第20章

Atideofcondolenceflowedinfromallpartsoftheworld。Itwasimpossibletoanswerall。Onlyafewwhohadbeentheirclosestfriendsreceivedawrittenline，butthelittleprintedacknowledgmentwhichwasreturnedwasnomereformality。Itwasaheartfelt，personalword。

TheyarrivedinAmericainJuly，andwereaccompaniedbyTwichelltoElmira，andonthe14thMrs。ClemenswaslaidtorestbythesideofSusyandlittleLangdon。R。W。Gilderhadarrangedforthemtooccupy，forthesummer，acottageonhisplaceatTyringham，intheBerkshireHills。ByNovembertheywereattheGrosvenor，inNewYork，preparingtoestablishthemselvesinahousewhichtheyhadtakenonthecornerofNinthStreetandFifthAvenue——Number21。

ToF。N。Doubleday，inNewYork：

DEARDOUBLEDAY，——IdidnotknowyouweregoingtoEngland：IwouldhavefreightedyouwithsuchmessagesofhomageandaffectiontoKipling。

AndIwouldhavepressedhishand，throughyou，forhissympathywithmeinmycrushingloss，asexpressedbyhiminhislettertoGilder。

YouknowmyfeelingforKiplingandthatitantedatesthatexpression。

Iwasgladthattheboyscameheretoinvitemetothehouse-warmingandIthinktheyunderstoodwhyamanintheshadowofacalamitylikeminecouldnotgo。

Ithastakenthreemonthstorepairandrenovateourhouse——cornerof9thand5thAvenue，butIshallbeinitinioor15dayshence。Muchofthefurniturewentintoittoday(fromHartford)。Wehavenotseenitfor13

years。KatyLeary，ouroldhousekeeper，whohasbeeninourservicemorethan24years，criedwhenshetoldmeaboutitto-day。Shesaid“Ihadforgottenitwassobeautiful，anditbroughtMrs。Clemensrightbacktome——inthatoldtimewhenshewassoyoungandlovely。”

JeanandmysecretaryandtheservantswhomwebroughtfromItalybecauseMrs。Clemenslikedthemsowell，arestillkeepinghouseintheBerkshirehills——andwaiting。Clara(nervouslywreckedbyhermother”sdeath)isinthehandsofaspecialistin69thSt。，andIshallnotbeallowedtohaveanycommunicationwithher——eventelephone——forayear。Iaminthiscomfortablelittlehotel，andstillinbed——forIdasn”tbudgetillI”msafefrommypetdevil，bronchitis。

Isn”titpathetic？OnehourandtenminutesbeforeMrs。ClemensdiedI

wassayingtoher“To-day，afterfivemonthssearch，I”vefoundthevillathatwillcontentyou：to-morrowyouwillexaminetheplansandgiveityourconsentandIwillbuyit。”Hereyesdancedwithpleasure，forshelongedforahomeofherown。Andthere，onthatmorrow，shelaywhiteandcold。Andunresponsivetomyreverentcaresses——anewthingtomeandanewthingtoher；thathadnothappenedbeforeinfiveandthirtyyears。

IamcomingtoseeyouandMrs。Doubledaybyandbye。ShelovedandhonoredMrs。Doubledayandherwork。

Alwaysyours，MARK。

Itwasapresidentialyearandtheairwasthickwithpolitics。

MarkTwainwasnolongeractivelyinterestedinthepoliticalsituation；hewasonlydisheartenedbythehollownessandpretenseofoffice-seeking，andthemethodsofoffice-seekersingeneral。

GrievedthatTwichellshouldstillpinhisfaithtoanypartywhenallpartiesweresoobviouslyvenalandtime-serving，hewroteinoutspokenandrathersomberprotest。

ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford：

THEGROSVENOR，Nov。4，”04。

Oh，dear！getoutofthatsewer——partypolitics——dearJoe。Atleastwithyourmouth。Wehailonlytwomenwhocouldmakespeechesfortheirpartiesandpreservetheirhonorandtheirdignity。Oneofthemisdead。

Possiblytherewerefour。IamsorryforJohnHay；sorryandashamed。

AndyetIknowhecouldn”thelpit。Hewearsthecollar，andhehadtopaythepenalty。Certainlyhehadnomoredesiretostandupbeforeamobofconfidinghumanincapablesanddebauchthemthanyouhad。

Certainlyhetooknomorerealpleasureindistortinghistory，concealingfacts，propagatingimmoralities，andappealingtothesordidsideofhumannaturethandidyou；buthewashisparty”sproperty，andhehadtoclimbawaydownanddoit。

Itisinteresting，wonderfullyinteresting——themiracleswhichparty-

politicscandowithaman”smentalandmoralmake-up。LookatMcKinley，Roosevelt，andyourself：inprivatelifespotlessincharacter；

honorable，honest，just，humane，generous；scorningtrickeries，treacheries，suppressionsofthetruth，mistranslationsofthemeaningsoffacts，thefilchingofcreditearnedbyanother，thecondoningofcrime，theglorifyingofbaseacts：inpublicpoliticallifethereverseofallthis。

McKinleywasasilverite——youconcealedit。Rooseveltwasasilverite——

youconcealedit。Parkerwasasilverite——youpublishit。Alongwithashudderandawarning：“Hewasunsafethen。Isheanysafernow？“

Joe，evenIcouldbeguiltyofsuchathingasthat——ifIwereinparty-

politics；Ireallybelieveit。

Mr。Clevelandgavethecountrythegoldstandard；byimplicationyoucreditthemattertotheRepublicanparty。

Byimplicationyouprovethewholeannualpension-scoop，concealingthefactthatthebulkofthemoneygoestopeoplewhoinnowaydeserveit。

Youimplythatallthebattenersuponthisbribery-fundareRepublicans。

Anindiscreetconfession，sinceabouthalfofthemmusthavebeenDemocratsbeforetheywerebought。

YouasgoodaspraiseOrder78。Itistrueyoudonotshout，andyoudonotlinger，youonlywhisperandskip——still，whatlittleyoudointhematteriscomplimentarytothecrime。

Itmeans，ifitmeansanything，thatouroutlyingpropertieswillallbegivenupbytheDemocrats，andourflaghauleddown。Allofthem？NotonlythepropertiesstolenbyMr。McKinleyandMr。Roosevelt，butthepropertieshonestlyacquired？Joe，didyoubelievethathardystatementwhenyoumadeit？Yetyoumadeit，andthereitstandsinpermanentprint。Nowwhatmorallawwouldsufferifweshouldgiveupthestolenones？But——

“Youknowourstandard-bearer。Hewillmaintainallthatwehavegained“——bywhateverprocess。Land，Ibelieveyou！

ByGeorge，Joe，youareashandyatthegameasifyouhadbeenintrainingforitallyourlife。YourcampaignAddressisbuiltfromthegroundupupontheoldestandbestmodels。Thereisn”taparagraphinitwhosefactsormoralswillwash——notevenasentence，Ibelieve。

Butyouwillsoonbeoutofthis。Youdidn”twanttodoit——thatissufficientlyapparent，thanksbe！——butyoucouldn”twellgetoutofit。

Inafewdaysyouwillbeoutofit，andthenyoucanfumigateyourselfandtakeupyourlegitimateworkagainandresumeyourcleanandwholesomeprivatecharacteroncemoreandbehappy——anduseful。

IknowIoughttohandyousomeguff，now，aspropitiationandapologyforthesereproaches，butonthewholeIbelieveIwon”t。

Ihaveinquired，andfindthatMitsikuridoesnotarrivehereuntilto-

morrownight。Ishallwatchout，andtelephoneagain，forIgreatlywanttoseehim。

AlwaysYours，MARK。

P-S-Nov，4。IwishIcouldlearntorememberthatitisunjustanddishonorabletoputblameuponthehumanraceforanyofitsacts。Foritdidnotmakeitself，itdidnotmakeitsnature，itismerelyamachine，itismovedwhollybyoutsideinfluences，ithasnohandincreatingtheoutsideinfluencesnorinchoosingwhichofthemitwillwelcomeorreject，itsperformanceiswhollyautomatic，ithasnomoremastershipnorauthorityoveritsmindthanithasoveritsstomach，whichreceivesmaterialfromtheoutsideanddoesasitpleaseswithit，indifferenttoit”sproprietor”ssuggestions，even，letalonehiscommands；wherefore，whateverthemachinedoes——socalledcrimesandinfamiesincluded——isthepersonalactofitsMaker，andHe，solely，isresponsible。IwishIcouldlearntopitythehumanraceinsteadofcensuringitandlaughingatit；andIcould，iftheoutsideinfluencesofoldhabitwerenotsostronguponmymachine。ItvexesmetocatchmyselfpraisingthecleanprivatecitizenRoosevelt，andblamingthesoiledPresidentRoosevelt，whenIknowthatneitherpraisenorblameisduetohimforanythoughtorwordordeedofhis，hebeingmerelyahelplessandirresponsiblecoffee-millgroundbythehandofGod。

