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

ow of nearly four year

rrespondent or his l

from this time hav

ographical

remained in Muscatin

and he presently retur

itor on the Evening N

a young man named B

ste for the English c

o Keokuk, had casuall

his office to that ci

d not seem worth whi

mmercial printing. The

th fair prospects. He

re the assistants, an

rom St. Louis on a vi

oard induced him to

ifficult to pay the f

ership, which perhaps

ice methods would seem

bout at this point tha

s written. The write

e Clemens having by t

r daughter,

and Mrs. Moffe

wa, June 1

eir work. I have nothing to do with the book-if I did I would have the two book hands do more work than they do, or else I would drop it. It is not a mere supposition that they do not work fast enough-I know it; for yesterday the two book hands were at work all day, Henry and Dick all the afternoon, on the advertisements, and they set up five pages and a half-and I set up two pages and a quarter of the same matter after supper, night before last, and I don't work fast on such thing

ur

A

this is my 3rd

er celebrated for his

he office tried his ne

ve been rather happy

there, and he was a f

ied, and when one day

account of the riches

mazon, he promptly dec

the great South-Ameri

omentous decision. It

mporarily absent-pr

nry C

August 5

nt to see with my own eyes, and form my own opinion. But you know what Orion is. When he gets a notion into his head, and more especially if it is an erroneous one, the Devil can't get it out again. So I know better than to combat his arguments long, but apparently yielded, inwardly determined to go clear through. Ma knows my determination, but even she counsels me to keep it from Orion. She says I can treat him as I did her when I started to St. Louis and went to New York-I can start to New York and go to South America! Although Orion talks grandly about furnishing me with fifty or a hundred dollars in six weeks, I could not depend upon him for ten dollars, so I ha

own to Quincy today to esco

te

Bro

A

the life of Mark Twain

s found their way t

he plan, probably fo

a fifty-dollar bill

ets of Keokuk, and aft

set out for the Amazo

ew Or

d and left for the Am

tement which we may

cou

nnati that winter (1

e been preserved from

okuk weekly, the Satur

lication, and are ra

chief feature being

ar no relation to this

ged, self-educated Sco

losophies, who left an

al l

ce more the journey to

mazon altogether in th

s boyhood and youth Sa

ame the long-deferre

mer, the Paul Jones, t

Clemens idling in th

he old ambition, and

he terms finally agree

ed dollars, one hundre

ed the course and was

full elsewhere, and

ters fail to co

rips up the Missouri R

, or "cub," over to o

ung Clemens, in love

riors, had a happy tim

own was illiterate an

r association pilot a

her cor

that the letters beg

hen young Clemens, no

nearly a year. Life

nd in this letter we

ich in those days S

ns and Wife, i

IS, March

art the men, and all would go well till the yawl would bring up on a heavy cake of ice, and then the men would drop like so many ten-pins, while Brown assumed the horizontal in the bottom of the boat. After an hour's hard work we got back, with ice half an inch thick on the oars. Sent back and warped up the other yawl, and then George (the first mentioned pilot,) and myself, took a double crew of fresh men and tried it again. This time we found the channel in less than half an hour, and landed on an island till the Pennsylvania came along and took us off. The next day was colder still. I was out in the yawl twice, and then we got through, but the infernal steamboat came near running over us. We went ten miles further, landed, and George and I cleared out again-found the channel first trial, but got caught in the gorge and drifted helplessly down the river. The Ocean Spray came along and started into the ice after us, but although she didn't succeed in her kind intention of taking us ab

uring wood piles, counting coal boxes, and other clerkly duties, which he performed satisfactorily. He

route, somehow or other. Remember the direction: "S.L.C., Steamer Pennsylvania Care Duval & Algeo, Wharfboat, Memphis." I c

you will remain so, if you never get richer. I seldom venture to thin

ow. We have had a rough time during the last 24 hours working through

e companies (their engines in mourning-firemen in uniform,) the various benevolent societies in uniform and mourning, and a multitude of citizens and s

