesomethingalmostmorethanmortal。When，therefore，AnatoleFrancepublishedhisexhaustivebiographyofthemaidofDomremy，abookinwhichhefollowed，withexaggeratedminutenessandinnumerablefootnotes，everystepofJoan”sphysicalcareerattheexpenseofherspirituallife，whichhewasinclinedtocheapen，Langwrotefeelingly，andwithsomecontempt，oftheperformance，invitingtheauthorofthePersonalRecollectionstocometotherescueoftheirheroine。“Compareeveryoneofhisstatementswiththepassageshecitesfromauthorities，andmakehimthelaughteroftheworld“hewrote。“IfyouarelazyaboutcomparingIcanmakeyouacompletesetofwhattheauthoritiessay，andofwhatthisamazingnovelistsaysthattheysay。WhenItellyouthathethinkstheEpiphany(January6，TwelfthNight)isDecember25th——ChristmasDay-youbegintoseewhatanegregiousassheis。TreathimlikeDowden，andoblige“——areferencetoMarkTwain”sdefenseofHarrietShelley，inwhichhehadheapedridiculeonDowden”sLifeofthePoet——amasterlyperformance；oneofthebestthatevercamefromMarkTwain”spen。 Lang”ssuggestionwouldseemtohavebeenawelcomeone。 ToAndrewLang，inLondon： NEWYORK，April25，1908。 DEARMR。LANG，——Ihaven”tseenthebooknoranyreviewofit，butonlynotvery-understandablereferencestoit——ofasortwhichdiscomfortedme，butofcoursesetmyinterestonfire。Idon”twanttohavetoreaditinFrench——Ishouldlosetheniceshades，andshoulddoalotofgrossmisinterpreting，too。Butthere”llbeatranslationsoon，nichtwahr？ Iwillwaitforit。Inotewithjoythatyousay：“Ifyouarelazyaboutcomparing，(whichImostcertainlyam)，Icanmakeyouacompletesetofwhattheauthoritiessay，andofwhatthisamazingnovelistsaysthattheysay。” Ah，doitforme！ThenIwillattemptthearticle，and(ifIsucceedindoingittomysatisfaction，)willpublishit。ItislongsinceI touchedapen(3？years)，andIwasintendingtocontinuethishappyholidaytothegallows，but——therearethingsthatcouldbeguilemetobreakthisblessedSabbath。 Yoursverysincerely，S。L。CLEMENS。 CertainlyitisaninterestingfactthatanEnglishman——oneoftheracethatburnedJoan——shouldfeelmovedtodefendhermemoryagainstthetop-heavyperversionsofadistinguishedFrenchauthor。 ButLangseemsnevertohavesentthenotes。Thecopyingwouldhavebeenatremendoustask，andperhapsheneverfoundthetimeforit。 Wemayregretto-daythathedidnot，forMarkTwain”sarticleontheFrenchauthor”sJoanwouldhavebeenatleastunique。 SamuelClemenscouldneveraccustomhimselftothelossofhiswife。 Fromthetimeofherdeath，marriage-whichhadbroughthimhisgreatestjoyinlife-presenteditselftohimalwayswiththethoughtofbereavement，waitingsomewherejustbehind。Thenewsofanapproachingweddingsaddenedhimandtherewasnearlyalwaysasombertingeinhiscongratulations，ofwhichthefollowingtoadearfriendisanexample： ToFatherFitz-Simon，inWashington： June5，”08。 DEARFATHERFITZ-SIMON，——Marriage——yes，itisthesupremefelicityoflife，Iconcedeit。Anditisalsothesupremetragedyoflife。Thedeeperthelovethesurerthetragedy。Andthemoredisconsolatingwhenitcomes。 AndsoIcongratulateyou。Notperfunctorily，notlukewarmly，butwithafervencyandfirethatnowordinthedictionaryisstrongenoughtoconvey。Andinthesamebreathandwiththesamedepthandsincerity，Igrieveforyou。Notforbothofyouandnotfortheonethatshallgofirst，butfortheonethatisfatedtobeleftbehind。Forthatonethereisnorecompense——Forthatonenorecompenseispossible。 Therearetimes——thousandsoftimes——whenIcanexposethehalfofmymind，andconcealtheotherhalf，butinthematterofthetragedyofmarriageIfeeltoodeeplyforthat，andIhavetobleeditalloutorshutitallin。AndsoyoumustconsiderwhatIhavebeenthrough，andampassingthroughandbecharitablewithme。 Makethemostofthesunshine！andIhopeitwilllastlong——eversolong。 Idonotreallywanttobepresent；yetforfriendship”ssakeandbecauseIhonoryouso，IwouldbethereifIcould。 Mostsincerelyyourfriend，S。L。CLEMENS。 ThenewhomeatReddingwascompletedinthespringof1908，andonthe18thofJune，whenitwasentirelyfittedandfurnished，MarkTwainentereditforthefirsttime。HehadneverevenseentheplacenorcarefullyexaminedplanswhichJohnHowellshadmadeforhishouse。Hepreferredthesurpriseofit，andthegeneralavoidanceofdetail。Thathewassatisfiedwiththeresultwillbeseeninhisletters。Henameditatfirst“InnocenceatHome“； laterchangingthistitleto“Stormfield。” Theletterwhichfollowsisanacknowledgmentofaninterestingsouvenirfromthebattle-fieldofTewksbury(1471)，andsomerelicsoftheCavalierandRoundheadRegimentsencampedatTewksburyin1643。 ToanEnglishadmirer： INNOCENCEATHOME，REDDING，CONNECTICUT，Aug。15，”08。 DEARSIR，——Ihighlyprizethepipes，andshallintimatetopeoplethat“Raleigh“smokedthem，anddoubtlesshedid。AfteralittlepracticeI shallbeabletogofurtherandsayhedid；theywillthenbethemostinterestingfeaturesofmylibrary”sdecorations。TheHorse-shoeisattractingagooddealofattention，becauseIhaveintimatedthattheconqueror”shorsecastit；itwillattractmorewhenIgetmyhandinandsayhecastit，Ithankyouforthepipesandtheshoe；andalsofortheofficialguide，whichIreadthroughatasinglesitting。IfapersonshouldsaythataboutabookofmineIshouldregarditasgoodevidenceofthebook”sinterest。 Verytrulyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 Inhisphilosophy，WhatIsMan？，andnowandagaininhisotherwritings，wefindMarkTwaingivingsmallcredittothehumanmindasanoriginatorofideas。Themostoriginalwriterofhistime，hetooknocreditforpureinventionandallowednonetoothers。Themind，hedeclared，adapted，consciouslyorunconsciously；itdidnotcreate。Inaletterwhichfollowsheelucidatesthisdoctrine。Thereferenceinittothe“captain“andtothekerosene，asthereadermayremember，havetodowithCaptain“Hurricane“Jonesandhistheoryofthemiraclesof“IsaacandoftheprophetsofBaal，“asexpoundedinSomeRamblingNotesofanIdleExcursion。 ByatrickofmemoryClemensgivesTheLittleDukeashissuggestionforThePrinceandthePauper；heshouldhavewrittenThePrinceandthePage，bythesameauthor。 ToRev。F。Y。Christ，inNewYork： REDDING，CONN。，Aug。，”08。 DEARSIR，——Yousay“Ioftenowemybestsermonstoasuggestionreceivedinreadingorfromotherexteriorsources。”Yourremarkisnotquiteinaccordancewiththefacts。Wemustchangeitto”Ioweallmythoughts，sermonsandideastosuggestionsreceivedfromsourcesoutsideofmyself。 ThesimplifiedEnglishofthispropositionis”Noman”sbrainseveroriginatedanidea。”Itisanastonishingthingthatafteralltheseagestheworldgoesonthinkingthehumanbrainmachinerycanoriginateathought。 