Throughamisunderstanding，Clemens，somethingmorethanayearearlier，hadseveredhisconnectionwiththePlayers”Club，ofwhichhehadbeenoneofthechartermembers。Now，uponhisreturntoNewYork，anumberofhisfriendsjoinedinaninvitationtohimtoreturn。Itwasnotexactlyalettertheysent，butabitofanoldScotchsong——

“ToMarkTwainfromTheClansmen。

Willyenocomebackagain，Willyenocomebackagain？

Betterlo”edyecannabe。

Willyenocomebackagain？“

ThosewhosigneditwereDavidMonroe，oftheNorthAmericanReview；

RobertReid，thepainter，andaboutthirtyothersoftheRoundTableGroup，socalledbecauseitsmemberswereaccustomedtolunchingatalargeroundtableinabaywindowofthePlayerdining-room。MarkTwain”sreplywaspromptandheartfelt。Hewrote：

ToRobt。ReidandtheOthers：

WELL-BELOVED，——SurelythoselovelyverseswenttoPrinceCharley”sheart，ifhehadone，andcertainlytheyhavegonetomine。IshallbegladandproudtocomebackagainaftersuchamovingandbeautifulcomplimentasthisfromcomradeswhomIhavelovedsolong。Ihopeyoucanpollthenecessaryvote；Iknowyouwilltry，atanyrate。ItwillbemanymonthsbeforeIcanforegatherwithyou，forthisblackborderisnotperfunctory，notaconvention；itsymbolizesthelossofonewhosememoryistheonlythingIworship。

Itisnotnecessaryformetothankyou——andwordscouldnotdeliverwhatIfeel，anyway。IwillputthecontentsofyourenvelopeinthesmallcasketwhereIkeepthethingswhichhavebecomesacredtome。

S。L。C。

Ayearlater，MarkTwaindid“comebackagain，“asanhonorarylifemember，andwasgivenadinnerofwelcomebythosewhohadsignedthelinesurginghisreturn。

XLIV

LETTERSOF1905。TOTWICHELL，MR。DUNEKAANDOTHERS。

POLITICSANDHUMANITY。ASUMMERATDUBLIN。MARKTWAINAT70

In1884MarkTwainhadabandonedtheRepublicanPartytovoteforCleveland。Hebelievedthepartyhadbecomecorrupt，andtohislastdayitwashardforhimtoseeanythinggoodinRepublicanpoliciesorperformance。HewasapersonalfriendofThedoreRoosevelt”sbut，aswehaveseeninaformerletter，Rooseveltthepoliticianrarelyfoundfavorinhiseyes。Withorwithoutjustification，mostofthePresident”spoliticalactsinvitedhiscausticsarcasmandunsparingcondemnation。AnotherlettertoTwichellofthistimeaffordsafairexample。

ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford：

Feb。16，”05。

DEARJOE，——IknewIhadinmesomewhereadefinitefeelingaboutthePresidentifIcouldonlyfindthewordstodefineitwith。Heretheyare，toahair——fromLeonardJerome：“FortwentyyearsIhavelovedRooseveltthemanandhatedRooseveltthestatesmanandpolitician。”

It”smightygood。Everytime，in25years，thatIhavemetRoosevelttheman，awaveofwelcomehasstreakedthroughmewiththehand-grip；

butwhenever(asarule)ImeetRooseveltthestatesmanandpolitician，Ifindhimdestituteofmoralsandnotrespectworthy。Itisplainthatwherehispoliticalselfandhispartyselfareconcernedhehasnothingresemblingaconscience；thatunderthoseinspirationsheisnaivelyindifferenttotherestraintsofdutyandevenunawareofthem；readytokicktheConstitutionintothebackyardwheneveritgetsintheway；andwheneverhesmellsavote，notonlywillingbuteagertobuyit，giveextravagantratesforitandpaythebillnotoutofhisownpocketortheparty”s，butoutofthenation”s，bycoldpillage。AsperOrder78

andtheappropriationoftheIndiantrustfunds。

ButRooseveltisexcusable——Irecognizeitand(oughtto)concedeit。

Weareallinsane，eachinhisownway，andwithinsanitygoesirresponsibility。Theodorethemanissane；infairnessweoughttokeepinmindthatTheodore，asstatesmanaridpolitician，isinsaneandirresponsible。

Donotthrowtheseenlightenmentsaside，butstudythem，letthemraiseyoutohigherplanesandmakeyoubetter。Youtaughtmeinmycallowdays，letmepaybackthedebtnowinmyoldageoutofathesauruswithwisdomsmeltedfromthegoldenoresofexperience。

EveryoursforsweetnessandlightMARK。

ThenextlettertoTwichelltakesuppoliticsandhumanityingeneral，inamannercomplimentarytoneither。MarkTwainwasneverreallyapessimist，buthehadpessimisticintervals，suchascometomostofusinlife”slateryears，andatsuchtimeshelethimselfgowithoutstintconcerning“thedamnedhumanrace，“ashecalledit，usuallywithamanifestsenseofindignationthatheshouldbeamemberofit。Inmuchofhislaterwriting——

AMysteriousStrangerforexample——hesaidhissaywithbutsmallrestraint，andcertainlyinhispurelyintellectualmomentshewaslikelytobeapessimistofthemostextremetype，capablydamningtheraceandtheinventorofit。Yet，atheart，nomanlovedhiskindmoregenuinely，orwithdeepercompassion，thanMarkTwain，perhapsforitsveryweaknesses。Itwasonlythathehadintervals——frequentintervals，andratherlongones——whenhedidnotadmireit，andwasstillmoredoubtfulastothewaysofprovidence。

ToRev。J。H。Twichell，inHartford：

March14，”05。

DEARJOE，——IhaveaPuddn”headmaxim：

“Whenamanisapessimistbefore48heknowstoomuch；ifheisanoptimistafterit，heknowstoolittle。”

Itiswithcontentment，therefore，thatIreflectthatIambetterandwiserthanyou。Joe，youseemtobedealingin“bulks，“now；the“bulk“

ofthefarmersandU。S。Senatorsare“honest。”Asregardspurchaseandsalewithmoney？Whodoubtsit？Isthattheonlymeasureofhonesty？

Aren”tthereadozenkindsofhonestywhichcan”tbemeasuredbythemoney-standard？Treasonistreason——andthere”smorethanoneformofit；themoney-formisbutoneofthem。Whenapersonisdisloyaltoanyconfessedduty，heisplainlyandsimplydishonest，andknowsit；knowsit，andisprivatelytroubledaboutitandnotproudofhimself。Judgedbythisstandard——andwhowillchallengethevalidityofit？——thereisn”tanhonestmaninConnecticut，norintheSenate，noranywhereelse。Idonotevenexceptmyself，thistime。

AmIfindingfaultwithyouandtherestofthepopulace？No——IassureyouIamnot。ForIknowthehumanrace”slimitations，andthismakesitmyduty——mypleasantduty——tobefairtoit。Eachpersoninitishonestinoneorseveralways，butnomemberofitishonestinallthewaysrequiredby——bywhat？Byhisownstandard。Outsideofthat，asIlookatit，thereisnoobligationuponhim。

AmIhonest？Igiveyoumywordofhonor(private)Iamnot。ForsevenyearsIhavesuppressedabookwhichmyconsciencetellsmeIoughttopublish。Iholditadutytopublishit。ThereareotherdifficultdutieswhichIamequalto，butIamnotequaltothatone。Yes，evenI

amdishonest。Notinmanyways，butinsome。Forty-one，Ithinkitis。

Wearecertainlyallhonestinoneorseveralways——everymanintheworld——thoughIhavereasontothinkIamtheonlyonewhoseblack-listrunssolight。SometimesIfeellonelyenoughinthisloftysolitude。

Yes，oh，yes，Iamnotoverlookingthe“steadyprogressfromagetoageofthecomingofthekingdomofGodandrighteousness。”“Fromagetoage“——yes，itdescribesthatgiddygait。I(andtherocks)willnotlivetoseeitarrive，butthatisallright——itwillarrive，itsurelywill。

