The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-07-21
A MEMORY.
ny MARK TWAIN.

When say that l never knew my aus
terG father "a. be erlAmOTed Of but one
poem ip the long half century that he
lived, persons who knew Tim win easily
believe inc; when l say that Lnever com.
posed but one poem In all thu. long third
Of u century that ! have lived, persons
who know me will he sincerely grateful !;
and finally, when l say that! the poem
whichI composed was nOt.the one which
INV father was cnamored Of, persons who
have known us both viii not need to have
this truth shot into them with q mountain
howitzcr before they Gun receive 1t. My
father and Iiwere always on, themost dis.
tsnt terms when ! Ygs a, boy1'Ia sort q
armed mentality, so 70 speak, AZ irregl-
lar intervals this neutrality was broken,
and suffering ensugtl; but Iwill be candid
enough TO say that, the breaking and the
suffering were always divided up with
strict impartlality between tls-which Is
10 shy, my father did the breaking and |
did the suffering. AS a general thing j
was,a backward, cautious, unadyentlFOu99
boy; but once jumped of a tWO.story
stable; at another time gave an Gle.
plant o "plug" OF tobacco and retired
without waiting for an answer; and still
another time pretended, 70 be talking IN
my sleep, and got Of d portion Of q very
wrctchGd original Conundrum In hearing
Of my father. Let us not pry into the
result; il was Of no consequence to my
one but me. ..,,,,,,i.l,.,,a..li,.l,l ,,,s,.,.
But The poem I have referred 70 Us ut.
tracting my FILTERS attention and achicv-
inghis favor was "IIiGwatha.n Some man
WHO courtesl Alsultlen. md awful death
presented him an early copy, and ! meyer
lost fiitIi in MY, own, senses until saw
lin sittl6wIi md 90 10 reading tin cold
blOOd-=-siIw tiln'ODen the book and heard
him read, tho following lines, with the
same inileCtiOnleSS judicial trigidity with
whiCrhe always read his charge to the
jury, or administered IN oath TO a wit
ness y.rrt aH gu4. -Eul w r.l.
70 Take your bow, o Iliawatha,,l! rs VIZ
Take your arrows, jasper: headed,
b q Iake your &ERr.cllb. PugRRWAugun, i'i
Aud your intttens, Mtnjek2hWRn, t..i' .
And your birch canoe for '1alllhg,
Aud the oil Of MiHhe,Nama. 7Nf .lcd
Presently my filther took out Of his
breast pocket an imposing Warranty
Deed" and. fixed his eyes upon It and
dropped into meditation. Iknew what It
was. ATexan lady and gentleman had
given my alEbrothcr, Orrin johnson, a
handsome property In town In the
North, In gratitude TO him for having
saved their lives by m act OF brilliant
haytniaT1 4..... y rEN = auE sfNfs. 'tH't 10
Byaud by my fatherlooked toward me
and sighed. Then he said: r.s.a0I Vi.
IF I had such a, son rs, this poet, here
were q subject wortlfer than the tradi:
tons Of these Indians" i i'''f!.'+'.' i..f
q "If you please, sir, whereE MI s,Ni
lin this deed" ar D.I' ngNlr a4 %
'''In the-dced ?" ~. oh ,.,..,
"Ycs-in this very deed" said my
father, throwing II on the table. '"There
is more poetry, more romance, more sub
Unity, more splendid imagery hidden
away in that homely document than could
be found in all the tradltions'oE all the
savages that live" f'Fli;'l' -, !'"'
Indeed, sirY Could E-could / get il
out, sir Could l compose the poem, sir,
do you think ?" .,,......, -,.-,
'"Youy' H'lF ''..'''' zee '.' ~
Iwilted. -, ~: -. If go,
Presently mytathers face softcned some
what, and he sald:"r " u''@'I' ihi p
"GO and try. But mind, curb folly.
No poetry at the expense Of truth: Keep
strictly to the facts" ,..
I mid / would, and bowed myself ont,
and went up stairs. 1s.,7a.I "lni
"Hiawatha" kept droning in my head
and so did my fathers remarks about the
sublimity and romance hidden In my sub.
ject, and also his injunction to beware Of
wastcful and exuberant fancy. Inoticed
just here, that had heedlessly brought
the deed away with nc. Now, ut this
moment came to me one of those rare
moods Of daring rccklCssncss, such
rs l. referred 10 q while ago.
Without another thought, and In
plain defiance Of tho, fact that ] knew
my father meant me to write The romantic
story Of my halI.Grother's adventure and
subsequent good fortune, venturetl TO
heed merely the letter Of lis remarks and
ignore the spirit. took the stupid "War-
rlnty Decd" itself and chopped it up into
IIiawatllian blank verse, without altering
or leaving out three words, and without
transpOsing six. 1t required aloads Of
courage to go down stairs and face my
father with my performance, | started
three or four times before l finally got
my pluck where it would stick. But at
last l said I would go down and read II
TO him If he threw MO over the church
for il. stood up 10 begin and hc told
me 10 come closer. l edged up little,
but still LEFT us much neutral ground be-
tween usas, Ithought he would stand.
Then / begun. /, It would be useless iOr
me TO try To tell what conflicting emotions
expressed themselves upon his lacc, p0r
how they grew more and more intense
as proceeded; nor how fell darkness
descended upon Ills ,counteuance, and lie
began 10 gag and swallow, and his hands
began 10 work and twitCh, rs rcclcI OF
line after line, with the strength clIbing
out ormC, and my limbs trembling under
me: ..-,
The story OF a Gallant Deed.
n, ,.pli. h ~ EHi rtH ~
THIS INDENTURE; made the tenth uUs
Day Of November, In the year ...
or our Lord one thOuGand eight .i .IH.'
Hundred sIx.and.lity, Yy t.nrr. l-,l.l-
moi. Between JOANNA s., E, GRAY ...,..g flo.
'"'' And PHILIP GRAY, her husband,
: OfSaem City, In the State rN ~ NH
III. OF Texas Of the nrSt part, ..,s oh
Aud O. B. johnson, Of tho town .,....
,-'l OF Austin, ditto, WTTNESSETH: ... %
That said party Of the aFst part, .,i d ...A
For and In confederation ...... ..t
or the sum or Twenty Thousand
b. Dollars, lawful money Of . Hfi.Hi
The u. $. Of Americay, g .,-.....gV.
TO them IN hand now paid by said
Party or tho second part,
The receipt whereof 10 hero .t tu
BY confessed and acknowledged,
Have Granted, BArEaIned, Sold. RemIBed