-just-abo

bro

A

e gather from this le

her as a newspaper co

om Cincinnati, alrea

e, we get an intimati

ure of the "land"-tha

ern Tennessee which,

a heritage for his ch

ad "millions in it" f

, as Orion Clemens lon

of three ge

s letter is, of course

explorer. Any book o

in, and in those day

rning Henry, and hi

the story of a traged

-[Mark Twain: A Biogr

ched briefly here. Hen

brother the enmity of

the date of the foreg

nia, an unprovoked at

rother Sam to the res

hands of the future

n, decided to quit t

the river by another

on the main tragedy,

ed to it. Samuel Cleme

o days behind the Penn

ched the Greenville,

blown up just below M

and fifty

At six o'clock of a

ixty miles below Memp

ith fearful results. H

ill alive when his bro

few days later. Samu

himself responsible fo

t he was overwrought b

hing, yet the anguish

e

Onion

., Friday, Ju

before, that the great God might let this cup pass from me-that he would strike me to the earth, but spare my brother-that he would pour out the fulness of his just wrath upon my wicked head, but have mercy, mercy, mercy upon that unoffending boy. The horrors of three days have swept over me-they have blasted my youth and left me an old man before my time. Mollie, there are gra

lared him-turned him half way around and struck him in the face!-and him nearly six feet high-struck my little brother. I was wild from that moment. I left the boat to steer herself, and avenged the insult-and the Captain said I was right-that he would discharge Brown in N. Orleans if he could get another p

up with a southern sun and freezing in the wind till the Kate Frisbee came along. His wounds were not dressed till he got to Memphis, 15 hours after the explosion. He was senseless and motionless for 12 hours after that. But may God bless Memphis, the noblest city on the face of the earth. She has done her duty by these poor afflicted creatures-especially Henry, for he has had five-aye, ten, fifteen, twenty times the care and attention that any one else has had. Dr. Peyton, the best physician in Memphis (he is exactly like the portraits of Webster) sat by him for 36 hours. There are 32

, and pray for my p

ortunate

L. C

here two day

wain never really reco

h-that it was respons

e face of the world's

wore in

ver, and in September

ess than eighteen mont

w Orleans pilot, and

partner on an importan

makes the period of h

t this is merely an

fact, an apt pupil an

as

nly lifted to a posit

t of those days was a

regarded as princely

onth was large for a

became the head of t

n years older, but h

sent the younger broth

y counselor and finan

f his new position, a

entally, we notice a

onger writes "be

o Orion Clemens. Writt

r troubles and your plans out of the reach of meddlers, until the latter a

gnorant of-and she makes a little fuss about it when her suspicions are awakened; but that makes no difference-. I know that it is better that she be kept in the dark concerning all things of an unpleasant nature. She upbraids me occasionally for giving her only the bright side of my affa

ave lived 5 minutes in such a tornado. And I am also lucky in having a berth, while all the young pilots are idle. This is the luckiest circumstance that ever befell me. Not on account of the wages-for that is a secondary consideration-but from the fact that the City of Memphis is the largest boat in the trade and the hardest to pilot, and consequently I can get a reputation on her, which is a thing I never could accomplish on a tra

it me to "blow my horn," for I derive a living pleasure from these things, and I must confess that when I go to pay my dues, I rather like to let the d--d rascals get a glimpse of a

rience of change; perhaps both captain and pilot liked the pursuit of the ideal. In the light-hearted letter that follow

mith, in Jackson, Cape

Oct. 31 [pr

ou, because she did not know when I wo

age apply on board, or to-but-I have forgotten the agent's name-however, it makes no difference-and as I was saying, or had intended to say, Aunt Betsey, probably, if you are ready to come up, you had better take the "Ben Lewis," the best boat in the packet line. She will be at Cape Girardeau at noon on Saturday (day after tomorrow,) and will

its most malignant form. Hopes are entertained of my recovery, however. At the

f this world-but I haven't t

od

CLEM

his "attack" again, th

e not frequent enough

that he was associate

again with one of t

He was reveling in t

omance of it. No othe

t the age to enjoy ju

olden, overween

emens, in K

IS, Mch

triking likeness, your humour is much finer than his, and far better expressed. Tom Hood's wit, (in his letters) has a savor of labor about it which is very disagreeable. Your letter is good. That port

