The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1878-01-17
MARK TWAIN AND THE MINER,


Mark's FirsI and oaIy AtIeHspt 90 Travel
On His Mesa he Piams-Ths KHITaor-
diaaTy GaesIs an Old niInsr Had.
The Boston Adrertiser gives the fol-
lowing report of tho remarks OF Mr.
Samuel l.. Clemens, at the banquet
gwen in honor Of Mr.. John q. Whittier
in that city recently
Mr. CHAIRMAN This is an occasion
peculiarly meet for the digging up of
pleasant "reminiscences concerning liter
airy folk therefore, viii drop lightly
into history myself Standing here on
the shore Of the Atlantic and contemplat-
ing certain Of it's biggest literary bill
lows, | am reminded of thing which
happened 10 me fifteen years ago, when
had just succeeded IN stirring up II
little Sevadian literary ocean-puddle
myself, whose spume- flakes we're be-
ginning 10 blow thinly Caliioniaward.
| started All inspection tramp through
the southern mines of California. i was
callow and oonceited. and | resolved
10 try the virtue of my nom de plume
very soon had an opportunity. l
knocked al miners lonely log cabin IN
the foot hills of the SierrAs just at highs
fall. II was showing at the time. A
jaded, melancholy man OF fifty, bare
footed, opened TO me. When he heard
my nom de plume, de looked more de-
jectel than before, He let me in
pretty reluctantly, thought-and after
the customary bacon and beans, black
coffee and hot whisky, / took pipe
This sorrowful man had not said three
words up 10 this time Now he spoke
up anil said in the voice Of one who In
secretly suffering You're the fourth
I'm going 10 move" "The fourth
what ?" said /. THE fourth literary
man that's been here in twenty four
hours going Ia move" You
don't tell me T. said WHO we're the
the othersf" "Mr. Longfellow, Mr..
Emerson and Mr.. Oliver Wendell
Holmes-dad fetch the lot =
You can easily believe was surprised.
| supplicatei-thrceh hot Nhiskys did the
rest-and finally ths melancholy miner
began. He said
They came here just NJ dark yester-
lAy evening, and let them IN. of course.
Said they were going toi io Yosemite.
They we're n rough lot-but that's moth
ing, everybody looks rough that travels
afoot. Mr.. Emerson was q seedy little
bit oi a chap-red-headed. Mr.. Holmes
was Al fat as a balloon--he weighed as
much ms 500, aud had double chains all
the way down "a his stomach. Mr..
Longiellow was built like a prize hghter.
His head was cropped and bristly- Ike
as II he had wig made Of hair brushes,
His nose Law straight down his face, like
a fingrr with the end joint tilted mp.
They had been drinking could see
that. And what queer talk they used !!
Mr.. Holmes inspected this cabin, then
he took me by the button hole, and
saws he
Through the dep caves q thought
hear = yoloc that siugs
Build thcc more stately mAns4ons
. INV soul
"Savs |, 4 can I afford il Mr.. Holmes,
aud. moreover. don't want %. Blamed
If | liked il pretty well, either, cunning
from a stranger, that way. However, !
started 10 get out my bacon and beans,
when Mr.. Emerson came and looked on
awhile. and then be takes me aside by
the button-hole and SAYS:
Give me AgAics for my meat;
Give NE eAnthAridSs 20 eat,
Frum ar aud ocean briug INC foods,
Prom al Eones aud attitudes
Say /, Mr.. Emerson II you'll excuse
me. this Amt no hotel You see Il sort
IF rilci me: wasn't used 10 the ways of
N,tery swells. But ! went ON a-swcaung
over nv work, aud next comes Mr..
I,ongfellow and button-holes me, and
interrupts me. Says be:
Honor be 20 Nudjikeewls
You shall hear Ecv PAu-Puk- keewis
but broke in, and says /, Begging
your pardon, Mr.. Longfellow, II you'l
be So kind as 10 hold your yawp for about
five minutes and let me get this grub
ready. You'll do me proud. Well, sir,
after they'd filed up l set out the jug.
Mr.. Holmes looks at il, and thea fires up
all of sudden aud yells,
". Flash out stream Of tlood-rcd wine
For would drink 20 other dAys
"By George, / was getting kind Of
worked up. / don't deny il, j was get
ting kind OF worked up. 4. / turns 10 Mr.
Holmes, and says ]. Looky here, my
fat friend, I'm a-running this shanty,
and IL the court knows herself, YOU II
take whisky straight, or you'll so dry.
Them's the very words / said TO him.
Now didn't want 20 sass such famous
littery people, but you see they kind OF
forced me. There amt nothing nnrea-
sonAble bout me; don't mind a passed.
of guests a-treading on my tail three or
four times but when II comes 20 standing
on il. it's different, and II the court
knows herself, you'll take whisky straight
or you1l go dry. Well, between drinks,
thev'd swell round the cabin and strike
attitudes and spout. Says Mr.. Long
fellow,
"' This L. the forest primevaL
Saws Mr.. Emerson:
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And tircd the shot heard round the world.
"Says 1 20, blackguard the premises
as much as you want to--it don't cost
Won a cent Well, they went on drink
ing, and pretty soon they got out n
greasy old deck and went 10 playing cut
throat euchre at ten cents n corner-On
trust. | began to notice some pretty
suspicious things. Mr.. Emerson dealt,
looked at his hand, shook his head,
saws