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