Itcan”t。Itneverhasdoneit。Inallcases，littleandbig，thethoughtisbornofasuggestion；andinallcasesthesuggestionscometothebrainfromtheoutside。Thebrainneveractsexceptfromexteriorimpulse。 Amancansatisfyhimselfofthetruthofthisbyasingleprocess，——lethimexamineeveryideathatoccurstohiminanhour；aday；inaweek——inalifetimeifheplease。Hewillalwaysfindthatanoutsidesomethingsuggestedthethought，somethingwhichhesawwithhiseyesorheardwithhisearsorperceivedbyhistouch——notnecessarilyto-day，noryesterday，norlastyear，nortwentyyearsago，butsometimeorother。Usuallythesourceofthesuggestionisimmediatelytraceable，butsometimesitisn”t。 However，ifyouwillexamineeverythoughtthatoccurstoyouforthenexttwodays，youwillfindthatinatleastninecasesoutoftenyoucanputyourfingerontheoutsidesuggestion——AndthatoughttoconvinceyouthatNo。10hadthatsourcetoo，althoughyoucannotatpresenthuntitdownandfindit。 Theideaofwritingtomewouldhavehadtowaitalongtimeifitwaiteduntilyourbrainoriginatedit。Itwasbornofanoutsidesuggestion—— SirThomasandmyoldCaptain。 Thehypnotistthinkshehasinventedanewthing——suggestion。Thisisverysad。Idon”tknowwheremycaptaingothiskeroseneidea。(Itwasforty-oneyearsago，andheislongagodead。)ButIknowthatitdidn”toriginateinhishead，butitwasbornfromasuggestionfromtheoutside。 Yesterdayaguestsaid，“Howdidyoucometothinkofwriting”ThePrinceandthePauper？”Ididn”t。Thethoughtcametomefromtheoutside—— suggestedbythatpleasantandpicturesquelittlehistory-book，CharlotteM。Yonge”s“LittleDuke，“IdoubtifMrs。Burnettknowswhencecametoherthesuggestiontowrite“LittleLordFauntleroy，“butIknow；itcametoherfromreading“ThePrinceandthePauper。”InallmylifeIhaveneveroriginatedanidea，andneitherhasshe，noranybodyelse。 Man”smindisaclevermachine，andcanworkupmaterialsintoingeniousfanciesandideas，butitcan”tcreatethematerial；nonebutthegodscandothat。InSwedenIsawavastmachinereceiveablockofwood，andturnitintomarketablematchesintwominutes。Itcoulddoeverythingbutmakethewood。Thatisthekindofmachinethehumanmindis。Maybethisisnotalargecompliment，butitisallIcanafford…… Yourfriendandwell-wisherS。L。CLEMENS。 ToMrs。H。H。Rogers，inFairHawn，Mass。： REDDING，CONN，Aug。12，1908。 DEARMRS。ROGERS，IbelieveIamthewellestmanontheplanetto-day，andgoodforatriptoFairHaven(whichIdiscussedwiththeCaptainoftheNewBedfordboat，whopleasantlyaccostedmeintheGrandCentralAugust5)butthedoctorcameupfromNewYorkdaybeforeyesterday，andgavepositiveordersthatImustnotstirfromherebeforefrost。ItisbecauseIwasthreatenedwithaswoon，10or12daysago，andwenttoNewYorkadayortwolatertoattendmynephew”sfuneralandgothorriblyexhaustedbytheheatandcamebackhereandhadabiliouscollapse。In24hoursIwasassoundasanutagain，butnobodybelievesitbutme。 Thisisaprodigiouslysatisfactoryplace，andIamsogladIdon”thavetogobacktotheturmoilandrushofNewYork。Thehousestandshighandthehorizonsarewide，yettheseclusionisperfect。Thenearestpublicroadishalfamileaway，sothereisnobodytolookin，andI don”thavetowearclothesifIdon”twantto。Ihavebeendownstairsinnight-gownandslippersacoupleofhours，andhavebeenphotographedinthatcostume；butIwilldress，now，andbehavemyself。 Thatdoctorhadhalfanideathatthereissomethingthematterwithmybrain……Doctorsdoknowsolittleandtheydochargesomuchforit。IwishHenryRogerswouldcomehere，andIwishyouwouldcomewithhim。Youcan”trestinthatcrowdedplace，butyoucouldresthere，forsure！Iwouldlearnbridge，andentertainyou，androbyou。 Withlovetoyouboth，Everyours，S。L。C。 IntheforegoingletterwegetthefirstintimationofMarkTwain”sfailinghealth。ThenephewwhohaddiedwasSamuelE。Moffett，sonofPamelaClemens。Moffett，whowasadistinguishedjournalist——aneditorialwriteronCollier”sWeekly，amanbelovedbyallwhoknewhim——hadbeendrownedinthesurfofftheJerseybeach。 ToW。D。Howells，KitteryPoint，Maine： Aug。12，”08。 DEARHOWELLS，——Won”tyouandMrs。HowellsandMildredcomeandgiveusasmanydaysasyoucanspare，andexamineJohn”striumph？ItisthemostsatisfactoryhouseIamacquaintedwith，andthemostsatisfactorilysituated。 Butitisnoplacetoworkin，becauseoneisoutsideofitallthetime，whilethesunandthemoonareonduty。Outsideofitintheloggia，wherethebreezesblowandthetallarchesdivideupthesceneryandframeit。 It”saghastlylongdistancetocome，andIwouldn”ttravelsuchadistancetoseeanythingshortofamemorialmuseum，butifyoucan”tcomenowyoucanatleastcomelaterwhenyoureturntoNewYork，forthejourneywillbeonlyanhourandahalfperexpress-train。Thingsaregraduallyandsteadilytakingshapeinsidethehouse，andnatureistakingcareoftheoutsideinheringeniousandwonderfulfashion——andsheiscompetentandasksnohelpandgetsnone。IhaveretiredfromNewYorkforgood，Ihaveretiredfromlaborforgood，Ihavedismissedmystenographerandhaveentereduponaholidaywhoseotherendisinthecemetery。 Yoursever，MARK。 FromagentlemaninBuffaloClemensonedayreceivedaletterinclosinganincompletedlistoftheworld”s“OneHundredGreatestMen，“menwhohadexerted“thelargestvisibleinfluenceonthelifeandactivitiesoftherace。”ThewriteraskedthatMarkTwainexaminethelistandsuggestnames，adding“wouldyouincludeJesus，asthefounderofChristianity，inthelist？“ TothelistofstatesmenClemensaddedthenameofThomasPaine；tothelistofinventors，EdisonandAlexanderGrahamBell。Thequestionheansweredindetail。 To——，Buffalo，N。Y。 Private。REDDING，CONN，Aug。28，”08。 DEARSIR，——By“private，“Imeandon”tprintanyremarksofmine…… Ilikeyourlist。 The“largestvisibleinfluence。” ThesetermsrequireyoutoaddJesus。AndtheydoublyandtreblyrequireyoutoaddSatan。FromA。D。350toA。D。1850thesegentlemenexercisedavasterinfluenceoverafifthpartofthehumanracethanwasexercisedoverthatfractionoftheracebyallotherinfluencescombined。Ninety- ninehundredthsofthisinfluenceproceededfromSatan，theremainingfractionofitfromJesus。Duringthose1500yearsthefearofSatanandHellmade99ChristianswhereloveofGodandHeavenlandedone。Duringthose1500years，Satan”sinfluencewasworthverynearlyahundredtimesasmuchtothebusinessaswastheinfluenceofalltherestoftheHolyFamilyputtogether。 Youhaveaskedmeaquestion，andIhaveanswereditseriouslyandsincerely。YouhaveputinBuddha——agod，withafollowing，atonetime，greaterthanJesuseverhad：agodwithperhapsalittlebetterevidenceofhisgodshipthanthatwhichisofferedforJesus”s。