ButyououghtnottobealwaysironicallyapologizingfortheDeity。Ifthatthingisgoingtoarrive，itisinferablethatHewantsittoarrive；andsoitisnotquitekindofyou，andithurtsme，toseeyouflingingsarcasmsatthegaitofit。Andyetitwouldnotbefairinmenottoadmitthatthesarcasmsaredeserved。WhentheDeitywantsathing，andafterworkingatitfor“agesandages“can”tshowevenashadeofprogresstowarditsaccomplishment，we——well，wedon”tlaugh，butitisonlybecausewedasn”t。Thesourceof“righteousness“——isintheheart？Yes。Andengineeredanddirectedbythebrain？Yes。Well，historyandtraditiontestifythattheheartisjustaboutwhatitwasinthebeginning；ithasundergonenoshadeofchange。ItsgoodandevilimpulsesandtheirconsequencesarethesametodaythattheywereinOldBibletimes，inEgyptiantimes，inGreektimes，inMiddleAgetimes，inTwentiethCenturytimes。Therehasbeennochange。

Meantime，thebrainhasundergonenochange。Itiswhatitalwayswas。

Thereareafewgoodbrainsandamultitudeofpoorones。ItwassoinOldBibletimesandinallothertimes——Greek，Roman，MiddleAgesandTwentiethCentury。Amongthesavages——allthesavages——theaveragebrainisascompetentastheaveragebrainhereorelsewhere。Iwillproveittoyou，sometime，ifyoulike。Andtherearegreatbrainsamongthem，too。Iwillprovethatalso，ifyoulike。

Well，the19thcenturymadeprogress——thefirstprogressafter“agesandages“——colossalprogress。Inwhat？Materialities。Prodigiousacquisitionsweremadeinthingswhichaddtothecomfortofmanyandmakelifeharderforasmanymore。Buttheadditiontorighteousness？

Isthatdiscoverable？Ithinknot。Thematerialitieswerenotinventedintheinterestofrighteousness；thatthereismorerighteousnessintheworldbecauseofthemthanthere，wasbefore，ishardlydemonstrable，I

think。InEuropeandAmerica，thereisavastchange(duetothem)inideals——doyouadmireit？AllEuropeandallAmerica，arefeverishlyscramblingformoney。Moneyisthesupremeideal——allotherstaketenthplacewiththegreatbulkofthenationsnamed。Money-lusthasalwaysexisted，butnotinthehistoryoftheworldwasiteveracraze，amadness，untilyourtimeandmine。Thislusthasrottedthesenations；

ithasmadethemhard，sordid，ungentle，dishonest，oppressive。

DidEnglandriseagainsttheinfamyoftheBoerwar？No——roseinfavorofit。DidAmericariseagainsttheinfamyofthePhillipinewar？No——

roseinfavorofit。DidRussiariseagainsttheinfamyofthepresentwar？No——satstillandsaidnothing。HastheKingdomofGodadvancedinRussiasincethebeginningoftime？

OrinEuropeandAmerica，consideringthevastbackwardstepofthemoney-lust？Oranywhereelse？IftherehasbeenanyprogresstowardrighteousnesssincetheearlydaysofCreation——which，inmyineradicablehonesty，Iamobligedtodoubt——IthinkwemustconfineittotenpercentofthepopulationsofChristendom，(butleaving，Russia，SpainandSouthAmericaentirelyout。)Thisgivesus320，000，000todrawthetenpercentfrom。Thatistosay，32，000，000haveadvancedtowardrighteousnessandtheKingdomofGodsincethe“agesandages“havebeenflyingalong，theDeitysittingupthereadmiring。Well，youseeitleaves1，200，000，000outoftherace。Theystandjustwheretheyhavealwaysstood；therehasbeennochange。

N。B。Nochargefortheseinformations。Docomedownsoon，Joe。

Withlove，MARK。

St。ClairMcKelway，ofTheBrooklynEagle，narrowlyescapedinjuriesinarailwayaccident，andreceivedthefollowing。ClemensandMcKelwaywereoldfriends。

ToSt。ClairMcKelway，inBrooklyn：

21FIFTHAVE。SundayMorning。

April30，1905。

DEARMcKELWAY，Yourinnumerablefriendsaregrateful，mostgrateful。

AsIunderstandthetelegrams，theengineerofyourtrainhadneverseenalocomotivebefore。Verywell，then，IamoncemoregladthatthereisanEver-watchfulProvidencetoforeseepossibleresultsandsendOgdensandMcIntyresalongtosaveourfriends。

TheGovernment”sOfficialreport，showingthatourrailwayskilledtwelvehundredpersonslastyearandinjuredsixtythousandconvincesmethatunderpresentconditionsoneProvidenceisnotenoughtoproperlyandefficientlytakecareofourrailroadbusiness。ButitischaracteristicallyAmerican——alwaystryingtogetalongshort-handedandsavewages。

Iamhelpingyourfamilycongratulatethemselves，andamyourfriendasalways。

S。L。CLEMENS。

ClemensdidnotspendanymoresummersatQuarryFarm。Allitsassociationswerebeautifulandtender，buttheycouldonlysaddenhim。Thelifetherehadbeenasofanotherworld，sunlit，idyllic，nowforevervanished。Forthesummerof1905heleasedtheCopleyGreenhouseatDublin，NewHampshire，wheretherewasaBostoncolonyofwritingandartisticfolk，includingmanyofhislong-timefriends。AmongthemwasColonelThomasWentworthHigginson，whowroteaheartyletterofwelcomewhenheheardthenews。Clemensrepliedinkind。

ToCol。ThomasWentworthHigginson，inBoston：

21FIFTHAVE。Sunday，March26，z9o。5。

DEARCOL。HIGGINSON，——IearlylearnedthatyouwouldbemyneighborintheSummerandIrejoiced，recognizinginyouandyourfamilyalargeasset。Ihopeforfrequentintercoursebetweenthetwohouseholds。I

shallhavemyyoungestdaughterwithme。Theotheronewillgofromtherest-cureinthiscitytotherest-cureinNorfolkConnandweshallnotseeherbeforeautumn。WehavenotseenhersincethemiddleofOctober。

Jean(theyoungestdaughter)wenttoDublinandsawthehouseandcamebackcharmedwithit。IknowtheThayersofold——manifestlythereisnolackofattractionsupthere。Mrs。ThayerandIwereshipmatesinawildexcursionperilouslynear40yearsago。

Yousayyou“sendwiththis“thestory。Thenitshouldbeherebutitisn”t，whenIsendathingwithanotherthing，theotherthinggoesbutthethingdoesn”t，Ifinditlater——stillonthepremises。Willyoulookitupnowandsendit？

Aldrichwasherehalfanhourago，likeabreezefromoverthefields，withthefragrancestilluponhisspirit。Iamtiredofwaitingforthatmantogetold。

Sincerelyyours，S。L。C。

MarkTwainwasinhisseventiethyear，oldneitherinmindnorbody，butwillingtotakelifemorequietly，torefrainfromtravelandgayevents。Asortofpioneers”reunionwastobeheldonthePacificCoast，andaletterfromRobertFulton，ofReno，Nevada，invitedClemenstoattend。Hedidnotgo，buthesentaletterthatwemaybelievewasthenextbestthingtothosewhohearditread。

ToRobertFulton，inReno，Nevada：

INTHEMOUNTAINS，May24，1905。

DEARMR。FULTON，——Iremember，asifitwereyesterday，thatwhenI

disembarkedfromtheoverlandstageinfrontoftheOrmsbyinCarsonCityinAugust，1861，Iwasnotexpectingtobeaskedtocomeagain。Iwastired，discouraged，whitewithalkalidust，anddidnotknowanybody；andifyouhadsaidthen，“Cheerup，desolatestranger，don”tbedown-

hearted——passon，andcomeagainin1905，“youcannotthinkhowgratefulIwouldhavebeenandhowgladlyIwouldhaveclosedthecontract。

AlthoughIwasnotexpectingtobeinvited，Iwaswatchingoutforit，andwashurtanddisappointedwhenyoustartedtoaskmeandchangeditto，“Howsoonareyougoingaway？“

Butyouhavemadeitallright，now，thewoundisclosed。AndsoIthankyousincerelyfortheinvitation；andwithyou，allReno，andifIwereafewyearsyoungerIwouldacceptit，andpromptly。Iwouldgo。Iwouldletsomebodyelsedotheoration，but，asforme，Iwouldtalk——

justtalk。Iwouldrenewmyyouth；andtalk——andtalk——andtalk——andhavethetimeofmylife！Iwouldmarchtheunforgottenandunforgettableantiquesby，andnametheirnames，andgivethemreverentHailand-farewellastheypassed：Goodman，McCarthy，Gillis，Curry，Baldwin，Winters，Howard，Nye，Stewart；NeelyJohnson，HalClayton，North，Root，——andmybrother，uponwhombepeace！——andthenthedesperadoes，whomadelifeajoyandthe“Slaughter-house“apreciouspossession：SamBrown，FarmerPete，BillMayfield，Six-fingeredJake，JackWilliamsandtherestofthecrimsondiscipleship——andsoonandsoon。Believeme，Iwouldstartaresurrectionitwoulddoyoumoregoodtolookatthanthenextonewill，ifyougoonthewayyouaredoingnow。

