, 1876-07-03
:: MARK TWAIN.
His New Book, Published in En-
=. gland. '.~.
Monou1e D. Oonway's Sketch Of It, Intro.
duoing Some Extracts.

Monou1e D. 0onWay's Sketch Of It. Intro.
| duoing Some Extracts.
a new book By Mark Twain, which has not as
yet been published in this country, has made its
appearance in England; and Moncure D. Con-
way, in London letter to the Cincinnati Com
n1ercial, gives o sketch OF it, from which We
take the following:
/ Children report the past and forcshadow the
future. Here in England tue boy repeats the
history Of his ancestors,-aye, and the girl, too.
Tie boy is 4 savage, and then Viking and q
pirate in his tastes, nomad in his love of ad-
venture, and passing through the age Of the
| huntsman, affects agriculture, aud mechanic
att for time, becomes knight errant, and SO
advances to be an EnglIshnan. These embryo
logical stages Of development are very marked
| at some points. Thus there is a phase iu the
life Of English children Of both sexes and
phase which lasts iaconreniently long3-when
| they ma1ly desire to run about in the garden
naked. It requires the utmost vigilance to pre-
vent them from doing this in ali the little gar
dcns of London: Many boy aud girl here will
OF Marx s wans thr:c s bows pain
cd with mud to look like Indians racing
| up and down the beach to their hearts content.
| Afany other SCENES and notions, too will eorrc-
| spend to the familiar feelings OF the healthy
| British boy and girl. But now aud then they
will pause with some wonder, and it will be at
! some point where the village Of Missouri has
unfolded some unprescribcd tendency in human
| nature, or, perhaps, recovering one that was
lost. It wifi introduce novel ethical problem
in the young circles Of England when they read
about Tom Sawyer's lie. Tom has been deeply
| offended by d little girl whom he had adored.
Shc was soon after il great trouble, having torn
valuable book belonging to the teacher while
surreptitiously examining it at his desk, The
if lie or she had done the dreadful
deed. The guilty, terrified girl
is reached at last, and the fearful question Is
Just here boys voice sounded through the
breat1lcss school, II done it." it was Tom; be
touk his unmerciful tiogging. The girls father,
when he heard Of this long after, declared sit
WAS noble, generous, q nagnanimous liza
lie that was worthy to hold up its head and
march down through history breast to breast
| with George 1Vashington's laudel truth about
| the hatcher-' Besides this pcrllous incident,
there is an interest OF En- equally doubtful kind
| surrounding unique and vigorously drawn
Parah Of the village, son Of the town drunkard
-thuglescribed:
Huckleberry was cordially hated and drcaded by
all the mothers Of the town, because he was idle,
fd linn so md m IN
lis forbidden society, and wished they dared to
belike him. Tom was like the rest Of the respect
outcast condition, and was under strict ordcfs not
to play with him. SO lie played with him every
time he got chance H1ckleberry was always
and they wcre IL perennial bloom and duttering
with rugs. His hat vas vast ruin with wide
crescent Topped out Of its brim; bis coat, when
had tho rearward buttons far down the back;
bnt one suspender supported his trouscr; The
eeat of bis trousers bagged low and contained &C. y
not rolled up Hucklcbcrry came and went at his
own free will. Hc slept on doorstcps in fine
weather, and in empty hog4head;s IN vet; hs did
being master. or obey anybody; he could go 1ish,
ing or swimming when and where he chose, and
stay - long as i suited him; nobody forbade him
was always the frst boy that went barefoot In the
spring and tho last TO resume leather in the fall;
could swear wonderfully. In word, everything
that goes to make life precious, that boy had. So
thought every harassed, hampercd, respectable
hoy in st. Petersburg.
what respectable people think fortune, and is
taken into respectable home by kind people,
who try to educate and cirilize him, but he finds
it irksome, cannot bear It. disappears, and is
found afterward sleeping in such quarters as
tradition assigns to Diogencs, and begging Tom
to take the wealth that has befaIlen him and
allow him to continue In his old felicity Of vaga-
bondage
There is in this work more that is dramatic
than in any Of Mark Twain's previous works,
and some scenes that arc impressive, and even
weird. There is thrilling murder-scene, a
graphic trial-scene, and a solemn 1etribution-
sccnc,-the murderer, q ahalfbrced called s'Injun
Joe," being barred up In cavern where he was
accustomed to hide the money got by robbery.
He is entombed there accidentally It having been
thought necessary to close up the cave after
Tom aud Becky had been lost ii it, and nearly
persisted. When Injun Joe - is finally tracked
to it, the villagers rush to the spot, and, open
ing tue cave, find him there dead.
The poor unfortunate had starved to death. In
one place near Mt hand q stalagmite had been
slowly growing up from the ground for ages,
head. The captive Ind broken off the stalagmitc,
and upon the stump had placed q stone, wherein
he Ind scoopcd shallow hollow to catch the Pre-
With With the the dresry regula1ity Of q clock tick,-a
dessert-spoonful once in four and twenty hours.
That drop was falling, when the Pyramids were
Rome were laid; when Christ WAS crucided; when
the Conquerer created the British Empire. when
Columbus sailed; when the massacre at Lexington
falling when all these things shall have sunk down
the afternoon Of history and the twilight Of tsad
ton, and been swallowed up in tho thick night of
sion: Did this drop fall patiently during, 5000 |
years to be ready for this fitting human Insects
need and has 1t another Important oDJecS 10 &C.
coruplsh 10, 600 years to come? No n1atter. It is
many and many a year since the hApless half |
breed ecooped out the stone to catch the priceless
drops but to this day the tourist stares longest at
that pathetic stone and that slow dropping water,
when he comes to see the wonders OF AcDongal's
Cave. 1njun Joe's cup stands first in the list Of
the caycrn's maryels; eyen ''Aladdin's Palace" |
cannot rival it.
The humor of the book breaks out everywhere
in little touches, and is, Of course, the chief
Of many OF the chapters. The
showing off day at a boarding school, when the
Young misses parade In their ribbons, is portray
cd with exquisite drollery; and the poetical
COMPOSITIONS recited on the occasion are given
with realistic c1actness which cannot be sur
passed. The author assures us that these COM
positions arc. genuine, and SO think must
quote como OF the specimens:
Then arose slim, melancholy girl, whose face
had IN Interesting" paleness that comes OF pills
and indigcsti on, and read ''poenl." Two stanzas
of 1t will do:
4 MISSOURI MA1nEy's TAnEwEL1 TO ALABAMA.
AIaoama good-by! love thee well;
3ut ret fora while do lcare thee bow.
Sd. yes sad thoughts OF thee my heart doth BWel,
nd a1oa y amy
lave ruamed and rcad near Tall oaa's stream;
And wooed On Coosa's aide AuEora's beam.
;or blush to turn behind my fearful eyes;
Tis from no stranger land now must part, |
Tis to no strangers left yield these sghs.
Welcome and home were mine within this State.
whose ysles save whose spires aads fast 1f9m @ me
Vhcn fear AtAhh4nat th4F turn cold on thee! |