, 1876-11-14

H.. HAn1F;onp ; D. NSs: @ io-The 1 tras story Of THO
cas las been &C. as So twss s a sa1te @ 9se ny ecs
tAtn newspapers tllnt Mr. Clcmuns' conduct Is
placed " Il rather unpleasant light, In j1stico
to lin consider u my duty, as tho original
narrator Of tue facts, to give you the eo'n-
Atrnr. ..
The bust Of Calvin WIS wedding present ia
MI. atHl Mrs. Ctcmens from pinus clergyman
', win ha.l o. asemp3!ed Mark Twa!n upo.. It's ex-
gift was highly valued by both husband aud
vile. Tbs former always treated 1t with grayu
rcyetenrt, mud nude q paint every spring. and
aIl III providing It with new silk lint IT tho
but uEut, tho rortrv tabIc In Atark's atuly.
What, tticreluyr, WIS Mrs. Clemens nstou[sh-
ncnt, Mpoil returning u few weeks ago fru1n !,
brlcf vfat tu ier fAt!crs llolnc. to tll.4 that III
ler abscnrc tile cherished fcat,lrcs of jain Cnl
vim had hccn orlla,!scntel by tho addition of
pnir Ol eprMl nlntlst:ccs nIlu ta!cifttl IU;.tec.
dono N fnk! The al,stcrc theolog!an now
louked like Il Frcncl, burbcr.
Aark protested his fAtUg1lGe ttl the most SOL
emu manner, a,s neitller ul,cl,et1 l,or buahc.l
bcmeAtll the searching gtlzc Of his Indignant
vile. "lt muy lnvc bccu tho c't," he sug-
ge:s,tSetl.
some animation, "y0u are ticceirtlig ME. Tho
cat could nevcr luyc tloMc thnt shameful decd.
More likely 1t wus Charles Warner, or that 10
llawlcy, or some of those that havo been hero
s,nrottsl,g wllllo | wts away. Nov, wish to
Marks explanation, that tho cat might lavo
jumped upon the table. dipped tho cid Of ller
tal IN thu intstand. n1ns titus accomplished tho
work u dissertation, wns thrust aside as col,-
An iinprubablllty isn't M imposs!bility,"
nnttercd Mark.
no, Samuel Clcmcns, nor is this house II
paco for wild taro,lsingh urhl sacrIlcyiousness,"
ft.rf< ..1x.t..
The nc3t day TWIN tried to throw the blatno
On Prof Huxley. a1l the ttay utter that la NIL
nistcd III confidence that Bob Ingersoil WIS tlo
real c,llrlt. l}nt ns hc was nialIlc to show
bcrn entertained at tic Clemens ma.lsion tllr-
ing the nbsG1lcG Ut its n6trcfs, the explanations
were stcrnly rejected as miserable su',tcriugra.
The subject was not rccnrrctl to u.ai1, but
Marks study, 4 slicut accusur. IL duu,b yet ter
rlble Witness.
Ii yaiu Clemens tried to scrape olf tho mus~
tache. In vatn e cnllenYOred to crAAe tic guatcu
llc might slc ink wont deeper still, nt,l the 9nly
result ot lls eitorts WIS to maku Calyin's faco
moro glastly tGan eyer. More awful yet was
tho expression which wontl colnc uvcr Mrs.
ClciAens lace ass she pointed to tho lust, anu
BY looks mure significant lllan wor,ls reminded
her wrcic!,ctl husband nf ttsa tllyatcrtous pro-
ecrtIlEs tlnt n,ltst hare OCCURRED In the cstal-
lishment during her nbacncc.
1t wns nbout this time TINT .1olin CALVIN dis
appeared. 4 week later hu was accidentally
discovered busiosl beneath several tos.s or luy
In l!o stable loft, anu WIZ resrucl and restored
to h!s place OIL tlie study table. Mark denied
TILL knowledge Of tho abduction. Tho next day.
however. Calvin was a.nln go!e, anil mt until
tlc fayortte rpe ot the great hulnorls: had hrci
sctzcd unt held III lostagu did tho tlieologian
reapprar.
Al t1,is ,; was wearing on the mind OF my
frtgnd Clemens. Perhaps it WIS tho ACCUSING
yoiro IT Il guilty neutrality-suspicious. It was tile
wcigl't Of unjust susp!cions-tl!at mmle lin,
inuudy, trctful, uu1 riorosc. 1t Was nt,w tllut
l.o went into politics, with the sad results ,'a,
rated III IL prcvluus letter. 1t wasnow that lie
bcGalt tn SHY strange thnga ul,.l to still stran!5
CT. II w4s nov thAt It Logan to ho whispered
about Hartford tfAt ouce powerful intellect
WAS stotteriIr-perlMps tOtttrcl.
Wlltn ri;!ttl Clcnc11s OH tho 18th Of laat
mouth thu t,urhtl llorrur with which no lsut
come to resArl tic lintl',tina e,untennnce Ut
Juhn Calvin llatl worked Itself into Desperate
rcckIrssncss, al.l Il Was III my prrAenyr tat liz
sei1el the tunt;s ami smashed tho eni,lcnt thcu-
lng1an into thousand little pieces. This IL tho
Wh0lu sturY.