The Letters Of Mark Twain, Volume 1, 1853-1866
Author: Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) Genre: LiteratureThe 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