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。MuchofthefurniturewentintoittodayfromHartford。Wehavenotseenitfor13
years。KatyLeary，ouroldhousekeeper，whohasbeeninourservicemorethan24years，criedwhenshetoldmeaboutitto-day。Shesaid“Ihadforgottenitwassobeautiful，anditbroughtMrs。Clemensrightbacktome——inthatoldtimewhenshewassoyoungandlovely。”
JeanandmysecretaryandtheservantswhomwebroughtfromItalybecauseMrs。Clemenslikedthemsowell，arestillkeepinghouseintheBerkshirehills——andwaiting。Claranervouslywreckedbyhermother”sdeathisinthehandsofaspecialistin69thSt。，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；
butwheneverasaruleImeetRooseveltthestatesmanandpolitician，Ifindhimdestituteofmoralsandnotrespectworthy。Itisplainthatwherehispoliticalselfandhispartyselfareconcernedhehasnothingresemblingaconscience；thatunderthoseinspirationsheisnaivelyindifferenttotherestraintsofdutyandevenunawareofthem；readytokicktheConstitutionintothebackyardwheneveritgetsintheway；andwheneverhesmellsavote，notonlywillingbuteagertobuyit，giveextravagantratesforitandpaythebillnotoutofhisownpocketortheparty”s，butoutofthenation”s，bycoldpillage。AsperOrder78
andtheappropriationoftheIndiantrustfunds。
ButRooseveltisexcusable——Irecognizeitandoughttoconcedeit。
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？IgiveyoumywordofhonorprivateIamnot。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。Iandtherockswillnotlivetoseeitarrive，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，thereisavastchangeduetotheminideals——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。
JeantheyoungestdaughterwenttoDublinandsawthehouseandcamebackcharmedwithit。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，havinggothissuperabundantvitalityreduceditwaslikelytoexpenditselfintheseweirdmentalexploits，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”sDiaryasherunwittingandunconscioustext，ofcourse，sincetouseanyothertextwouldhavebeenanimbecility——thenItookAdam”sDiaryandreadit。Itturnedmystomach。Itwasnotliterature；yetithadbeenliteratureonce——beforeIsoldittobedegradedtoanadvertisementoftheBuffaloFair。Iwasgoingtowriteandaskyoutomelttheplatesandputitoutofprint。
ButthismorningIexamineditwithouttemper，andsawthatifI
abolishedtheadvertisementitwouldbeliteratureagain。
SoIhavedoneit。Ihavestruckout700wordsandinserted5MSpagesofnewmatter650words，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。
Telegramunsent。ToCol。GeorgeHarvey，inNewYork：
TOCOLONELHARVEY，——Iamstillacripple，otherwiseIshouldbemorethangladofthisopportunitytomeetthoseillustriousmagicianswhowiththepenhaveannulled，obliterated，andabolishedeveryhighachievementoftheJapaneseswordandturnedthetragedyofatremendouswarintoagayandblithesomecomedy。IfImay，letmeinallrespectandhonorsalutethemasmyfellow-humorists，Itakingthirdplace，asbecomesonewhowasnotborntomodesty，butbydiligenceandhardworkisacquiringit。
MARK。
Norstillanotherunsentform，perhapsmorecharacteristicthaneitheroftheforegoing。
Telegramunsent。ToCol。GeorgeHarvey，inNewYork：
DEARCOLONEL，——No，thisisalove-feast；whenyoucallalodgeofsorrowsendforme。
MARK。
ToMrs。Crane，QuarryFarm：
DUBLIN，Sept。24，”05。
Susydear，Ihavehadalovelydream。Livy，dressedinblack，wassittingupinmybedhereatmyrightandlookingasyoungandsweetassheusedtodowhenshewasinhealth。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。Whentheyaregoodorbadone”shumorgetsnochancetoplaysurprisesonthereader。Ahumoroussubjectillustratedseriouslyisallright，butahumorousartistisnofitpersonforsuchwork。Yousee，thehumorouswriterpretendstoabsoluteseriousnesswhenheknowshistradethenforanartist——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；tohaveaholidayinitinAmerica
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。Rownoaddress：
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
TelegramArmyHeadquartersdate
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。
IwantFredGrantinuniformonthestage；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。9210，000words，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。