Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-12-08
Mark Twain's Latest.
TIE STORY A CANvAssER TOLD HIM ABOUT
ECHo-CoLLECTING.

"My parents died, alas when was lit
lie, sinless child. My Uncle Ithuriel took
me TO his heart and reared mo as his own.
lie was my only relative in the wide world I;
but he was good and rich and generous. He
reared me in the lap of luxury. KNEW no
want that money could satisfy.
ain the fullness of time 1 was graduated,
and went with two of my servants-my
chamberlain and my valet-to travel in for
eign countries. During four years fitted
upon careless wing amid the beauteous
gardens OF the distant strand, if you will
permit this form of speech in one whose
tongue was over attuned to poesy and, in
deed, l so speak with confidence, as one
unto his kind, for perceive by your eyes
that you, too, sir, are gifted with the divine
initiation. In those far lands 1 reveled in
the ambrosinl food that frucli6es the soul,
the mind, the heart. But of all things that
which most appealed to my Unborn festhet-
ic taste was the prevailing custom there
among the rich of making collections OF
elegant and costly rarities, dainty objects
de veIiu, and in an evil hour tried to up
lin my Uncle Ithuriel 10 plane of sympa-
thy with this exquisite employment.
81 wrole and told him of one gentleman's
vast collection of shells; another's noble
collection of meerschsum pipes; another's
elevatlng and refining collection of unde-
cipherable autographs; another's priceless
collection of old china another's enchant-
ing collection of postage stamps-and so
forth and so on. Soon my letters yielded
fruit. My uncle began TO look around for
something TO make a collection Of You
may know, perhaps, how fleetly taste like
this dilates. His soon became a raging fe-
yer, though knew it not. He began to
neglect his great pork business; presently
he wholly retired and turned an elegant
leisure into rabid search for curious
things. His wealth was vast, and he spared
il not. First he tried cow-bells. He made
a collection which filled five large salons,
and comprehended all the different sorts of
| COW bells that had ever been contrived, save
| one. That one-an antique, and the only
specimen extant-was possessed by anoth-
| er collector. My uncle offered enormous
sums for it, but the gentleman would not
sell. Doubtless you know what necessari-
| ly resulted. A true collector attaches no
| value to collection that Is not complete.
| His great heart breaks, he sells his hoard,
| he turns his mind TO some field that seems
unoccupied.
| "Thus did my uncle. He next tried
brick k-bats After piling up vast and in
tensely interesting collection, the former
difficulty supervened; his great heart broke
AGAIN he sold out his souls idol TO the re-
tired brewer who possessed the missing
brick. Then he tried 6int batchets and
other implements Of primeval man, but by
| and by discovered that the factory where
they were made was supplying other col
lectors as well as himself. He tried Aztec
inscriptions and stuffed whales-anothel
failure, aGler incredible labor and expense
| When his collection seemed at last perfect
a stuffed whale arrived from Greenland
and an Aztec inscription from the cundur'
ango regions of Central America that made
all former specimens Insignificant. My un
Gle FASTENED to secure these noble gems
He got the stuffed whale, but another col
lector got the inscription. A real cundur
ango, as possibly you may know, is pos
| session OF huCu suPiohio N"iuO 'H"'t "-SA
collector once gets it, he will rather par
with his family than with it. So my unel
sold out, and saw his darlings go forth new
er more 10 return and his coal-black hal
turned white as snow in a single night.
Snow he waited, and thought lie knew
another disappointment might kill him
He was resolved that he would choos
things next time that no other mau was col
lecting. He carefully made up his mind
aud once more entered the feld-this tim
to make collection OF echoes"
"Of whatf" said 1.
"Echoes, sir. His first purchase was Al
echo In Georgia that repeated four times
) his next was six-repeater In Maryland
his next was a nine-repeater In Kansas
his next was twelve'repeater in Tennes
see, which he got cheap, so to speak, be
, cause 1t was out OF repair. portion Of th