Howthen，infairness，canyouleaveJesusout？Andifyouputhimin，howcanyoulogicallyleaveSatanout？Thunderisgood，thunderisimpressive；butitisthelightningthatdoesthework。 Verytrulyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 The“Children”sTheatre“ofthenextletterwasaninstitutionoftheNewYorkEastSideinwhichMarkTwainwasdeeplyinterested。 Thechildrenweremost，ifnotall，ofHebrewparentage，andtheperformancestheygave，underthedirectionofAliceM。Herts，werereallyremarkable。Itseemedapitythatlackoffundsshouldhavebroughtthisexcellenteducationalventuretoanuntimelyend。 ThefollowingletterwasinreplytooneinclosinganewspaperclippingreportingaperformanceofThePrinceandthePauper，givenbyChicagoschoolchildren。 ToMrs。Hookway，inChicago： Sept。，1908。 DEARMRS。HOOKWAY，——AlthoughIamfullofthespiritofworkthismorning，araritywithmelately——Imuststealamomentortwoforawordinperson：forIhavebeenreadingtheeloquentaccountintheRecord- Heraldandampleasurablystirred，tomydeepestdeeps。Thereadingbringsvividlybacktomemypetandpride。TheChildren”sTheatreoftheEastside，NewYork。Anditsupportsandre-affirmswhatIhavesooftenandstrenuouslysaidinpublicthatachildren”stheatreiseasilythemostvaluableadjunctthatanyeducationalinstitutionfortheyoungcanhave，andthatnootherwisegoodschooliscompletewithoutit。 Itismuchthemosteffectiveteacherofmoralsandpromoterofgoodconductthattheingenuityofmanhasyetdevised，forthereasonthatitslessonsarenottaughtwearilybybookandbydrearyhomily，butbyvisibleandenthusingaction；andtheygostraighttotheheart，whichistherightestofrightplacesforthem。Bookmoralsoftengetnofurtherthantheintellect，iftheyevengetthatfarontheirspectralandshadowypilgrimage：butwhentheytravelfromaChildren”sTheatretheydonotstoppermanentlyatthathalfwayhouse，butgoonhome。 Thechildren”stheatreistheonlyteacherofmoralsandconductandhighidealsthatneverboresthepupil，butalwaysleaveshimsorrywhenthelessonisover。Andasforhistory，nootherteacherisforamomentcomparabletoit：noothercanmakethedeadheroesoftheworldriseupandshakethedustoftheagesfromtheirbonesandliveandmoveandbreatheandspeakandberealtothelookerandlistener：noothercanmakethestudyofthelivesandtimesoftheillustriousdeadadelight，asplendidinterest，apassion；andnoothercanpaintahistory-lessonincolorsthatwillstay，andstay，andneverfade。 Itismyconvictionthatthechildren”stheatreisoneofthevery，verygreatinventionsofthetwentiethcentury；andthatitsvasteducationalvalue——nowbutdimlyperceivedandbutvaguelyunderstood——willpresentlycometoberecognized。BythearticlewhichIhavebeenreadingIfindthesamethingshappeningintheHowlandSchoolthatwehavebecomefamiliarwithinourChildren”sTheatre(ofwhichIamPresident，andsufficientlyvainofthedistinction。)Thesethingsamongothers； 1。Theeducatinghistory-studydoesnotstopwiththelittleplayers，butthewholeschoolcatchestheinfectionandrevelsinit。 2。Anditdoesn”tevenstopthere；thechildrencarryithomeandinfectthefamilywithit——eventheparentsandgrandparents；andthewholehouseholdfalltostudyinghistory，andbygonemannersandcustomsandcostumeswitheagerinterest。Andthisinterestiscarriedalongtothestudyingofcostumesinoldbook-plates；andbeyondthattotheselectingoffabricsandthemakingofclothes。Hundredsofourchildrenlearn，theplaysbylisteningwithoutbook，andbymakingnotes；thenthelistenergoeshomeandplaysthepiece——alltheparts！tothefamily。 Andthefamilyaregladandproud；gladtolistentotheexplanationsandanalyses，gladtolearn，gladtobeliftedtoplanesabovetheirdrearyworkadaylives。Ourchildren”stheatreiseducating7，000children——andtheirfamilies。WhenweputonaplayofShakespearetheyfalltostudyingitdiligently；sothattheymaybequalifiedtoenjoyittothelimitwhenthepieceisstaged。 3。YourHowlandSchoolchildrendotheconstruction-work，stage- decorations，etc。Thatisourwaytoo。Ouryoungfolksdoeverythingthatisneededbythetheatre，withtheirownhands；scene-designing，scene-painting，gas-fitting，electricwork，costume-designing——costumemaking，everythingandallthingsindeed——andtheirorchestraanditsleaderarefromtheirownranks。 ThearticlewhichIhavebeenreading，says——speakingofthehistoricalplayproducedbythepupilsoftheHowlandSchool—— “Thequestionnaturallyarises，Whathasthisdramadoneforthosewhosoenthusiasticallytookpart？——ThetouchingstoryhasmadeayearoutofthePastliveforthechildrenascouldnochronologyorbaldstatementofhistoricalevents；ithascultivatedthefancyandgiventotheimaginationstrengthandpurity；workincompositionhasceasedtobedrudgery，forwhenallotherthemesfallflatasubjectdealingwithsomeaspectofthedramapresentedneverfailstoarouseinterestandarapidpushingofpensoverpaper。” Thatisentirelytrue。Theinterestisnotconfinedtothedrama”sstory，itspreadsoutallaroundtheperiodofthestory，andgivestoalltheoutlyingandunrelatedhappeningsofthatperiodafascinatinginterest——aninterestwhichdoesnotfadeoutwiththeyears，butremainsalwaysfresh，alwaysinspiring，alwayswelcome。History-factsdugbythejob，withsweatandtearsoutofadryandspiritlesstext-book——butnevermind，allwhohavesufferedknowwhatthatis…… Iremain，dearmadam，Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 MarkTwainhadaspecialfondnessforcats。Asaboyhealwaysownedoneanditgenerallyhadaseatbesidehimatthetable。 TherewerecatsatQuarryFarmandatHartford，andinthehouseatReddingtherewasagraymother-catnamedTammany，ofwhichhewasespeciallyfond。Kittenscaperingaboutwerehischiefdelight。 InalettertoaChicagowomanhetellshowthoseofTammanyassistedathisfavoritegame。 ToMrs。MabelLarkinPatterson，inChicago： REDDING，CONNECTICUT，Oct。2，”08。 DEARMRS。PATTERSON，——Thecontentsofyourletterareverypleasantandverywelcome，andIthankyouforthem，sincerely。IfIcanfindaphotographofmy“Tammany“andherkittens，Iwillencloseitinthis。 Oneofthemlikestobecrammedintoacorner-pocketofthebilliardtable——whichhefitsassnuglyasdoesafingerinagloveandthenhewatchesthegame(andobstructsit)bythehour，andspoilsmanyashotbyputtingouthispawandchangingthedirectionofapassingball。 Wheneveraballisinhisarms，orsoclosetohimthatitcannotbeplayeduponwithoutriskofhurtinghim，theplayerisprivilegedtoremoveittoanyoneofthe3spotsthatchancestobevacant。 Ah，no，mylecturingdaysareoverforgoodandall。 Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 ThelettertoHowellswhichfollowswaswrittenashorttimebeforethepassageofthecopyrightextensionbill，whichrenderedMarkTwain”snewplan，herementioned，unneeded——atleastforthetime。 ToW。D。Howells，inNewYork： Monday，Oct。26，”08。 Oh，Isay！Whereareyouhiding，andwhyareyouhiding？Youpromisedtocomehereandyoudidn”tkeepyourword。(Thissoundslikeastonishment——butdon”tbemisledbythat。) Come，fireupagainonyourfiction-millandgiveusanothergoodpromise。Andthistimekeepit——foritisyourturntobeastonished。 Comeandstayaslongasyoupossiblycan。IinventedanewcopyrightextensionschemelastFriday，andsatupallnightarrangingitsdetails。 Itwillinterestyou。YesterdayIgotitdownonpaperinascompactaformasIcould。HarveyandIhaveexaminedthescheme，andto-morrowornextdayhewillsendmeacoupleofcopyright-expertstoarrangeaboutgettingcertainstatisticsforme。 Authors，publishersandthepublichavealwaysbeendamagedbythecopyrightlaws。Theproposedamendmentwilladvantageallthree——thepublicmostofall。IthinkCongresswillpassitandsettlethevexedquestionpermanently。 Ishallneedyourassentandtheassentofaboutadozenotherauthors。 Alsotheassentofallthelargefirmsofthe300publishers。TheseauthorsandpublisherswillfurnishsaidassentIamsure。Noteventhepirateswillbeabletofurnishaseriousobjection，Ithink。 Comealong。Thisplaceseemedatitsbestwhenallaroundwassummer- green；lateritseemedatitsbestwhenallaroundwasburningwiththeautumnsplendors；andnowoncemoreitseemsatitsbest，withthetreesnakedandthegroundapainter”spalette。 Yoursever，MARK。 ClemenswasagreatadmireroftheseastoriesofW。W。Jacobsandgenerallykeptoneormoreofthisauthor”svolumesinreachofhisbed，wheremostofhisreadingwasdone。TheacknowledgmentthatfollowswassentwhenhehadfinishedSalthaven。 ToW。W。Jacobs，inEngland： REDDING，CONN，Oct。28，”08。 DEARMR。JACOBS，——Ithasadelightfullook。Iwillnotventuretosayhowdelightful，becausethewordswouldsoundextravagant，andwouldtherebylosesomeoftheirstrengthandtothatdegreemisrepresentme。 ItismyconvictionthatDialstoneLaneholdsthesupremacyoverallpurelyhumorousbooksinourlanguage，butIfeelaboutSalthavenastheCapeCodpoetfeelsaboutSimonHanks： “TheLordknowsallthings，greatandsmall，Withdoubthe”snotperplexed：”TisHimalonethatknowsitallButSimonHankscomesnext。” Thepoetwasmovedbyenvyandmaliceandjealousy，butIamnot：IplaceSalthavencloseupnexttoDialstonebecauseIthinkithasafairandhonestrighttothathighposition。Ihavekepttheotherbookmoving； Ishallbegintohandthisonearoundnow。 Andmanythankstoyouforrememberingme。 Thishouseisoutinthesolitudesofthewoodsandthehills，anhourandahalffromNewYork，andImeantostayinitwinterandsummertherestofmydays。IbegyoutocomeandhelpoccupyitafewdaysthenexttimeyouvisittheU。S。 Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 OneoftheattractionsofStormfieldwasabeautifulmantelinthebilliardroom，presentedbytheHawaiianPromotionCommittee。Ithadnotarrivedwhentherestofthehousewascompleted，butcameintimetobesetinplaceearlyinthemorningoftheowner”sseventy-thirdbirthday。ItwasmadeofavarietyofHawaiianwoods，andwastheworkofanativecarver，F。M。Otremba。Clemenswasdeeplytouchedbytheofferingfromthose“westernisles“——thememoryofwhichwasalwayssosweettohim。 ToMr。Wood，inHawaii： Nov。30，”08。 DEARMR。WOOD，——Thebeautifulmantelwasputinitsplaceanhourago，anditsfriendly“Aloha“wasthefirstutteredgreetingmy73rdbirthdayreceived。Itisrichincolor，richinquality，andrichindecoration，thereforeitexactlyharmonizeswiththetasteforsuchthingswhichwasborninmeandwhichIhaveseldombeenabletoindulgetomycontent。 Itwillbeagreatpleasuretome，dailyrenewed，tohaveundermyeyethislovelyreminderoftheloveliestfleetofislandsthatliesanchoredinanyocean，andIbegtothanktheCommitteeforprovidingmethatpleasure。 SincerelyYours，S。L。CLEMENS。 XLVII LETTERS，1909。TOHOWELLSANDOTHERS。LIFEATSTORMFIELD。COPYRIGHT EXTENSION。DEATHOFJEANCLEMENS ClemensremainedatStormfieldallthatwinter。NewYorkwassixtymilesawayandhedidnotoftencaretomakethejourney。Hewasconstantlyinvitedtothisorthatpublicgathering，orprivateparty，butsuchaffairshadlostinterestforhim。Hepreferredthequietofhisluxurioushomewithitsbeautifuloutlook，whileforentertainmenthefoundthebilliardafternoonssufficient。Guestscamefromthecity，nowandagain，forweek-endvisits，andifheeverwasrestlessorlonelyhedidnotshowit。 AmongtheinvitationsthatcamewasonefromGeneralO。O。HowardaskinghimtopresideatameetingtoraiseanendowmentfundforaLincolnMemorialUniversityatCumberlandGap，Tennessee。Closinghisletter，GeneralHowardsaid，“Nevermindifyoudidfightontheotherside。” ToGeneralO。O。Howard： STORMFIELD，REDDING，CONNECTICUT，Jan，12，”09。 DEARGENERALHOWARD，——Youpaymeamostgratifyingcomplimentinaskingmetopreside，anditcausesmeveryrealregretthatIamobligedtodecline，fortheobjectofthemeetingappealsstronglytome，sincethatobjectistoaidinraisingthe$500，000EndowmentFundforLincolnMemorialUniversity。TheEndowmentFundwillbethemostfittingofallthememorialsthecountrywilldedicatetothememoryofLincoln，serving，asitwill，touplifthisveryownpeople。 Ihopeyouwillmeetwithcompletesuccess，andIamsorryIcannotbetheretowitnessitandhelpyourejoice。ButIamolderthanpeoplethink，andbesidesIliveawayoutinthecountryandneverstirfromhome，exceptatgeologicalintervals，tofillleft-overengagementsinmesozoictimeswhenIwasyoungerandindiscreeter。 Yououghtnottosaysarcasticthingsaboutmy“fightingontheotherside。”GeneralGrantdidnotactlikethat。GeneralGrantpaidmecompliments。HebracketedmewithZenophon——itisthereinhisMemoirsforanybodytoread。HesaidifalltheconfederatesoldiershadfollowedmyexampleandadoptedmymilitaryartshecouldneverhavecaughtenoughoftheminabunchtoinconveniencetheRebellion。GeneralGrantwasafairman，andrecognizedmyworth；butyouareprejudiced，andyouhavehurtmyfeelings。 ButIhaveanaffectionforyou，anyway。 MARKTWAIN。 OneofMarkTwain”sfriendswasHenniker-Heaton，theso-called“FatherofPennyPostage“betweenEnglandandAmerica。When，afterlongyearsofeffort，hesucceededingettingtherateestablished，heatoncebenthisenergiesinthedirectionofcheapcableserviceandaletterfromhimcameonedaytoStormfieldconcerninghisnewplans。Thisletterhappenedtobeover-weight，whichgaveMarkTwainachanceforsomeamusingexaggerationsathisexpense。 