Thosewerethedays！thoseoldones。Theywillcomenomore。Youthwillcomenomore。Theyweresofulltothebrimwiththewineoflife；therehavebeennootherslikethem。Itchokesmeuptothinkofthem。Wouldyoulikemetocomeoutthereandcry？Itwouldnotbeseemmywhitehead。

Good-bye。Idrinktoyouall。Haveagoodtime——andtakeanoldman”sblessing。

MARKTWAIN。

AfewdayslaterhewaswritingtoH。H。Bancroft，ofSanFrancisco，whohadinvitedhimforavisitineventofhiscomingtotheCoast。

HenryJameshadjustbeenthereforaweekanditwashopedthatHowellswouldsoonfollow。

ToH。H。Bancroft，inSanFrancisco：

UPINNEWHAMPSHIRE，May27，1905。

DEARMR。BANCROFT，——Ithankyousincerelyforthetemptinghospitalitieswhichyouofferme，butIhavetodenymyself，formywanderingdaysareover，anditismydesireandpurposetositbythefiretherestofmyremnantoflifeandindulgemyselfwiththepleasureandreposeofwork——workuninterruptedandunmarredbydutiesorexcursions。

Amanwholikeme，isgoingtostrike70onthe30thofnextNovemberhasnobusinesstobeflittingaroundthewayHowellsdoes——thatshamelessoldfictitiousbutterfly。(Butifhecomes，don”ttellhimIsaidit，foritwouldhurthimandIwouldn”tbrushaflakeofpowderfromhiswingforanything。Ionlysayitinenvyofhisindestructibleyouth，anyway。Howellswillbe88inOctober。)Withthanksagain，Sincerelyyours，S。L。C。

ClemensfoundthattheairoftheNewHampshirehillsagreedwithhimandstimulatedhimtowork。HebegananentirelynewversionofTheMysteriousStranger，ofwhichhealreadyhadabulkyandnearlyfinishedmanuscript，writteninVienna。Hewroteseveralhundredpagesofanextravaganzaentitled，ThreeThousandYearsAmongtheMicrobes，andthen，havinggothissuperabundantvitalityreduced(itwaslikelytoexpenditselfintheseweirdmentalexploits)，hesettleddownonedayandwrotethatreallytenderandbeautifulidyl，Eve”sDiary，whichhehadbegun，oratleastplanned，theprevioussummeratTyringham。InalettertoMr。FrederickA。

Duneka，generalmanagerofHarper&Brothers，hetellssomethingofthemannerofthestory；alsohisrevisedopinionofAdam”sDiary，writtenin”93，andoriginallypublishedasasouvenirofNiagaraFalls。

ToFrederickA。Duneka，inNewYork：

DUBLIN，July16，”05。

DEARMR。DUNEKA，——IwroteEve”sDiary，sheusingAdam”sDiaryasher(unwittingandunconscious)text，ofcourse，sincetouseanyothertextwouldhavebeenanimbecility——thenItookAdam”sDiaryandreadit。Itturnedmystomach。Itwasnotliterature；yetithadbeenliteratureonce——beforeIsoldittobedegradedtoanadvertisementoftheBuffaloFair。Iwasgoingtowriteandaskyoutomelttheplatesandputitoutofprint。

ButthismorningIexamineditwithouttemper，andsawthatifI

abolishedtheadvertisementitwouldbeliteratureagain。

SoIhavedoneit。Ihavestruckout700wordsandinserted5MSpagesofnewmatter(650words)，andnowAdam”sDiaryisdamgood——sixtytimesasgoodasiteverwasbefore。

IbelieveitisasgoodasEve”sDiarynow——no，it”snotquitethatgood，Iguess，butitisgoodenoughtogointhesamecoverwithEve”s。I”msureofthat。

IhatetohavetheoldAdamgooutanymore——don”tputitonthepressesagain，let”sputthenewoneinplaceofit；andnextXmas，letusbindAdamandEveinonecover。Theyscorepointsagainsteachother——so，ifnotboundtogether，someofthepointswouldnotbeperceived……

P。S。PleasesendanotherAdam”sDiary，sothatIcanmake2revisedcopies。Eve”sDiaryisEve”slove-Story，butwewillnotnameitthat。

Yrsever，MARK。

Thepeace-makingatPortsmouthbetweenJapanandRussiawasnotsatisfactorytoMarkTwain，whohadfondlyhopedtherewouldbenopeaceuntil，ashesaid，“Russianlibertywassafe。OnemorebattlewouldhaveabolishedthewaitingchainsofmillionsuponmillionsofunbornRussiansandIwishitcouldhavebeenfought。”HesetdownanexpressionofhisfeelingsfortheAssociatedPress，anditinvitedmanyletters。CharlesFrancisAdamswrote，“ItattractedmyattentionbecauseitsoexactlyexpressestheviewsIhavemyselfallalongentertained。”

ClemenswasinvitedbyColonelGeorgeHarveytodinewiththeRussianemissaries，BaronRosenandSergiusWitte。Hedeclined，buthistelegramsopleasedWittethatheaskedpermissiontopublishit，andannouncedthathewouldshowittotheCzar。

Telegram。ToCol。GeorgeHarvey，inNewYork：

TOCOLONELHARVEY，——Iamstillacripple，otherwiseIshouldbemorethangladofthisopportunitytomeettheillustriousmagicianswhocamehereequippedwithnothingbutapen，andwithithavedividedthehonorsofthewarwiththesword。Itisfairtopresumethatinthirtycenturieshistorywillnotgetdoneadmiringthesemenwhoattemptedwhattheworldregardedasimpossibleandachievedit。

WittewouldnothavecaredtoshowtheCzarthetelegraminitsoriginalform，whichfollows。

Telegram(unsent)。ToCol。GeorgeHarvey，inNewYork：

TOCOLONELHARVEY，——Iamstillacripple，otherwiseIshouldbemorethangladofthisopportunitytomeetthoseillustriousmagicianswhowiththepenhaveannulled，obliterated，andabolishedeveryhighachievementoftheJapaneseswordandturnedthetragedyofatremendouswarintoagayandblithesomecomedy。IfImay，letmeinallrespectandhonorsalutethemasmyfellow-humorists，Itakingthirdplace，asbecomesonewhowasnotborntomodesty，butbydiligenceandhardworkisacquiringit。

MARK。

Norstillanotherunsentform，perhapsmorecharacteristicthaneitheroftheforegoing。

Telegram(unsent)。ToCol。GeorgeHarvey，inNewYork：

DEARCOLONEL，——No，thisisalove-feast；whenyoucallalodgeofsorrowsendforme。

MARK。

ToMrs。Crane，QuarryFarm：

DUBLIN，Sept。24，”05。

Susydear，Ihavehadalovelydream。Livy，dressedinblack，wassittingupinmybed(here)atmyrightandlookingasyoungandsweetassheusedtodowhenshewasinhealth。Shesaid：“whatisthenameofyoursweetsister？“Isaid，“Pamela。”“Oh，yes，thatisit，Ithoughtitwas——(naminganamewhichhasescapedme)“Won”tyouwriteitdownforme？“Ireachedeagerlyforapenandpad——laidmyhandsuponboth——thensaidtomyself，“Itisonlyadream，“andturnedbacksorrowfullyandthereshewas，still。Theconvictionflamedthroughmethatourlamenteddisasterwasadream，andthisareality。Isaid，“Howblesseditis，howblesseditis，itwasalladream，onlyadream！“SheonlysmiledanddidnotaskwhatdreamImeant，whichsurprisedme。SheleanedherheadagainstmineandIkeptsaying，“Iwasperfectlysureitwasadream，Ineverwouldhavebelieveditwasn”t。”

Ithinkshesaidseveralthings，butifsotheyaregonefrommymemory。

IwokeanddidnotknowIhadbeendreaming。Shewasgone。Iwonderedhowshecouldgowithoutmyknowingit，butIdidnotspendanythoughtuponthat，Iwastoobusythinkingofhowvividandrealwasthedreamthatwehadlostherandhowunspeakablyblesseditwastofindthatitwasnottrueandthatshewasstilloursandwithus。

