登陆注册
5380500000069

第69章

It was in June of that year that Clemens wrote his first letter to William Dean Howells the first of several hundred that would follow in the years to come, and has in it something that is characteristic of nearly all the Clemens-Howells letters--a kind of tender playfulness that answered to something in Howells's make-up, his sense of humor, his wide knowledge of a humanity which he pictured so amusingly to the world.

To William Dean Howells, in Boston:

HARTFORD, June z5, z872.

FRIEND HOWELLS,--Could you tell me how I could get a copy of your portrait as published in Hearth and Home? I hear so much talk about it as being among the finest works of art which have yet appeared in that journal, that I feel a strong desire to see it.Is it suitable for framing? I have written the publishers of H & H time and again, but they say that the demand for the portrait immediately exhausted the edition and now a copy cannot be had, even for the European demand, which has now begun.Bret Harte has been here, and says his family would not be without that portrait for any consideration.He says his children get up in the night and yell for it.I would give anything for a copy of that portrait to put up in my parlor.I have Oliver Wendell Holmes and Bret Harte's, as published in Every Saturday, and of all the swarms that come every day to gaze upon them none go away that are not softened and humbled and made more resigned to the will of God.If I had yours to put up alongside of them, I believe the combination would bring more souls to earnest reflection and ultimate conviction of their lost condition, than any other kind of warning would.Where in the nation can I get that portrait? Here are heaps of people that want it,--that need it.There is my uncle.He wants a copy.He is lying at the point of death.He has been lying at the point of death for two years.He wants a copy--and I want him to have a copy.And I want you to send a copy to the man that shot my dog.I want to see if he is dead to every human instinct.

Now you send me that portrait.I am sending you mine, in this letter;and am glad to do it, for it has been greatly admired.People who are judges of art, find in the execution a grandeur which has not been equalled in this country, and an expression which has not been approached in any.

Yrs truly, S.L.CLEMENS.

P.S.62,000 copies of "Roughing It" sold and delivered in 4 months.

The Clemens family did not spend the summer at Quarry Farm that year.The sea air was prescribed for Mrs.Clemens and the baby, and they went to Saybrook, Connecticut, to Fenwick Hall.Clemens wrote very little, though he seems to have planned Tom Sawyer, and perhaps made its earliest beginning, which was in dramatic form.

His mind, however, was otherwise active.He was always more or less given to inventions, and in his next letter we find a description of one which he brought to comparative perfection.

He had also conceived the idea of another book of travel, and this was his purpose of a projected trip to England.

To Orion Clemens, in Hartford:

FENWICK HALL, SAYBROOK, CONN.

Aug.11, 1872.

MY DEAR BRO.--I shall sail for England in the Scotia, Aug.21.

But what I wish to put on record now, is my new invention--hence this note, which you will preserve.It is this--a self-pasting scrap-book --good enough idea if some juggling tailor does not come along and ante-date me a couple of months, as in the case of the elastic veststrap.

The nuisance of keeping a scrap-book is: 1.One never has paste or gum tragacanth handy; 2.Mucilage won't stick, or stay, 4 weeks;3.Mucilage sucks out the ink and makes the scraps unreadable;4.To daub and paste 3 or 4 pages of scraps is tedious, slow, nasty and tiresome.My idea is this: Make a scrap-book with leaves veneered or coated with gum-stickum of some kind; wet the page with sponge, brush, rag or tongue, and dab on your scraps like postage stamps.

Lay on the gum in columns of stripes.

Each stripe of gum the length of say 20 ems, small pica, and as broad as your finger; a blank about as broad as your finger between each 2stripes--so in wetting the paper you need not wet any more of the gum than your scrap or scraps will cover--then you may shut up the book and the leaves won't stick together.

Preserve, also, the envelope of this letter--postmark ought to be good evidence of the date of this great humanizing and civilizing invention.

I'll put it into Dan Slote's hands and tell him he must send you all over America, to urge its use upon stationers and booksellers--so don't buy into a newspaper.The name of this thing is "Mark Twain's Self-Pasting Scrapbook."All well here.Shall be up a P.M.Tuesday.Send the carriage.

Yr Bro.

S.L.CLEMENS.

The Dan Slote of this letter is, of course, his old Quaker City shipmate, who was engaged in the blank-book business, the firm being Slote & Woodman, located at 119 and 121 William Street, New York.

同类推荐
  • 经史百家杂钞

    经史百家杂钞

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 明伦汇编交谊典乞贷部

    明伦汇编交谊典乞贷部

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 元气论

    元气论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Four Short Plays

    Four Short Plays

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Dr. Breen'  s Practice

    Dr. Breen' s Practice

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 相府嫡女重生记

    相府嫡女重生记

    普通的中医院大夫李丽,临时想给男友一个惊喜,却有惊无喜,发现男友劈腿后精神恍惚遭遇车祸,灵魂穿越到了类似于大唐的时空,丞相府已出嫁皇室三王爷的嫡王妃高芙蓉,李丽穿来接收的却是在被陷害因善妒王爷侧妃顾思宁肚里的孩子使之流产,面临的是王爷几次要无情的休离芙蓉,高芙蓉本身胆小怕事,让人冤枉致死,李丽接收了高芙蓉的所有记忆与委屈,作为现代女性真是忍无可忍,既然上天让她代高芙蓉活下去,那她就有仇报,有冤伸冤,精彩生活随之而来。。。。。。。。
  • 王爷,我要辞职