ToHenniker-Heaton，inLondon： STORMFIELD，REDDING，CONNECTICUT，Jan。18，1909。 DEARHENNIKER-HEATON，——Idohopeyouwillsucceedtoyourheart”sdesireinyourcheap-cablegramcampaign，andIfeelsureyouwill。Indeedyourcheap-postagevictory，achievedinspiteofaquarter-centuryofdeterminedopposition，isgoodandrationalprophecythatyouwill。 Wireless，notbeingasyetimprisonedinaChinesewallofprivatecashandhigh-placedandformidableinfluence，willcometoyouraidandmakeyournewcampaignbrieferandeasierthantheotheronewas。 Nowthen，afterutteringmyseriousword，amIprivilegedtobefrivolousforamoment？Whenyoushallhaveachievedcheaptelegraphy，areyougoingtoemployitforjustyourownselfishprofitandotherpeople”specuniarydamage，thewayyouaredoingwithyourcheappostage？Yougetletter-postagereducedto2centsanounce，thenyoumailmea4-ounceletterwitha2-centstamponit，andIhavetopaytheextrafreightatthisendoftheline。Ireturnyourenvelopeforinspection。Lookatit。Stampedinoneplaceisavast“T，“andunderitthefigures“40，“ andunderthosefiguresappearsan“L，“asinisterandsuspiciousandmysteriousL。Inanotherplace，stampedwithinacircle，inoffensivelylargecapitals，youfindthewords“DUE8CENTS。”Finally，inthemidstofadesertspaceupnor-noreastardfromthatcircleyoufindafigure“3“ofquiteunnecessarilyaggressiveandinsolentmagnitude——anddonewithabluepencil，soastobeasconspicuousaspossible。Iinquiredaboutthesestrangesignsandsymbolsofthepostman。HesaidtheywereP。O。Departmentsignalsforhisinstruction。 “Instructionforwhat？“ “Togetextrapostage。” “Isitso？Explain。TellmeaboutthelargeTandthe40。 “It”sshortforTake40——oraswepostmensay，grab40“ Goon，please，whileIthinkupsomewordstoswearwith。” “Due8means，grab8more。” “Continue。” “Theblue-pencil3wasanafterthought。Therearen”tanystampsforafterthoughts；thesumsvary，accordingtoinspiration，andtheywhirlintheonethatsuggestsitselfatthelastmoment。Sometimestheygoseveraltimeshigherthanthisone。Thisoneonlymeanshog3centsmore。Andsoifyou”vegot51centsaboutyou，orcanborrowit” “Tellme：whogetsthiscorruption？“ “HalfofitgoestothemaninEnglandwhoshipstheletteronshortpostage，andtheotherhalfgoestotheP。O。D。toprotectcheappostagefrominauguratingadeficit。” “——” “Ican”tblameyou；Iwouldsayitmyselfinyourplace，iftheseladieswerenotpresent。ButyouseeI”monlyobeyingorders，Ican”thelpmyself。” “Oh，Iknowit；I”mnotblamingyou。Finally，whatdoesthatLstandfor？“ “Getthemoney，orgivehimL。It”sEnglish，youknow。” “Takeitandgo。It”sthelastcentI”vegotintheworld。” AfterseeingtheOxfordpageantfilebythegrandstand，pictureafterpicture，splendoraftersplendor，threethousandfivehundredstrong，themostmovingandbeautifulandimpressiveandhistorically-instructiveshowconceivable，youarenottothinkIwouldmisstheLondonpageantofnextyear，withitsshininghostof15，000historicalEnglishmenandwomendugfromthemistybooksofallthevanishedagesandmarchinginthelightofthesun——allalive，andlookingjustastheywereusedtolook！Mr。Lascellesspentyesterdayhereonthefarm，andtoldmeallaboutit。Ishallbeinthemiddleofmy75thyearthen，andinterestedinpageantsforpersonalandprospectivereasons。 IbegyoutogivemybestthankstotheBathClubfortheofferofitshospitalities，butIshallnotbeabletotakeadvantageofit，becauseI amtobeaguestinaprivatehouseduringmystayinLondon。 Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 Itwasin1907thatClemenshadseentheOxfordPageant——duringtheweekwhenhehadbeenawardedhisdoctor”sdegree。Itgavehimthegreatestdelight，andhefullyexpectedtoseethenextone，plannedfor1910。 InthelettertoHowellswhichfollowswegetanotherglimpseofMarkTwain”sphilosophyofman，theirresponsiblemachine。 ToW。D。Howells，inNewYork： STORMFIELD，REDDING，CONN。，Jan。18，”09。 DEARHOWELLS，——Ihavetowritealine，lazyasIam，tosayhowyourPoearticledelightedme；andtosaythatIaminagreementwithsubstantiallyallyousayabouthisliterature。Tomehisproseisunreadable——likeJaneAustin”s。No，thereisadifference。Icouldreadhisproseonsalary，butnotJane”s。Janeisentirelyimpossible。Itseemsagreatpitythattheyallowedhertodieanaturaldeath。 Anotherthing：yougrantthatGodandcircumstancessinnedagainstPoe，butyoualsograntthathesinnedagainsthimself——athingwhichhecouldn”tdoanddidn”tdo。 Itislivelyupherenow。Iwishyoucouldcome。 Yrsever，MARK ToW。D。Howells，inNewYork： STORMFIELD，REDDING，CONNECTICUT，3inthemorning，Apl。17，”09。 [Writtenwithpencil]。 Mypenhasgonedryandtheinkisoutofreach。Howells，Didyouwritemeday-before-daybeforeyesterday，ordidIdreamit？Inmymind”seyeImostvividlyseeyourhand-writeonasquareblueenvelopinthemailpile。Ihavehuntedthehouseover，butthereisnosuchletter。 Wasitanillusion？ IamreadingLowell”sletter，andsmoking。Iwokeanhouragoandamreadingtokeepfromwastingthetime。Onpage305，vol。I。Ihavejustmarginedanote： “Youngfriend！Ilikethat！Yououghttoseehimnow。” Itseemedstartlinglystrangetohearapersoncallyouyoung。Itwasabrickoutofabluesky，andknockedmegroggyforamoment。Ahme，thepathosofitis，thatwewereyoungthen。Andhe——why，sowashe，buthedidn”tknowit。Hedidn”tevenknowit9yearslater，whenwesawhimapproachingandyouwarnedme，saying，“Don”tsayanythingaboutage——hehasjustturnedfifty，andthinksheisoldandbroodsoverit。” [Well，Claradidsing！Andyouwroteheradearletter。] Timetogotosleep。 Yoursever，MARK。 ToDanielKiefer： [Nodate。] DANLKIEFERESQ。DEARSIR，——Ishouldbefarfromwillingtohaveapoliticalpartynamedafterme。 Iwouldnotbewillingtobelongtoapartywhichalloweditsmemberstohavepoliticalaspirationsortopushfriendsforwardforpoliticalpreferment。 Yoursverytruly，S。L。CLEMENS。 Thecopyrightextension，forwhichtheauthorhadbeenworkingsolong，wasgrantedbyCongressin1909，largelyastheresultofthatafternooninWashingtonwhenMarkTwainhad“received“in“UncleJoe“Cannon”sprivateroom，andpreachedthegospelofcopyrightuntilthedaylightfadedandtherestoftheCapitolgrewstill。 ChampClarkwasthelasttolingerthatdayandtheyhadtalkedfarintothedusk。Clarkwaspowerful，andhadfatheredthebill。Nowhewrotetoknowifitwassatisfactory。 ToChampClark，inWashington： STORMFIELD，REDDING，CONN。，June5，”09。 DEARCHAMPCLARK——Isthenewcopyrightlawacceptabletome？ Emphatically，yes！Clark，itistheonlysane，andclearlydefined，andjustandrighteouscopyrightlawthathaseverexistedintheUnitedStates。Whosoeverwillcompareitwithitspredecessorswillhavenotroubleinarrivingatthatdecision。 