S。L。C。

OnedaythatsummerMarkTwainreceivedaletterfromtheactress，MinnieMaddernFiske，askinghimtowritesomethingthatwouldaidherinhercrusadeagainstbull-fighting。Theideaappealedtohim；

herepliedatonce。

ToMrs。Fiske：

DEARMRS。FISKE，——Ishallcertainlywritethestory。ButImaynotgetittosuitme，inwhichcaseitwillgointhefire。LaterIwilltryagain——andyetagain——andagain。Iamusedtothis。Ithastakenmetwelveyearstowriteashortstory——theshortestoneIeverwrote，I

think——[Probably“TheDeathDisk。”]——Sodonotbediscouraged；Iwillsticktothisoneinthesameway。Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。

Hedidnotdelayinhisbeginning，andafewweekslaterwassendingwordtohispublisheraboutit。

ToFrederickA。Duneka，inNewYork：

Oct。2，”05。

DEARMR。DUNEKA，——IhavejustfinishedashortstorywhichI“greatlyadmire，“andsowillyou”AHorse”sTale“——about15，000words，ataroughguess。Ithasgoodfuninit，andseveralcharacters，andislively。Ishallfinishrevisingitinafewdaysormore，thenJeanwilltypeit。

Don”tyouthinkyoucangetitintotheJan。andFeb。numbersandissueitasadollarbookletjustafterthemiddleofJan。whenyouissuetheFeb。number？

Itoughttobeablyillustrated。

Whynotsellsimultaneousrights，forthisonce，totheLadies”HomeJournalorCollier”s，orboth，andrecoupyourself？——forIwouldliketogetittoclassesthatcan”taffordHarper”s。Althoughitdoesn”tpreach，there”sasermonconcealedinit。

Yrsincerely，MARK。

Fivedayslaterheaddedsomeratherinterestingfactsconcerningthenewstory。

ToF。A。Duneka，inNewYork：

Oct。7，1906。[”05]

DEARMR。DUNEKA，……I”vemadeapoorguessastonumberofwords。

Ithinktheremustbe20，000。MyusualpageofMS。containsabout130

words；butwhenIamdeeplyinterestedinmyworkanddeadtoeverythingelse，myhand-writingshrinksandshrinksuntilthere”sagreatdealmorethan130onapage——oh，yes，adealmore。Well，Idiscover，thismorning，thatthistaleiswritteninthatsmallhand。

Thisstronginterestisnatural，fortheheroineismydaughter，Susy，whomwelost。Itwasnotintentional——itwasagoodwhilebeforeIfounditout。

SoIamsendingyouherpicturetouse——andtoreproducewithphotographicexactnesstheunsurpassableexpressionandall。Mayyoufindanartistwhohaslostanidol！

TakeasgoodcareofthepictureasyoucanandrestoreittomewhenI

come。

Ihopeyouwillillustratethistaleconsiderably。Nothumorouspictures。No。Whentheyaregood(orbad)one”shumorgetsnochancetoplaysurprisesonthereader。Ahumoroussubjectillustratedseriouslyisallright，butahumorousartistisnofitpersonforsuchwork。Yousee，thehumorouswriterpretendstoabsoluteseriousness(whenheknowshistrade)thenforanartist——tostepinandgivehiscalculatedgravityallawaywithafunnypicture——oh，myland！Itgivesmethedrygripesjusttothinkofit。Itwouldbejustaboutuptotheaveragecomicartist”sintellectualleveltomakeafunnypictureofthehorsekickingthelungsoutofatrader。Hangit，theremarkisfunny——becausethehorseisnotawareofitbutthefactisnothumorous，itistragicanditisnosubjectforahumorouspicture。

CouldIbeallowedtositinjudgmentuponthepicturesbeforetheyareaccepted——atleastthoseinwhichCathymayfigure？

Thisisnotessential。Itisbutasuggestion，anditisherebywithdrawn，ifitwouldbetroublesomeorcausedelay。

Ihopeyouwillreproducethecat-pile，fullpage。Andsavethephotoformeinasgoodconditionaspossible。WhenSusyandClarawerelittletotsthosecatshadtheirprofoundestworship，andthereisnoduplicateofthispicture。Thesecatsallhadthunderingnames，orinappropriateones——furnishedbythechildrenwithmyhelp。OnewasnamedBuffaloBill。

Areyouinterestedincoincidences？

Afterdiscovering，aboutthemiddleofthebook，thatCathywasSusyClemens，IputherpicturewithmyMS。，tobereproduced。AfterthebookwasfinisheditwasdiscoveredthatSusyhadadimmodelofSoldierBoyinherarms；Ihadforgottenallaboutthattoy。

ThenIexaminedthecat-pictureandlaiditwiththeMS。forintroduction；butitwasnotuntilyesterdaythatIrememberedthatoneofthecatswasnamedBuffaloBill。

Sincerelyyours，MARK。

Thereferenceinthislettertoshrinkageofhishand-writingwiththeincreasingintensityofhisinterest，andtheconsequentadditionofthenumberofwordstothepage，recallsanotherfact，notedbyMr。Duneka，viz。：thatbecauseofhisterseAnglo-Saxondiction，MarkTwaincouldputmorewordsonamagazinepagethananyotherwriter。Itishardlynecessarytoaddthathegotmoreforceintowhatheputonthepageforthesamereason。

TherewasalwaysarunofreportersatMarkTwain”sNewYorkhome。

Hisopinionwassoughtforoneverymatterofpublicinterest，andwhateverhappenedtohiminparticularwasconsideredgoodforatleasthalfacolumnofcopy，withhisnameasacatch-lineatthetop。WhenitwaslearnedthathewastospendthesummerinNewHampshire，thereportershadallwantedtofindoutaboutit。Nowthatthesummerwasending，theybegantowanttoknowhowhehadlikedit，whatworkhehaddoneandwhatwerehisplansforanotheryear。Astheyfrequentlyappliedtohispublishersforthesedetailsitwasfinallysuggestedtohimthathewritealetterfurnishingtherequiredinformation。Hisreply，handedtoMr。

Duneka，whowasvisitinghimatthemoment，isfullofinterest。

Mem。forMr。Duneka：

DUBLIN，Oct。9，1905……Astotheothermatters，herearethedetails。

Yes，Ihavetriedanumberofsummerhomes，hereandinEuropetogether。

Eachofthesehomeshadcharmsofitsown；charmsanddelightsofitsown，andsomeofthem——eveninEuropehadcomforts。Severalofthemhadconveniences，too。Theyallhada“view。”

Itismyconvictionthatthereshouldalwaysbesomewaterinaview——

alakeorariver，butnottheocean，ifyouaredownonitslevel。I

thinkthatwhenyouaredownonitslevelitseldominflamesyouwithanecstasywhichyoucouldnotgetoutofasand-flat。Itislikebeingonboardship，overagain；indeeditisworsethanthat，forthere”sthreemonthsofit。Onboardshiponetiresoftheaspectsinacoupleofdays，andquitslooking。Thesamevastcircleofheavinghumpsisspreadaroundyouallthetime，withyouinthecentreofitandnevergaininganinchonthehorizon，sofarasyoucansee；forvariety，aflightofflying-fish，mornings；aflockofporpoisesthrowingsummersaultsafternoons；aremotewhalespouting，Sundays；occasionalphosphorescenteffects，nights；everyotherdayastreakofblacksmoketrailingalongunderthehorizon；ontheonesingleredletterday，theillustriousiceberg。Ihaveseenthaticebergthirty-fourtimesinthirty-sevenvoyages；itisalwaysthesameshape，itisalwaysthesamesize，italwaysthrowsupthesameoldflashwhenthesunstrikesit；youmaysetitonanyNewYorkdoor-stepofaJunemorningandlightitupwithamirror-flash；andIwillengagetorecognizeit。Itisartificial，anditisprovidedandanchoredoutbythesteamercompanies。Iusedtolikethesea，butIwasyoungthen，andcouldeasilygetexcitedoveranykindofmonotony，andkeepituptillthemonotoniesranout，ifitwasafortnight。

LastJanuary，whenwewerebeginningtoinquireaboutahomeforthissummer，IrememberedthatAbbottThayerhadsaid，threeyearsbefore，thattheNewHampshirehighlandswasagoodplace。Hewasright——itwasagoodplace。Anyplacethatisgoodforanartistinpaintisgoodforanartistinmoralsandink。Brushishere，too；soisCol。T。W。

