The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-01-03
MARK TWAIN AND THE MINER.
Marks First and Only Attempt to Travel
on His Nom De Plumc-The Extrnor-
dinary Guests nm Old Miner Had,

Marks First md Only Attempt 10 Travel
on His Nom De Plumc-The Extrnor- |
dinnry Guests nm Old Miner Had.
The Boston Advertiser gives the fol-
lowing report Of the remarks of Mr.. |
Samuel L. Clemens, at the banquet |
given in honor of Mr.. John G. Whittier |
in that city recently:
Mr.. CHAIRMAN This is an occasion |
peculiarly meet for the digging ND of
pleasant "reminiscences concerning iiter-
airy folk therefore, will drop lightly
into history myself. Standing here on
the shore of the Atlantic and contemplate
ing certain of it's biggest literary bill
lows, am reminded Of a thing which
happened to me fifteen years ago, when
1 had just succeeded in stirring up
little Nevadian literary ocean-puddle
myself, whose spume-aakes were be-
ginning to blow thinly Californiaward.
1 started an inspection tramp through
the southern mines of California. / was
callow and conceited,i and l resolved
to try the virtue of my rom de plume.
L very soon had an opportunity. I
knocked at miners lonely log cabin in
the foot hills of the Sisrras just at highs
fall. 1t was showing at the time. A
jaded, melancholy man of fifty, bare
footed, opened to me. When he heard
my nom dc plume, de looked more de-
jected than before. He let me in
pretty reluctantly, thought-and after
the customary baconSand beans, black
coffee and hot WHISKY, 1 took pipe.
This sorrowful man had not said three
words up to this time. Now he spoke
up and said in the voice of one who is
secretly suffering: You're the fourth
I'm going to move" "The fourth
what ?" said I. "The fourth literary
man that's been here in twenty-four
hours-I'm going to move" Yon
don't tell me p said T.; "Who were the
the others?" "Mr. Longfellow, Mr..
Emerson and Mr.. Oliver Wendell
Holmes-dad fetch the lot y
You can easily believe / was surprised.
I supplicated-three hot whiskys did the
rest-and finally the melancholy miner
began. He said
"They came here just at dark yester-
day evening, andI let them in, of course.
Said they were going to1 Yo Yosemite.
They were rough lot--but that's moth.
ing, everybody looks rough that travels
afoot. Mr.. Emerson was q seedy little
bit of chap-red-headed. Mr.. Holmes
was as fat as ballUon-he weighed as
much as 800, and he'd double chains all
the way down to his stomach. Mr..
Longfellow was built like prize. fighter.
His head was cropped and bristly-like
as if he had wig made of hair brushes,
His nose lay straight down his face, like
finger with the end joint tilted up.
They had been drinking--I could see
that. And what queer talk they used
| Mr.. Holmes inspexted this cabin, then
he took me by the button-hole, and
says he
Through the deep caves of thought
l hear voice that sings;
Build thee more stately mansions,
o my soul =
Essays I, { 1 can't afford it Mr.. Holmes,
and, moreover, don't want to- Blamed
| if ! liked it pretty well, either, coming
from q stranger, that way. However, I
started to get ont my bacon and beans,
when Mr.. Emerson came and looked on
awhile, and then he takes me aside by
the button-hole and says
90 Give me agates for my meat;
Give me cantharides to eat;
! From air and ocean bring me foods,
From all zones and attitudes
"Say I, 'Mr. Emerson if you'll excuse
me, this amt no hotel You see it sort
| VI rllttt ult, Wtsl uSSNi W Vic ways vi
| littery swells. But 1 went on a a-swearlng
over my work, and next comes Mr..
Longfellow and button-holes me, and
interrupts me. Says he:
"' Honor be to Mudjikeewis!
You shall hear how Pau-Puk-keewis-' '
"But I broke in, and says I, Begging
your pardon, Mr.. Longfellow, if you'll
be so kind as to hold your yawp for about
five minutes and let me get this grub
ready, you'll do me proud Well, sir,
after they'd filled up I set out the jug.
Mr.. Holmes looks at it, and then fires up
all of sudden and yells,
"' Flash ont stream of blood-red wine!
For would drink to other days
"By George, was getting kind of
worked up. l don't deny it, I was get
ting kind of worked up. 1 turns to Mr..
Holmes, and says /, Looky here, my
fat friend, I'm a-running this shanty,
and if the court knows herself, you'll
take whisky straight, or you'll go dry.
Them's the very words I said to him.
Now didn't want to sass such famous
littery people, but you see they kind of
forced me. There amt nothing onrea-
sonable bout me; I don't mind n passel
of guests a-treading on my tail three or
four times but when it comes to standing
on it, it's different, and if the court
knows herself, you'll take whisky straight
or you'll go dry. Well, between drinks,
they'd swell round the cabin and strike
attitudes and spout. Says Mr.. Long
fellow,
"'This is the forest primeval.'
Says Mr.. Emerson:
% Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.
Essays :: 20, blackguard the premises
as much as you want to--it don't cost
you a cent Well, they went on drink.
ing, and pretty soon they got out II
greasy old deck and went to playing cut
throat euchre at ten cents corner-on
trust. / began to notice some pretty
suspicious things. Mr.. Emerson dealt,
looked at his hand, shook his head,
says
"'I am the doubter and the doubt
and calmly punched the hands, and went
to shuffiing for new layout. Says
he,
., "'They reckon i'll who leave me out
They know not well the-subtle ways
keep. / pass and deal again."
" Hang'd if he didn't go ahead and dc
it, too Oh, he was cool one. Well,
in about minute, things were running
pretty tight, but of a sudden 1 see by
Mr.. Emerson's eye that he judged he