ThebillwhichwasbeforethecommitteetwoyearsagowhenIwasdowntherewasthemoststupefyingjumbleofconflictingandapparentlyirreconcilableintereststhatwaseverseen；andweallsaid“thecaseishopeless，absolutelyhopeless——outofthischaosnothingcanbebuilt。” Butwewereinerror；outofthatchaoticmassthisexcellentbillhasbeeninstructed；thewarringinterestshavebeenreconciled，andtheresultisascomelyandsubstantialalegislativeedificeasliftsitsdomesandtowersandprotectivelightningrodsoutofthestatutebook，Ithink。WhenIthinkofthatotherbill，whicheventheDeitycouldn”tunderstand，andofthisonewhichevenIcanunderstand，Itakeoffmyhattothemanormenwhodevisedthisone。WasitR。U。Johnson？WasittheAuthor”sLeague？Wasitbothtogether？Idon”tknow，butItakeoffmyhat，anyway。Johnsonhaswrittenavaluablearticleaboutthenewlaw——Iencloseit。 Atlast——atlastandforthefirsttimeincopyrighthistoryweareaheadofEngland！Aheadofherintwoways：bylengthoftimeandbyfairnesstoallinterestsconcerned。Doesthissoundlikeshouting？ThenImustmodifyit：allwepossessedofcopyright-justicebeforethefourthoflastMarchweowedtoEngland”sinitiative。 TrulyYours，S。L。CLEMENS。 BecauseMarkTwainamusedhimselfwithcertainaspectsofChristianScience，andwascriticalofMrs。Eddy，theregrewupawideimpressionthathejeeredatthetheoryofmentalhealing；when，asamatteroffact，hewasoneofitsearliestconverts，andneverlostfaithinitspower。TheletterwhichfollowsisanexcellentexpositionofhisattitudetowardtheinstitutionofChristianScienceandthefounderofthechurchinAmerica。 ToJ。WylieSmith，Glasgow，Scotland： “STORMFIELD，“August7，1909 DEARSIR，——Myviewofthematterhasnotchanged。Towit，thatChristianScienceisvaluable；thatithasjustthesamevaluenowthatithadwhenMrs。EddystoleitfromQuimby；thatitshealingprinciple(itsmostvaluableasset)possessesthesameforcenowthatitpossessedamillionyearsagobeforeQuimbywasborn；thatMrs。Eddy……organizedthatforce，andisentitledtohighcreditforthat。Then，withasplendidsagacityshehitcheditto……areligion，thesurestofallwaystosecurefriendsforit，andsupport。Inafineandloftyway—— figurativelyspeaking——itwasatrampstealingarideonthelightningexpress。Ah，howdidthatignorantvillage-bornpeasantwomanknowthehumanbeingsowell？Shehasnomoreintellectthanatadpole——untilitcomestobusinessthensheisamarvel！AmIsorryIwrotethebook？ Mostcertainlynot。Yousayyouhave500(converts)inGlasgow。Fiftyyearsfromnow，yourposteritywillnotcountthembythehundred，butbythethousand。Ifeelabsolutelysureofthis。 Verytrulyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 Clemenswroteverylittleforpublicationthatyear，butheenjoyedwritingforhisownamusement，settingdownthethingsthatboiled，orbubbled，withinhim：mainlychaptersontheinconsistenciesofhumandeportment，humansuperstitionandhumancreeds。The“LettersfromtheEarth“referredtointhefollowing，weresupposedtohavebeenwrittenbyanimmortalvisitantfromsomefarrealmtoafriend，describingtheabsurditiesofmankind。Itistrue，ashesaid，thattheywouldnotdoforpublication，thoughcertainlythemanuscriptcontainssomeofhismgtdeliciouswriting。MissWallace，towhomthenextletteriswritten，hadknownMarkTwaininBermuda，and，afterhisdeath，publishedadaintyvolumeentitledMarkTwainintheHappyIsland。 “STORMFIELD，“REDDING，CONNECTICUT，Nov。13，”09。 DEARBETSY，——I”vebeenwriting“LettersfromtheEarth，“andifyouwillcomehereandseeusIwill——what？PuttheMSinyourhands，withtheplacestoskipmarked？No。Iwon”ttrustyouquitethatfar。I”llreadmessagestoyou。Thisbookwillneverbepublished——infactitcouldn”tbe，becauseitwouldbefelonytosoilthemailswithit，forithasmuchHolyScriptureinitofthekindthat……can”tproperlybereadaloud，exceptfromthepulpitandinfamilyworship。Paineenjoysit，butPaineisgoingtobedamnedoneofthesedays，Isuppose。 Theautumnsplendorspassedyouby？Whatapity。Iwishyouhadbeenhere。Itwasbeyondwords！Itwasheavenandhellandsunsetandrainbowsandtheauroraallfusedintoonedivineharmony，andyoucouldn”tlookatitandkeepthetearsback。Allthehosannahingstronggorgeousnesseshavegonebacktoheavenandhellandthepole，now，butnomatter；ifyoucouldlookoutofmybedroomwindowatthismoment，youwouldchokeup；andwhenyougotyourvoiceyouwouldsay：Thisisnotreal，thisisadream。Suchasingingtogether，andsuchawhisperingtogether，andsuchasnugglingtogetherofcosysoftcolors，andsuchkissingandcaressing，andsuchprettyblushingwhenthesunbreaksoutandcatchesthosedaintyweedsatit——yourememberthatweed-gardenofmine？——andthen——thenthefarhillssleepinginadimbluetrance——oh，hearingaboutitisnothing，youshouldbeheretoseeit。 Good！IwishIcouldgoontheplatformandread。AndIcould，ifitcouldbekeptoutofthepapers。There”sacharity-schoolof400younggirlsinBostonthatIwouldgivemyearstotalkto，ifIhadsomemore； but——oh，well，Ican”tgo，andit”snousetogrieveaboutit。 ThismorningJeanwenttotown；alsoPaine；alsothebutler；alsoKaty； alsothelaundress。Thecookandthemaid，andtheboyandtheroustaboutandJean”scoachmanareleft——justenoughtomakeitlonesome，becausetheyarearoundyetnevervisible。However，theHarpersaresendingLeighuptoplaybilliards；thereforeIshallsurvive。 Affectionately，S。L。CLEMENS。 EarlyinJunethatyear，Clemenshaddevelopedunmistakablesymptomsofhearttroubleofaveryseriousnature。Itwasanginapectoris，andwhiletoallappearanceshewasaswellaseverandusuallyfeltso，hewasperiodicallyvisitedbysevereattacksofacute“breastpains“which，asthemonthspassed，increasedinfrequencyandseverity。Hewasalarmedanddistressed——notonhisownaccount，butbecauseofhisdaughterJean——ahandsomegirl，whohadlongbeensubjecttoepilepticseizures。IncaseofhisdeathhefearedthatJeanwouldbewithoutpermanentanchorage，hisotherdaughter，Clara——followinghermarriagetoOssipGabrilowitschinOctober—— havingtakenupresidenceabroad。 Thisanxietywassoonended。OnthemorningofDecember24th，jeanClemenswasfounddeadinherapartment。Shewasnotdrownedinherbath，aswasreported，butdiedfromheartexhaustion，theresultofhermaladyandtheshockofcoldwater。 [Questionablediagnosis！D。W。] Theblowtoherfatherwasterrible，butheavyasitwas，onemayperhapsunderstandthatherpassinginthatswift，painlesswaymusthaveaffordedhimameasureofrelief。 ToMrs。Gabrilowitsch，inEurope： REDDING，CONN。，Dec。29，”09。 O，Clara，Claradear，Iamsogladsheisoutofitandsafe——safe！Iamnotmelancholy；Ishallneverbemelancholyagain，Ithink。