Higginson；soisRaphaelPumpelly；soisMr。SecretaryHitchcock；soisHenderson；soisLearned；soisSummer；soisFranklinMacVeigh；soisJosephL。Smith；soisHenryCopleyGreene，whenIamnotoccupyinghishouse，whichIamdoingthisseason。Paint，literature，science，statesmanship，history，professorship，law，morals，——theseareallrepresentedhere，yetcrimeissubstantiallyunknown。

Thesummerhomesoftheserefugeesaresprinkled，amileapart，amongtheforest-cladhills，withaccesstoeachotherbyfirmsmoothcountryroadswhicharesoemboweredindensefoliagethatitisalwaystwilightinthere，andcomfortable。Theforestsarespider-webbedwiththesegoodroads，theygoeverywhere；butforthehelpoftheguide-boards，thestrangerwouldnotarriveanywhere。

Thevillage——Dublin——isbunchedtogetherinitsownplace，butagoodtelephoneservicemakesitsmarketshandytoallthoseoutliars。Ihavespeltitthatwaytobewitty。Thevillageexecutesorderson，theBostonplan——promptnessandcourtesy。

Thesummerhomesarehigh-perched，asarule，andhavecontentingoutlooks。Thehouseweoccupyhasone。Monadnock，asoaringdoublehump，risesintotheskyatitsleftelbow——thatistosay，itiscloseathand。Fromthebaseofthelongslantofthemountainthevalleyspreadsawaytothecirclingframeofthehills，andbeyondtheframethebillowysweepofremotegreatrangesrisestoviewandflows，folduponfold，waveuponwave，softandblueandunwordly，tothehorizonfiftymilesaway。IntheseOctoberdaysMonadnockandthevalleyanditsframinghillsmakeaninspiringpicturetolookat，fortheyaresumptuouslysplashedandmottledandbe-torchedfromsky-linetosky-linewiththerichestdyestheautumncanfurnish；andwhentheylieflaminginthefulldrenchofthemid-afternoonsun，thesightaffectsthespectatorphysically，itstirshisbloodlikemilitarymusic。

Thesesummerhomesarecommodious，wellbuilt，andwellfurnished——factswhichsufficientlyindicatethattheownersbuiltthemtoliveinthemselves。Theyhavefurnacesandwoodfireplaces，andtherestofthecomfortsandconveniencesofacityhome，andcanbecomfortablyoccupiedalltheyearround。

Wecannothavethishousenextseason，butIhavesecuredMrs。Upton”shousewhichisoverinthelawandsciencequarter，twoorthreemilesfromhere，andaboutthesamedistancefromtheart，literary，andscholasticgroups。Thescienceandlawquarterhasneededimproving，thisgoodwhile。

Thenearestrailway-stationisdistantsomethinglikeanhour”sdrive；itisthreehoursfromtheretoBoston，overabranchline。YoucangotoNewYorkinsixhoursperbranchlinesifyouchangecarseverytimeyouthinkofit，butitisbettertogotoBostonandstopoverandtakethetrunklinenextday，thenyoudonotgetlost。

ItisclaimedthattheatmosphereoftheNewHampshirehighlandsisexceptionallybracingandstimulating，andafineaidtohardandcontinuouswork。Itisajustclaim，Ithink。IcameinMay，andwrought35successivedayswithoutabreak。ItispossiblethatIcouldnothavedoneitelsewhere。Idonotknow；Ihavenothadanydispositiontotryit，before。IthinkIgotthedispositionoutoftheatmosphere，thistime。Ifeelquitesure，infact，thatthatiswhereitcamefrom。

IamashamedtoconfesswhatanintolerablepileofmanuscriptIgroundoutinthe35days，thereforeIwillkeepthenumberofwordstomyself。

Iwrotethefirsthalfofalongtale”TheAdventuresofaMicrobe“andputitawayforafinishnextsummer，andstartedanotherlongtale”TheMysteriousStranger；“Iwrotethefirsthalfofitandputitwiththeotherforafinishnextsummer。Istopped，then。Iwasnottired，butI

hadnobooksonhandthatneededfinishingthisyearexceptonethatwassevenyearsold。AfteralittleItookthatoneupandfinishedit。Notforpublication，buttohaveitreadyforrevisionnextsummer。

SinceIstoppedworkIhavehadatwomonths”holiday。Thesummerhasbeenmyworkingtimefor35years；tohaveaholidayinit(inAmerica)

isnewforme。Ihavenotbrokenit，excepttowrite“Eve”sDiary“and“AHorse”sTale“——shortthingsoccupyingthemill12days。

Thisyearoursummeris6monthslongandendswithNovemberandtheflighthometoNewYork，butnextyearwehopeandexpecttostretchitanothermonthandenditthefirstofDecember。

[Nosignature。]

Thefactthathewasapersistentsmokerwaswidelyknown，andmanyfriendsandadmirersofMarkTwainsenthimcigars，mostofwhichhecouldnotuse，becausetheyweretoogood。HedidnotcareforHavanacigars，butsmokedthefragrant，inexpensivedomestictobaccowithplentyof“pep“init，aswesaytoday。Nowandthenhehadanopportunitytoheadoffsomeliberalfriend，whowroteaskingpermissiontocontributetohiscigarcollection，asinstancethefollowing。

ToRev。L。M。Powers，inHaverhill，Mass。：

Nov。9，1905。

DEARMR。POWERS，——IshouldacceptyourhospitableofferatoncebutforthefactIcouldn”tdoitandremainhonest。ThatistosayifIallowedyoutosendmewhatyoubelievetobegoodcigarsitwoulddistinctlymeanthatImeanttosmokethem，whereasIshoulddonothingofthekind。

Iknowagoodcigarbetterthanyoudo，forIhavehad6oyearsexperience。

No，thatisnotwhatImean；ImeanIknowabadcigarbetterthananybodyelse；Ijudgebythepriceonly；ifitcostsabove5centsIknowittobeeitherforeignorhalf-foreign，andunsmokeable。Byme。IhavemanyboxesofHavanacigars，ofallpricesfrom20ctsapieceupto1。66

apiece；Iboughtnoneofthem，theywereallpresents，theyareanaccumulationofseveralyears。Ihaveneversmokedoneofthemandnevershall，Iworkthemoffonthevisitor。Youshallhaveachancewhenyoucome。

Pessimistsarebornnotmade；optimistsarebornnotmade；butnomanisborneitherpessimistwhollyoroptimistwholly，perhaps；heispessimisticalongcertainlinesandoptimisticalongcertainothers。

Thatismycase。

Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。

Inspiteofallthefinephotographsthatweremadeofhim，thererecurredconstantlyamongthosesenthimtobeautographedaprintofonewhich，yearsbefore，Saronyhadmadeandplacedonpublicsale。Itwasagoodphotograph，mechanicallyandevenartistically，butitdidnotpleaseMarkTwain。WheneverhesawitherecalledSaronywithbitternessandseverity。Oncehereceivedaninquiryconcerningit，andthusfeelinglyexpressedhimself。

ToMr。Row(noaddress)：

21FIFTHAVENUE，NEWYORK，November14，1905。

DEARMR。ROW，——Thatallegedportraithasaprivatehistory。Saronywasasmuchofanenthusiastaboutwildanimalsashewasaboutphotography；

andwhenDuChaillubroughtthefirstGorillatothiscountryin1819hecametomeinafeverofexcitementandaskedmeifmyfatherwasofrecordandauthentic。Isaidhewas；thenSarony，withoutanyabatementofhisexcitementaskedifmygrandfatheralsowasofrecordandauthentic。Isaidhewas。ThenSarony，withstillrisingexcitementandwithjoyaddedtoit，saidhehadfoundmygreatgrandfatherinthepersonofthegorilla，andhadrecognizedhimatoncebyhisresemblancetome。Iwasdeeplyhurtbutdidnotrevealthis，becauseIknewSaxonymeantnooffenseforthegorillahadnotdonehimanyharm，andhewasnotamanwhowouldsayanunkindthingaboutagorillawantonly。Iwentwithhimtoinspecttheancestor，andexaminedhimfromseveralpointsofview，withoutbeingabletodetectanythingmorethanapassingresemblance。“Wait，“saidSaronywithconfidence，“letmeshowyou。”

Heborrowedmyovercoat-andputitonthegorilla。Theresultwassurprising。IsawthatthegorillawhilenotlookingdistinctlylikemewasexactlywhatmygreatgrandfatherwouldhavelookedlikeifIhadhadone。Sarongphotographedthecreatureinthatovercoat，andspreadthepictureabouttheworld。Ithasremainedspreadabouttheworldeversince。Itturnsupeveryweekinsomenewspapersomewhereorother。Itisnotmyfavorite，buttomyexasperationitiseverybodyelse”s。

