The Letters Of Mark Twain, Volume 1, 1853-1866

Mark Twain's earliest

il notes, written to

perhaps-and tossed a

appy or disastrous r

hool notes of the Tom

somewhere among forg

not be likely to fin

is earlier writing, ha

CLEMENS, laboriously

that once held his mea

printer's apprentice

e need of a purse coul

d it pretty steadil

of symbol of hope,

ch dominated his ear

ely s

y kind has been preser

t period of his youth

a capable printer on

occasion served. Lett

ed-even his contributi

not believed that a

the Hannibal Jour

s seventeen years old

f which has survived

prosperous enterpris

and to see the world

sister Pamela was liv

Fair in a Crystal Pa

visit to this great

ment bears no date, bu

mmer o

Clemens to his sister Pamela Moff

countries represented, the lofty dome, glittering jewelry, gaudy tapestry, &c., with th

erything on exhibition; and as I was only in a little over two hours tonight, I only glanced at about one-third of the articles; and having a poor memory; I have enumerated scarcely

st wonder yet. Immense sewers are laid across the bed of the Hudson River, and pass through the country to Westchester county, where a whole river is turned from its course, and brought to New York. From

aithfully kept, and if I have my health I will take her to Ky. in the spring-I shall save money for this. Tell Jim and all the rest of them to write, and give me all the news. I am sorry to hear such bad news from Will and Captain Bowen. I shall write to Will soon. The Chatham-square Post Office and the Broadway office too, are out of my way, and I always go to the General Post Office; so you must write the direction of my letter

your B

A

y a light so dim that you n

chanics' cheap boardin

bareness of his room,

la

are faithfully kept."

mother, Jane Clemens,

t together his few be

ttle Te

old of the end of thi

want you to repeat

hat I will not throw a

while I

epeated after her,

Bowen mentioned is a

band. He had gone

r brother, the "Capta

embered, but it coul

n boys remained on th

mens's cousin and one

Wolfe, an apprentice

re which long after Ma

Jim Wolfe a

int of the future Mar

er of a boy of sevente

eriously-who, finding

equal to his own resp

bility of others. Hen

n left in the printing

ss fight, is planning

concerned as to the fa

ted. He feels the appr

n a long-coveted trip

? Where should he sp

sand volumes close b

pretentious, and want

ime. It invites commen

viving document in

printing-office of Joh

ained there through t

e during this period,

er Pamela-was writt

atural in tone than th

f Mark Twain in t

ffett, in

., Oct. Sa

elf with the idea that I was going to leave New York every day for the last two weeks. I have taken a liking to the abominable place, and every time I get ready to leave, I put

ions were really splendid. In the latter part of the last act, where the "Gladiator" (Forrest) dies at his brother's feet, (in all the fierce pleasure of gratified revenge,) the man's whole soul seems absor

as no other project in his head, he ought to take the contract for getting out some weekly paper, if he cannot get a foremanship. Now, for such a paper as the "Presbyterian" (containing a

ke care of himself a few miles from home, such a brother is not worth one's thoughts: and if I don't manage to take care of No. 1, be assured you wil

&c. I saw a large company of soldiers of 1812 the other day, with a '76 veteran scattered here and there in the ranks. And as I passed through one of the parks lately, I came upon a compan

s that ply' the Hudson, is now 25 cents-cheap enoug

elf. I may perhaps be here a week longer; but I cannot tell. When you write tell me the whereabouts of the fam

your B

L. CL

when he wrote the nes

rently satisfied wit

mens, who had dispo

Hannibal. An extended

omitted because of

ndency it shows to de

uld make his first g

mor, and only a mild s

ad in this early atte

complete, the omiss

lemens, in

IA, PA. Oc

Pamela, till I've tired of it, and have received no answer. I have been writing for the last two or three weeks, to send Ma some money, but devil take me if I knew where she was, and so the money has slipped out of my pocket somehow or other, but I have a dollar left, and a good deal owing to me, which will be paid next Monday. I shall enclose the dollar in this letter, and you can hand it to her. I know it's a small amount, but then it will buy

can go to the theatre and stay till 12 o'clock and then go to the office, and get work from that till 3 the next morning; when I go to bed, and sleep till 11 o'clock, then get up and loaf the rest of the day. The type is mostly agate and minion, with some bourgeois; and when one gets a good agate take,-["Agate," "minion," etc., sizes of type; "take," a piece of work. Typ

here is more work here than you can do!" "Down-hearted," the devil! I have not had a particle of such a feeling since I left Hannibal, more than four months ago. I fancy they'll have to wait some time till they see me down-hearted or afraid of star

es locked, and one can only see the flat slab that lies over his remains and that of his wife; but

nja

Fran

ora

, about a foot, with the mouth end upwards. A ball is driven fast into the mouth of each, to exclude the water; they look like so

r with a stranger. In St. Louis a man will sit in the front end of the stage, and see a lady stagger from the far end, to pay her fare. The Phila. 'bus drivers cannot cheat. In the front of the stage is a thing like an office clock, with figures from 0 to 40, marked on its face. When the stage starts, the hand of the clock is turned tow

interesting to you, while you can write nothing that will not interest me. Don't say my letters are not long enough. Tell Jim Wolfe to wr

your b

A

ve times. Imagine

ling to a driver or

t b

iation for Hannibal

oem which a few year

s, he had publishe

as too long to set

poem had no great m

t could hardly fail

hings he did to live

f period of h

he mentions was t

ld cat," as it was

ew York, and foun

even worthless. W

adelphia, but the f

pparently did not

ritten a month lat

now moved to Mu

a new paper with

rna

mens, in Mus

IA, Nov. 2

hink Ma ought to spend the winter in St. Louis. I

Franklin, but there are so many abominable foreigners here (and among printers, too,) who hate everything American, that I am very certain as much money for such a purpose could be raised in St.

got? What does the job-work pay? an

I fear my letters will be very uninteresting, for th

Sunday is a long day, and while others set 12 and 15,000, yesterday, I on

-I would like amazingly to s

ove

your b

A

never occurred to the

Franklin, that time

he great Franklin's c

striking. Like Frank

oung and put at the

d in his brother's off

too, he had left qu

at the trade of print

in Franklin, would b

nd of incredible pop

such dreams, but we f

letter of this early

ashington, but if he

ed. The last letter is

sickness. The novelty

earin

ffett, in

PHIA, De

I am. I only want to return to avoid night-work, which is injuring my eyes. I have received one or two letters from home, but they are not written as they should be, and I know no more about what is going on there than the man in the moon. One only has to leave home to learn how to write an interesting letter to an abs

your b

A

n to the West for an

g that period have not

when he finally starte

nights in a smoking-ca

The river packet was

here his mother and hi

sister a brief visit,

nto his berth and slep

e jou

arrived-too early to

le hotel where he wait

ained portraits of th

ir reigns. Young Cleme

rmation by heart. He

n hour or two had the

tted. This incidental

lue to him. It was h

sh hi