    王爷,我要辞职

    推荐南飞雁新坑,《王的桃花女幻师》主写艾伦,重楼,天帝下一世的轮回,故事更精彩欢迎跳坑!http://m.wkkk.net/nanfeiyanxx我的新浪微博欢迎大家收听,昵称南飞雁xx《王爷我要辞职》简介她是他绑来的王妃所谓的婚礼,所谓的恩爱,也不过是演给别人看的一场戏对她来说,王妃只是一项工作还是被逼上岗。可是他后花园的女人实在是太多这项工作不好做。“王爷,我要辞职”“不准!”“我干不了!”“干不了也得干”他如此霸道,每次提到辞职,他就一口否定。她撇撇嘴,辞职怎样,总比跳槽好。“那我就找份兼职!”他狠狠的瞪着她"敢给我戴绿帽子,你试试看?”风华是一指流砂,苍老是一段年华再见伊人,他饱受相思之苦,她却一脸风轻云淡,仿佛当年只是一场梦,了无痕迹。她说,“王爷自重,我们有关系吗?”“你可是我的王妃!”“王爷,我已辞职!”只是一句话,几乎令他万箭穿心。她当年没爱过他,那只是一份工作,现在更不可能爱着他,因为她已辞职。换而言之,他们从未有过关系,如今他为情而伤,也不过是一个人自作多情而已!当腹黑遇上腹黑当扭曲遇上扭曲看妖孽王爷pk个性王妃——————————————————岐山之上,她一袭男装,白衣胜雪,丰神俊朗,一脸冷寒。望着倾月连城,吩咐身边的人,“雪莲,我必须得到,挡我者死,倾月连城若想染指,就让他葬身在此!”莺歌城,她拥着他爱上的女人,一脚揣在倾月连城身上,冷笑:“草包!你想要的女人,你永远都得不到!这就是对你的惩罚!”传闻倾月连城王妃逝世之后,倾月连城心性大变,再次沦为三年之前的草包,过着醉生梦死的生活,不理政事,好色成性。人人都知,倾月山庄真正做主的,不是那个让天下失色的第一美男,而是他身边高深莫测的瘸子,就连江湖上闻风丧胆的连云宫,都被其掌握在手,昔日叱咤风云的连城公子,彻底沦落为别人手中的木偶。然而一切是为何?又将会如何改变?风云突变,天下大乱,谁能问鼎王座,得到美人江山?————————————————————————领养公告区艾伦由wlp51636亲领养!御斩风由上官落亲领养!倾月连城由花若熏衣亲领养!——————————————推荐好友文文宫——凤斗(花前月下)妖孽个个太难缠(永安当主)难逃夫君追追追(蓝钻星雨)相公,我要扑倒你(冥溪)
  • 甜宠秘恋,攻略傲娇大神

    甜宠秘恋,攻略傲娇大神

    黎贝晞一直知道她那青梅竹马的男闺蜜景向之的哥哥是华大只可远观的神级风云人物!他从小到大都是家长口中“别人家的孩子”。如此高冷大神,平时远观花痴他是一回事,可是他突然变得如此平易近人,还对她各种撩各种小暧昧是闹哪样?有天,景向之神秘兮兮地跟她分析着他哥的各种怪异行为,得出结论认为他那高冷的哥哥可能有女朋友了。
  • 桥南橡木

    桥南橡木

    这本书里面的乔南是他,我和他相爱七年,七年之后的我们,不复青春年少,也变得社会肮脏,当初的诺言,曾经的美好,在分手的那一刻,都变成了成倍的伤害,一刀刀的将我凌迟处死。这些是我们的曾经都化成泡影以后,我希望记录下的回忆,哪怕是勉强能记得,也行,希望能度过这段风雨,向前依然是彩虹。如果你如我一般,也曾爱过那么一个人,也曾至死不渝,无怨无悔,就请听我讲完这个半途而废的故事吧。
  • 石璞质禅师语录

    石璞质禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 混沌造化神

    混沌造化神

    混沌之初,开天辟地,世界万物,全靠造化。
  • 古林清茂禅师语录

    古林清茂禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 邪王的宠后

    邪王的宠后

    庆历二十四年初夏,灵国太子因涉及巫蛊之术,被流放,永不得回京城青林。庆历二十七年的初夏。六月的天气,已经毒的让人受不了,空中没有一丝云,也没有一点风,一切树木都无精打采地、懒洋洋地站在那里。今年夏天的天气出奇的热,就连御花园的牡丹揽月也一直开到六月,没有一丝凋零的迹象。那后宫里的老麽麽们私下里说着,这是一个不祥的兆头,只是谁也没去理会。“公主,小公主,小心中暑了!”……
  • 明天会有太阳吗(中国好小说)

    明天会有太阳吗(中国好小说)

    主人公因娘家贫穷无势、丈夫无能却脾气暴躁而备受婆家叔伯妯娌以及凤山村乡邻的欺辱,儿子生病无钱救治,丈夫的毒打也是家常便饭,这一切使她压抑无奈,她曾以喝农药寻求解脱又被救活,在身心饱受痛苦和煎熬之下走上了写作之路,释放情感,寻找做人的尊严。
  • 1美女的临时男友

    1美女的临时男友

    家徒四壁;为了给父亲治病,蔡寒答应战友做霸道美女的临时男友!到了未来“丈人”家,假老丈人和丈母娘一眼便相中蔡寒这个“姑爷”。对于“小舅子”对自己的不温不火,“小姨子”对这个未来“姐夫”热情过了火,三番五次想从姐姐手里把蔡寒据为己有!经历了一连串的事情后,蔡寒终于熬到过完年和尹舒格,二人一同坐火车离开这个特俗的家庭,但在下了火车二人遵守协议承诺,一个往西,一个往东,这时候两个人脑海中同时浮现出两人在一起这段日子所发生的故事情不自禁把身子转过来!……