Yousee，I wasinsuchdistresswhenIcametorealizethatyouweregonefarawayandnoonestoodbetweenheranddangerbutme——andIcoulddieatanymoment，andthen——ohthenwhatwouldbecomeofher！Forshewaswilful，youknow，andwouldnothavebeengovernable。 Youcan”timaginewhatadarlingshewas，thatlasttwoorthreedays； andhowfine，andgood，andsweet，andnoble-andjoyful，thankHeaven！—— andhowintellectuallybrilliant。IhadneverbeenacquaintedwithJeanbefore。Irecognizedthat。 ButImustn”ttrytowriteabouther——Ican”t。Ihavealreadypouredmyheartoutwiththepen，recordingthatlastdayortwo。 Iwillsendyouthat——andyoumustletnoonebutOssipreadit。 Good-bye。 Iloveyouso！ AndOssip。 FATHER。 Thewritingmentionedinthelastparagraphwashisarticle”TheDeathofJean”hislastseriouswriting，andoneoftheworld”smostbeautifulexamplesofelegiacprose——[Harper”sMagazine，Dec。，1910，andlaterinthevolume，”WhatIsManandOtherEssays。” XLVIII LETTERSOF1910。LASTTRIPTOBERMUDA。LETTERSTOPAINE。 THELASTLETTER MarkTwainhadreturnedfromamonth”striptoBermudaafewdaysbeforeJeandied。Now，byhisphysician”sadvice，hewentbacktothosebalmyislands。Hehadalwayslovedthem，sincehisfirsttriptherewithTwichellthirty-threeyearsearlier，andat“BayHouse，“ theresidenceofVice-ConsulAllen，wherehewasalwaysawelcomeguest，hecouldhavetheattentionsandcareandcomfortsofahome。 TakingClaude，thebutler，ashisvalet，hesailedJanuary5th，andpresentlysentbackaletterinwhichhesaid，“AgainIamleadingtheideallife，andamimmeasurablycontent。” Byhiswish，thepresentwriterandhisfamilywerekeepingtheStormfieldhouseopenforhim，inorderthathemightbeabletoreturntoitscomfortsatanytime。Hesentfrequentletters——oneortwobyeachsteamer——butasaruletheydidnotconcernmattersofgeneralinterest。Alittleafterhisarrival，however，hewroteconcerninganincidentofhisformervisit——atrivialmatter——butonewhichhadannoyedhim。IhadbeenwithhiminBermudaontheearliervisit，andasIrememberit，therehadbeensomeslightoversightonhispartinthematterofofficialetiquette——somethingwhichdoubtlessnoonehadnoticedbuthimself。 ToA。B。Paine，inRedding： BAYHOUSE，Jan。11，1910。 DEARPAINE，……TherewasamilitarylecturelastnightattheOfficer”sMess，prospect，andasthelecturerhonoredmewithaspecialandurgentinvitationandsaidhewantedtolecturetomeparticularly，Ibeing“thegreatestlivingmasteroftheplatform-art，“InaturallypackedHelenandhermotherintotheprovidedcarriageandwent。 AssoonaswelandedatthedoorwiththecrowdtheGovernorcametomeatonceandwasverycordial，andapparentlyasgladtoseemeashesaidhewas。Sothatincidentisclosed。Andpleasantlyandentirelysatisfactorily。Everythingisallright，now，andIamnolongerinaclumsyandawkwardsituation。 I“metup“withthatcharmingColonelChapman，andotherofficersoftheregiment，andhadagoodtime。 CommandantPetersofthe“Carnegie“willdineheretonightandarrangeaprivatevisitforustohisship，thecrowdtobedeniedaccess。 SincerelyYours，S。L。C。 “Helen“ofthisletterwasMr。andMrs。Allen”syoungdaughter，afavoritecompanionofhiswalksanddrives。“Loomis“and“Lark，“ mentionedintheletterswhichfollow，wereEdwardE。Loomis——hisnephewbymarriage——namedbyMarkTwainasoneofthetrusteesofhisestate，andCharlesT。Lark，MarkTwain”sattorney。 ToA。B。Paine，inRedding： HAMILTON，Jan。21，”10。 DEARPAINE，——Thanksforyourletter，andforitscontentingnewsofthesituationinthatforeignandfar-offandvaguely-rememberedcountrywhereyouandLoomisandLarkandotherbelovedfriendsare。 IhavealetterfromClarathismorning。Sheissolicitous，andwantsmewellandwatchfullytakencareof。My，sheoughttoseeHelenandherparentsandClaudeadministerthattrust！ Alsoshesays：“IhopetohearfromyouorMr。Paineverysoon。” Iamwritingher，andIknowyouwillrespondtoyourpartofherprayer。 Sheisprettydesolatenow，afterJean”semancipation——theonlykindnessGodeverdidthatpoorunoffendingchildinallherhardlife。 YseverS。L。C。 SendClaraacopyofHowells”sgorgeousletter。Iwantacopyofmyarticlethatheisspeakingof。 The“gorgeousletter“wasconcerningMarkTwain”sarticle，“TheTurning-pointinMyLife“whichhadjustappearedinoneoftheHarperpublications。Howellswroteofit，“Whileyourwonderfulwordsarewarminmymindyet，Iwanttotellyouwhatyouknowalready：thatyouneverwroteanythinggreater，finer，thanthatturning-pointpaperofyours。” FromtheearlyBermudaletterswemaygatherthatMarkTwain”sdayswereenjoyableenough，andthathismaladywasnotgivinghimserioustrouble，thusfar。NeartheendofJanuaryhewrote：“Lifecontinuesherethesameasusual。Thereisn”taflawinit。Goodtimes，goodhome，tranquilcontentmentalldayandeveryday，withoutabreak。Ishouldn”tknowhowtogoaboutbetteringmysituation。”Hedidlittleinthewayofliterarywork，probablyfindingneithertimenorinclinationforit。Whenhewroteatallitwasmerelytosetdownsomefancifuldrollerieswithnothoughtofpublication。 ToProf。WilliamLyonPhelps，YaleCollege： HAMILTON，March12。 DEARPROFESSORPHELPS，——Ithankyoueversomuchforthebook——[ProfessorPhelps”sEssaysonModernNovelists。]——whichIfindcharming——socharmingindeed，thatIreaditthroughinasinglenight，anddidnotregretthelostnight”ssleep。IamgladifIdeservewhatyouhavesaidaboutme： andevenifIdon”tIamproudandwellcontented，sinceyouthinkI deserveit。 Yes，IsawProf。Lounsbury，andhadamostpleasanttimewithhim。Heoughttohavestaidlongerinthislittleparadise——partlyforhisownsake，butmainlyformine。 IknewmypoorJeanhadwrittenyou。Ishallnothavesodearandsweetasecretaryagain。 Goodhealthtoyou，andallgoodfortuneattendyou。 Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 HewouldappeartohavewrittennotmanylettersbesidesthosetoMrs。GabrilowitschandtoStormfield，butwhenalittlegirlsenthimareportofadream，inspiredbyreadingThePrinceandthePauper，hetookthetimeandtroubletoacknowledgeit，realizing，nodoubt，thatalinefromhimwouldgivethechildhappiness。 ToMissSulamith，inNewYork： “BAYHOUSE，“BERMUDA，March21，1910。 DEARMISSSULAMITH，——Ithinkitisaremarkabledreamforagirlof13tohavedreamed，infactforapersonofanyagetohavedreamed，becauseitmovesbyregulargradeandsequencefromthebeginningtotheend，whichisnotthehabitofdreams。Ithinkyourreportofitisagoodpieceofwork，aclearandeffectivestatementofthevision。 Iamgladtoknowyoulikethe“PrinceandthePauper“sowellandI believewithyouthatthedreamisgoodevidenceofthatliking。IthinkImaysay，withyoursisterthatIlikemyselfbestwhenIamserious。 Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。 ThroughFebruary，andmostofMarch，lettersandreportsfromhimwereaboutthesame。Hehadbeguntoplanforhisreturn，andconcerningamusementsatStormfieldfortheentertainmentoftheneighbors，andforthebenefitofthelibrarywhichhehadfoundedsoonafterhisarrivalinRedding。Intheselettersheseldommentionedtheanginapainsthathadtorturedhimearlier。Butonce，whenhesentasmallphotographofhimself，itseemedtousthathisfacehadbecomethinandthathehadsuffered。Certainlyhisnextletterwasnotreassuring。 ToA。B。Paine，inRedding： DEARPAINE，——Wemustlookintothemagic-lanternbusiness。Maybethemodernlanternistooelaborateandtroublesomeforback-settlementuse，butwecaninquire。Wemusthavesomekindofashowat“Stormfield“toentertainthecountrysidewith。 Wearebookedtosailinthe“Bermudian“April23rd，butdon”ttellanybody，Idon”twantitknown。Imayhavetogosoonerifthepaininmybreastdoesn”tmenditswaysprettyconsiderably。Idon”twanttodiehereforthisisanunkindplaceforapersoninthatcondition。I shouldhavetolieintheundertaker”scellaruntiltheshipwouldremovemeanditisdarkdownthereandunpleasant。 TheCollierswillmeetmeonthepierandImaystaywiththemaweekortwobeforegoinghome。Italldependsonthebreastpain——Idon”twanttodiethere。Iamgrowingmoreandmoreparticularabouttheplace。 Withlove，S。L。C。 Thisletterhadbeenwrittenbythehandofhis“secretary，“HelenAllen：writinghadbecomeanefforttohim。Yetwedidnotsuspecthowrapidlytheendwasapproachingandonlygrewvaguelyalarmed。 Aweeklater，however，itbecameevidentthathisconditionwascritical。 DEARPAINE，……Ihavebeenhavingamostuncomfortabletimeforthepast4dayswiththatbreast-pain，whichturnsouttobeanaffectionoftheheart，justasIoriginallysuspected。ThenewsfromNewYorkistotheeffectthatnon-bronchialweatherhasarrivedthereatlast，thereforeifIcangetmybreasttroubleintravelingconditionImaysailforhomeaweekortwoearlierthanhasheretoforebeenproposed： YoursaseverS。L。CLEMENS，(perH。S。A。) InthisletterheseemstohaveforgottenthathistroublehadbeenpronouncedanaffectionoftheheartlongbeforeheleftAmerica，thoughatfirstithadbeenthoughtthatitmightbegastritis。 ThesamemailbroughtaletterfromMr。Allenexplainingfullytheseriousnessofhiscondition。IsailedimmediatelyforBermuda，arrivingthereonthe4thofApril。Hewasnotsufferingatthemoment，thoughthepainscamenowwithalarmingfrequencyandviolence。Hewascheerfulandbrave。Hedidnotcomplain。Hegavenosuggestionofamanwhosedayswerenearlyended。 ApartoftheStormfieldestatehadbeenafarm，whichhehadgiventoJeanClemens，whereshehadbusiedherselfraisingsomelivestockandpoultry。Afterherdeathhehadwishedtheplacetobesoldandthereturnsdevotedtosomememorialpurpose。Thesalehadbeenmadeduringthewinterandthepricereceivedhadbeenpaidincash。Ifoundhimfullofinterestinallaffairs，andanxioustodiscussthememorialplan。Adayortwolaterhedictatedthefollowingletter-thelasthewouldeversend。 Itseemedfittingthatthisfinalwordfromonewhohadsolonggivenhappinesstothewholeworldshouldrecordaspecialgifttohisneighbors。 ToCharlesT。Lark，inNewYork： HAMILTON，BERMUDA。 April6，1910。 DEARMR。LARK，——IhavetoldPainethatIwantthemoneyderivedfromthesaleofthefarm，whichIhadgiven，butnotconveyed，tomydaughterJean，tobeusedtoerectabuildingfortheMarkTwainLibraryofRedding，thebuildingtobecalledtheJeanL。ClemensMemorialBuilding。 Iwishtoplacethemoney$6，000。00inthehandsofthreetrustees，—— Paineandtwoothers：H。A。LounsburyandWilliamE。Hazen，allofRedding，thesetrusteestoformabuildingCommitteetodecideonthesizeandplanofthebuildingneededandtoarrangeforandsupervisetheworkinsuchamannerthatthefundshallamplyprovideforthebuildingcomplete，withnecessaryfurnishings，leaving，ifpossible，abalanceremaining，sufficientforsuchrepairsandadditionalfurnishingsasmayberequiredfortwoyearsfromthetimeofcompletion。 WillyoupleasedrawadocumentcoveringtheserequirementsandhaveitreadybythetimeIreachNewYork(April14th)。 Verysincerely，S。L。CLEMENS。 Wesailedonthe12thofApril，reachingNewYorkonthe14th，ashehadplanned。Adayortwolater，Mr。andMrs。Gabrilowitsch，summonedfromItalybycable，arrived。HesufferedverylittleafterreachingStormfield，andhismindwascomparativelyclearuptothelastday。OntheafternoonofApril21sthesankintoastateofcoma，andjustatsunsethedied。Threedayslater，atElmira，NewYork，hewaslaidbesideMrs。Clemensandthoseotherswhohadprecededhim。 THELASTDAYATSTORMFIELD ByBLISSCARMAN。 AtRedding，Connecticut，TheAprilsunrisepoursOverthehardwoodridgesSofteningandgreeningnowInthefirstmagicofSpring。 Thewildcherry-treesareinbloom，Thebloodrootiswhiteunderfoot，Thesereneearlylightflowson，Touchingwithglorytheworld，AndfloodingthelargeupperroomWhereasickmansleeps。 Slowlyheopenshiseyes，Afterlongweariness，smiles，Andstretchesarmsoverhead，Whilethoseabouthimtakeheart。 Withhisawakeningstrength，(Morningandspringintheair，Thestrongcleanscentsofearth，Thecallofthegoldenshaft，Ringingacrossthehills) Hetakesuphishearteningbook，Opensthevolumeandreads，ApageofoldruggedCarlyle，ThedourphilosopherWholookedaskanceuponlife，Lurid，ironical，grim，Yetsoundatthecore。 Butwearinessreturns； HelaysthebookasideWithhisglassesuponthebed，Andgladlysleeps。Sleep，Blessedabundantsleep，Isallthatheneeds。 AndwhenthecloseofdayReddensuponthehillsAndwashestheroomwithrose，InthetwilighthushTheSummonercomestohimEversogently，unseen，Toucheshimontheshoulder； AndwiththedepartingsunOurgreatfunningfriendisgone。 Howhehasmadeuslaugh！ AwholegenerationofmenSmiledinthejoyofhiswit。 ButwhoknowswhetherhewasnotLikethosedeepjestersofoldWhodweltatthecourtsofKings，Arthur”s，Pendragon”s，Lear”s，Plyingthewisefool”strade，Makingmenmerryatwill，HidingtheirdeeperthoughtsUnderamotleyarray，—— Keen-eyed，seriousmen，Watchingthesorryworld，Thegaudypageantoflife，Withpityandwisdomandlove？ Fearless，extravagant，wild，HiscausticmercilessmirthWasleveledatpompousshams。 DoubtnotbehindthatmaskTheredweltthesoulofaman，Resolute，sorrowing，sage，AssureachampionofgoodAseverrodeforthtofray。 Haply——whoknows？——somewhereInAvalon，IsleofDreams，Invastcontentmentatlast，Witheverygriefdoneaway，WhileChaucerandShakespearewait，AndMolierehangsonhiswords，AndCervantesnotfaroffListensandsmilesapart，WiththatincomparabledrawlHeisjestingwithDagonetnow。 End