Doyouthinkyoucouldgetitsuppressedforme？Iwillpaythelimit。

Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。

Theyear1905closedtriumphantlyforMarkTwain。Thegreat“SeventiethBirthday“dinnerplannedbyColonelGeorgeHarveyisrememberedto-dayasthemostnotablefestivaloccasioninNewYorkliteraryhistory。Otherdinnersandovationsfollowed。Atseventyhehadreturnedtotheworld，morebeloved，morehonoredthaneverbefore。

XLV

LETTERS，1906，TOVARIOUSPERSONS。THEFAREWELLLECTURE。ASECOND

SUMMERINDUBLIN。BILLIARDSANDCOPYRIGHT

MARKTWAINat“PierSeventy，“ashecalledit，pausedtolookbackwardandtorecordsomememoirsofhislong，eventfulpast。TheAutobiographydictationsbeguninFlorencewereresumed，anddailyhetraveledback，recallinglong-agoscenesandall-but-forgottenplaces。Hewasnotwithoutreminders。Nowandagaintherecamesomemessagethatbroughtbacktheolddays——theTomSawyerandHuckFinndays——ortheromanceoftheriverthatheneverrecalledotherthanwithtendernessandatoneofregretthatitwasgone。Aninvitationtothegoldenweddingoftwoancientfriendsmovedandsaddenedhim，andhisanswertoitconveysaboutallthestoryoflife。

ToMr。andMrs。Gordon：

21FIFTHAVENUE，Jan。24，”06。

DEARGORDONS，——Ihavejustreceivedyourgolden-wedding“AtHome“andamtryingtoadjustmyfocustoitandrealizehowmuchitmeans。Itisinconceivable！Withasimplesweepitcarriesmebackoverastretchoftimemeasurableonlyinastronomicaltermsandgeologicalperiods。

ItbringsbeforemeMrs。Gordon，young，round-limbed，handsome；andwithhertheYoungbloodsandtheirtwobabies，andLauraWright，thatunspoiledlittlemaid，thatfreshflowerofthewoodsandtheprairies。

Forty-eightyearsago！

Lifewasafairy-tale，then，itisatragedynow。WhenIwas43andJohnHay41hesaidlifewasatragedyafter40，andIdisputedit。Threeyearsagoheaskedmetotestifyagain：Icountedmygraves，andtherewasnothingformetosay。

Iamold；IrecognizeitbutIdon”trealizeit。Iwonderifapersoneverreallyceasestofeelyoung——Imean，forawholedayatatime。Mylovetoyouboth，andtoallofusthatareleft。

MARK。

Thoughheusedverylittleliquorofanykind，itwasMarkTwain”scustomtokeepabottleofScotchwhiskeywithhiscollectionofpipesandcigarsandtobaccoonalittletablebyhisbed-side。

Duringrestlessnightshefoundasmallquantityofitconducivetosleep。AndrewCarnegie，learningofthiscustom，madeithisbusinesstosupplyScotchofhisownspecialimportation。Thefirstcasecame，directfromScotland。WhenitarrivedClemenssentthischaracteristicacknowledgment。

ToAndrewCarnegie，inScotland：

21FIFTHAVE。Feb。10，”06。

DEARST。ANDREW，——Thewhiskyarrivedinduecoursefromoverthewater；

lastweekonebottleofitwasextractedfromthewoodandinsertedintome，ontheinstalmentplan，withthisresult：thatIbelieveittobethebest，smoothestwhiskynowontheplanet。Thanks，oh，thanks：IhavediscardedPeruna。

Hopingthatyouthreearewellandhappyandwillbecomingbackbeforethewintersetsin。

Iam，Sincerelyyours，MARK。

Itmusthavebeenasmallbottletobeconsumedbyhiminaweek，orperhapshehadableassistance。Thenextbrieflinereferstothemanuscriptofhisarticle，“SaintJoanofArc，“presentedtothemuseumatRouen。

ToEdwardE。Clarke：

21FIFTHAVE。Feb。，1906。

DEARSIR，——IhavefoundtheoriginalmanuscriptandwithgreatpleasureI

transmititherewith，alsoaprintedcopy。

Itisamatterofgreatpridetometohaveanywordofmineconcerningtheworld”ssupremestheroinehonoredbyaplaceinthatMuseum。

Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。

TheseriesofletterswhichfollowswaspreparedbyMarkTwainandGeneralFredGrant，mainlywithaviewofadvertisingthelecturethatClemenshadagreedtodeliverforthebenefitoftheRobertFultonMonumentAssociation。Itwas，infact，tobeMarkTwain”s“farewelllecture，“andtheassociationhadreallyproposedtopayhimathousanddollarsforit。Theexchangeoftheseletters，however，wasnevermadeoutsideofMarkTwain”sbed-room。Proppedagainstthepillows，peninhand，withGeneralGrantbesidehim，theyarrangedtheserieswiththeideaofpublication。Latertheplanwasdiscarded，sothatthispleasantfooleryappearshereforthefirst，time。

PRIVATEANDCONFIDENTIAL

(Correspondence)

TelegramArmyHeadquarters(date)

MARKTWAIN，NewYork，——WouldyouconsideraproposaltotalkatCarnegieHallforthebenefitoftheRobertFultonMonumentAssociation，ofwhichyouareaVicePresident，forafeeofathousanddollars？

F。D。GRANT，President，FultonMonumentAssociation。

TelegraphicAnswer：

MAJOR-GENERALF。D。GRANT，ArmyHeadquarters，——Ishallbegladtodoit，butImuststipulatethatyoukeepthethousanddollarsandaddittotheMonumentfundasmycontribution。

CLEMENS。

Letters：

DEARMR。CLEMENS，——YouhavethethanksoftheAssociation，andthetermsshallbeasyousay。Butwhygiveallofit？Whynotreserveaportion——whyshouldyoudothisworkwhollywithoutcompensation？

TrulyyoursFRED。D。GRANT。

MAJORGENERALGRANT，ArmyHeadquarters。

DEARGENERAL，——BecauseIstoppedtalkingforpayagoodmanyyearsago，andIcouldnotresumethehabitnowwithoutagreatdealofpersonaldiscomfort。Ilovetohearmyselftalk，becauseIgetsomuchinstructionandmoralupheavaloutofit，butIlosethebulkofthisjoywhenIchargeforit。Letthetermsstand。

General，ifIhaveyourapproval，Iwishtousethisgoodoccasiontoretirepermanentlyfromtheplatform。

TrulyyoursS。L。CLEMENS。

DEARMR。CLEMENS，——Certainly。Butasanoldfriend，permitmetosay，Don”tdothat。Whyshouldyou？——youarenotoldyet。

Yourstruly，FREDD。GRANT。

DEARGENERAL，——Imeanthepay-platform；Ishan”tretirefromthegratis-

platformuntilafterIamdeadandcourtesyrequiresmetokeepstillandnotdisturbtheothers。

WhatshallItalkabout？Myideaisthis：toinstructtheaudienceaboutRobertFulton，and……Tellme-wasthathisrealname，orwasithisnomdeplume？However，nevermind，itisnotimportant——Icanskipit，andthehousewillthinkIknewallaboutit，butforgot。CouldyoufindoutformeifhewasoneoftheSignersoftheDeclaration，andwhichone？Butifitisanytrouble，letitalone，Icanskipit。WasheoutwithPaulJones？WillyouaskHoracePorter？Andaskhimifhebroughtbothofthemhome。Thesewillbeveryinterestingfacts，iftheycanbeestablished。Butnevermind，don”ttroublePorter，Icanestablishthemanyway。ThewayIlookatit，theyarehistoricalgems——gemsoftheveryfirstwater。

Well，thatismyidea，asIhavesaid：first，excitetheaudiencewithaspoonfulofinformationaboutFulton，thenquietdownwithabarrelofillustrationdrawnbymemoryfrommybooks——andifyoudon”tsayanythingthehousewillthinktheyneverheardofitbefore，becausepeopledon”treallyreadyourbooks，theyonlysaytheydo，tokeepyoufromfeelingbad。Next，excitethehousewithanotherspoonfulofFultonianfact，thentranquilizethemagainwithanotherbarrelofillustration。Andsoonandsoon，allthroughtheevening；andifyouarediscreetanddon”ttellthemtheillustrationsdon”tillustrateanything，theywon”tnoticeitandIwillsendthemhomeaswell-informedaboutRobertFultonasIammyself。Don”tbeafraid；Iknowallaboutaudiences，theybelieveeverythingyousay，exceptwhenyouaretellingthetruth。

Trulyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。

P。S。Markalltheadvertisements“PrivateandConfidential，“otherwisethepeoplewillnotreadthem。

M。T。

DEARMR。CLEMENS，——Howlongshallyoutalk？Iaskinorderthatwemaybeabletosaywhencarriagesmaybecalled。

VeryTrulyyours，HUGHGORDONMILLER，Secretary。

DEARMR。MILLER，——Icannotsayforsure。ItismycustomtokeepontalkingtillIgettheaudiencecowed。Sometimesittakesanhourandfifteenminutes，sometimesIcandoitinanhour。

Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。

Mem。Mychargeis2boxesfree。Notthechoicest——sellthechoicest，andgivemeany6-seatboxesyouplease。

S。L。C。

IwantFredGrant(inuniform)onthestage；alsotherestoftheofficialsoftheAssociation；alsootherdistinguishedpeople——alltheattractionswecanget。Also，aseatforMr。AlbertBigelowPaine，whomaybeusefultomeifheisnearmeandonthefront。

S。L。C。

TheseatchosenforthewriterofthesenoteswastobeatthefrontofthestageinorderthatthelecturermightleanovernowandthenandpretendtobeaskinginformationconcerningFulton。Iwasnotentirelyhappyinthethoughtofthisshowyhonor，andbreathedmorefreelywhenthisplanwasabandonedandthepartassignedtoGeneralGrant。

ThelecturewasgiveninCarnegieHall，whichhadbeengaylydecoratedfortheoccasion。Thehousewasmorethanfilled，andagreatsumofmoneywasrealizedforthefund。

ItwasthatspringthatGorkyandTchaikowski，theRussianrevolutionists，cametoAmericahopingtoarouseinterestintheircause。TheideaoftheoverthrowoftheRussiandynastywaspleasanttoMarkTwain。FewthingswouldhavegivenhimgreatercomfortthantohaveknownthatalittlemorethantenyearswouldseethedownfallofRussianimperialism。TheletterwhichfollowswasareplytoaninvitationfromTchaikowski，urginghimtospeakatoneofthemeetings。

DEARMR。TCHAIKOWSKI，——Ithankyouforthehonoroftheinvitation，butIamnotabletoacceptit，becauseonThursdayeveningIshallbepresidingatameetingwhoseobjectistofindremunerativeworkforcertainclassesofourblindwhowouldgladlysupportthemselvesiftheyhadtheopportunity。

MysympathiesarewiththeRussianrevolution，ofcourse。Itgoeswithoutsaying。Ihopeitwillsucceed，andnowthatIhavetalkedwithyouItakehearttobelieveitwill。Governmentbyfalsifiedpromises；

bylies，bytreacheries，andbythebutcher-knifefortheaggrandizementofasinglefamilyofdronesanditsidleandviciouskinhasbeenbornequitelongenoughinRussia，Ishouldthink，anditistobehopedthattherousednation，nowrisinginitsstrength，willpresentlyputanendtoitandsetuptherepublicinitsplace。Someofus，evenofthewhiteheaded，maylivetoseetheblesseddaywhenCzarsandGrandDukeswillbeasscarcethereasItrusttheyareinheaven。

Mostsincerelyyours，MARKTWAIN。

TherecameanothersummeratDublin，NewHampshire，thistimeinthefineUptonresidenceontheotherslopeofMonadnock，aplaceofequallybeautifulsurroundings，andanevenmoreextendedview。

Clemenswasatthistimeworkingsteadilyonhisso-calledAutobiography，whichwasnotthat，infact，butaseriesofremarkablechapters，reminiscent，reflective，commentative，writtenwithoutanyparticularsequenceastotimeorsubject-matter。Hedictatedthesechapterstoastenographer，usuallyintheopenair，sittinginacomfortablerockerorpacingupanddownthelongverandathatfacedavastexpanseofwoodedslopeandlakeanddistantbluemountains。Itbecameoneofthehappiestoccupationsofhislateryears。

ToW。D。Howells，inMaine：

DUBLIN，Sunday，June17，”06。

DEARHOWELLS，……Thedictatinggoeslazilyandpleasantlyon。Withintervals。IfindthatIhavebeenatit，offandon，nearlytwohoursadayfor155days，sinceJan。9。TobeexactI”vedictated75hoursin80

daysandloafed75days。I”veadded60，000wordsinthemonththatI”vebeenhere；whichindicatesthatI”vedictatedduring20daysofthattime——40hours，atanaverageof1，500wordsanhour。It”saplenty，andIamsatisfied。

There”sagooddealof“fat“I”vedictated，(fromJan。9)210，000words，andthe“fat“addsabout50，000more。

The“fat“isoldpigeon-holedthings，oftheyearsgoneby，whichIoreditorsdidn”tdas”ttoprint。Forinstance，IamdumpinginthelittleoldbookwhichIreadtoyouinHartfordabout30yearsagoandwhichyousaid“publish——andaskDeanStanleytofurnishanintroduction；he”lldoit。”(“CaptainStormfield”sVisittoHeaven。”)Itreadsquitetosuitme，withoutalteringaword，nowthatitisn”ttoseeprintuntilIamdead。

To-morrowImeantodictateachapterwhichwillgetmyheirsandassignsburntaliveiftheyventuretoprintitthissideof2006A。D——whichI

judgetheywon”t。There”llbelotsofsuchchaptersifIlive3or4

yearslonger。TheeditionofA。D。2006willmakeastirwhenitcomesout。Ishallbehoveringaroundtakingnotice，alongwithotherdeadpals。Youareinvited。

MARK。

Histendencytoestimatethemeasureoftheworkhewasdoing，andhadcompleted，musthaveclungtohimfromhisoldprinterdays。

ThechapterwhichwastogethisheirsandassignsburnedalivewasontheorthodoxGod，andtherewasmorethanonesuchchapter。InthenextletterhereferstotwoexquisitepoemsbyHowells，andthewriterofthesenotesrecallshiswonderfulreadingofthemaloud。”InOurTown”wasacollectionofshortstoriesthenrecentlyissuedbyWilliamAllenWhite。Howellshadrecommendedthem。

ToW。D。Howells，inMaine：

21FIFTHAVE。，TuesdayEve。

DEARHOWELLS，——Itislovelyofyoutosaythosebeautifulthings——Idon”tknowhowtothankyouenough。ButIloveyou，thatIknow。

Iread“AftertheWedding“aloudandwefeltallthepainofitandthetruth。Itwasverymovingandverybeautiful——wouldhavebeenover-

cominglymoving，attimes，butforthehaltingsandpausescompelledbythedifficultiesofMS——thesewereaprotection，inthattheyfurnishedmetimetobraceupmyvoice，andgetanewstart。JeanwantedtokeeptheMSforanotherreading-aloud，andfor“keeps，“too，Isuspected，butIsaiditwouldbesafesttowriteyouaboutit。

Ilike“InOurTown，“particularlythatColonel，oftheLookoutMountainOration，andveryparticularlypages212-16。IwroteandtoldWhiteso。

After“AftertheWedding“Iread“TheMother“aloudandsoundeditshumandeepswithyourdeep-sealead。Ihadnotreaditbefore，sinceitwasfirstpublished。

Ihavebeendictatingsomefearfulthings，for4successivemornings——fornoeyebutyourstoseeuntilIhavebeendeadacentury——ifthen。ButIgotthemoutofmysystem，wheretheyhadbeenfesteringforyears——andthatwasthemainthing。Ifeelbetter，now。

Icamedowntodayonbusiness——fromhousetohousein12？hours，andexpectedtoarrivedead，butamneithertirednorsleepy。

YoursasalwaysMARK。

ToWilliamAllenWhite，inEmporia，Kans。：

DUBLIN，NEWHAMPSHIRE，June24，1906。

DEARMR。WHITE，——Howellstoldmethat“InOurTown“wasacharmingbook，andindeeditis。Allofitisdelightfulwhenreadone”sself，partsofitcanscorefinelywhensubjectedtothemostexactingoftests——thereadingaloud。Pages197and216areofthatgrade。Ihavetriedthemacoupleoftimesonthefamily，andpages212and216arequalifiedtofetchanyhouseofanycountry，casteorcolor，endowedwiththosericheswhicharedeniedtononationontheplanet——humorandfeeling。

Talkagain——thecountryislistening。

Sincerelyyours，S。L。CLEMENS。

WitterBynner，thepoet，wasoneoftheeditorsofMcClure”sMagazineatthistime，butwastryingtomusterthecouragetogiveuproutineworkforverse-makingandthepossibilityofpoverty。