, also. What a man wants with religion in thes

u saw the first. We took the opera glass, and examined its beauties minutely, for the naked eye cannot discern the little wayside flowers, and soft shadows and patches of sunshine, and half-hidden bunches of grass and jets of water which form some of its most enchanting features. There is no slurring of perspective effect about it-the most distant-the minutest object in it has a marked and distinct personality-so that you may count the very leaves on the trees. When you first see the tame, ordinary-looking picture, your first impulse is to turn your back upon it, and say "Humbug"-but your third visit will find your brain gasping and

rmed by Miss Castle and myself. She was perfectly willing for me to dance until 12 o'clock at the imminent peril of my going to sleep on the after watch-but th

ssion which is commonly ignored in polite society, they were "hell-bent" on stealing some of the luscious-looking oranges from branches which overhung the fences, but I restrained them. They were not aware before that s

CL

ard of Miss Castle, w

ccompanied Jane Clemen

leans, but we may gues

e, Ella Creel. One wis

ed account of that lo

olden age that has va

s of Wa

tural youthful desire

, and we may find hi

commend them-in part

hurch's trees, but Go

e the place

at boat he was on at t

ixby again, on the Alo

t in port i

emens, in K

" N. ORLEANS,

Therefore I'll answer after we are under way again. Yesterday, I had many things to do, but Bixby and I got with the pilots of two other boats and went off dissipating on a ten dollar dinner at a French restaurant breathe it not

ed and acknowledge

h

L. C

haps, that when he bec

from his pledge in th

did not upset him,

these dissipations. H

upon which he was pr

orts it in his next l

. The clairvoyant of

day. Clemens had been

concluded to make the

o his brother is fragm

us of the pil

er to Orion Clemen

NS Februa

eet 2 and one quarter-would weigh 116-has black eyes and hair-is poli

each other. Then she asked my age. Then she put her hands before her eyes a moment, and commenced t

ngth holds out against the longest sieges, without flagging; still, the upper part of your lungs, the top of them is slightly affected-you must take care of yourself; you do not drink, but you use entirely too much tobacco; and you must stop it; mind, not moderate, but stop the use of it totally; then I can almost promise you 86 when you will surely die; otherwise look out for 28, 31, 34, 47, and 65; be careful-for you are not of a long-lived race, that is on your father's si

hich prove

en suspected by any save you and me, since you keep such matters to yourself-but you fought your way, and hid the long struggle und

u flatter w

hand to mouth-now you are in easy circumstances-for which you need give credi

C. Whi

You will continue upon the water for some time yet; you will not retire finally until ten years from now.... What is your brother's age? 35-and a lawyer? and in pursuit of an office? Well, he stands a better chance than the other two, and he may get it; he is too visionary-is always flying off on a new hobby; this wil

years hence, or th

on-let him drop that for the present, and devote himself to his business and

r pursuits will be literary-try the law-you will certainly succeed. I am done now. If you have any qu

ler's was just as good as going to the opera, and the cost scarcely a trifle more-ergo, I will disguise myself and go again,

re always fussing about change, so I sent them a hundred and twenty quar

A

t to credit Madame Ca

ead the letters of Sa

by those that have su

for him was hardly wa

his past performance

day only because they

me Mark Twain. The sq

d to the New Orleans

to his pilot associate

twenty-five years old

ion at that age. Mar

e had not even develo

basis of Madame Capre

ood guesser on several

as Clemens hims

em, however: the prox

ose at hand for secon

the Caprell letter was

n had made his last t

he nation was plunge

fli

of this immediate per

ting in a private comp

soldiering for two r

e had had enough of w

was more of a Union

ssionist, as he ha

y to be rather infirm

ct to change without

in a bor