The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-09-20
MARK TWAIN AND SELLERS.
How Clemens and Warner Came to
Write Their Alleged Novel.
The HumorIst's Idea of "A Serious Story
With a Moral

How Clemens and Warner Came to
Write Their Alleged Novel.
The Humorist's Idea of "A Serious Story
With "a Moral.
Mark Twain conceived the idea of
THE Gilded Age" when he was suffer
ing from prolonged fit of the blues.
He proposed to write a story with NOR
al, and he told Charles Dudley Warner
that he wanted that moral so plainly put
that hewho ran might read. 1t was high
time for the American people to be awak-
ened. The American people were awak-
ened to the extent of $14, 900, which Mark
twain and Dudley Warner pocketed in
six months time from the sale of the
book. Here the equal division of profits
ended, however; for John T. RAYMOND
says that he has paid Mark Twain $780,
900 royalty on the play, while it is a Sc
cret that Dudley Warner sadly tries to
keep that Mark Twain paid him 81 900
for his half interest in any dramatiZa-
ton. The discrepancy is said to have
arisen because Warner regarded the book,
when the last sheet was tossed on the
floor still wet with ink, as the most sue
Scssful piece OF American humOr, while
Mark Twain gravely reminded Warner
that any such view of it taken by the
American people would ruin the fnfiu-
ence for better state of public morals
which 1t was intended by him to exert
Warner stuck to his opinion and Mark
to his. Twain was surprised and griev-
ed TO learn that the public so far agreed
with Warner as to characterize it as an
attempt at humor.
The two men shook hands over it, I'M
der the bust of Calvin in Mark Twain's
den, and then Warner sailed for Europe
10 spend the money the book had brought
him, while Mark Twain remained be-
hind to negotiate with John T. RAYMOND.
An intimate friend of both, in an I'M
guarded moment, revealed the secret of
the way in which the book came to be
written. This is said to have led to a
temporary arrangement from Parson
Joe Twitchell, upon whose shoulders
Mark Twain foisted the punch with
care burden, and afterward told about it
In the Atlantic Monthly. An estrange-
ment from Parson Twitchell was wide
reaching in its effects, for it resulted in
Mark Twain's absenting himself from
the family pew on Sundays, and stran-
gers staying in Hartford over Sunday are
somewhat in the habit of seeking witch
ellis church und quietly asking the sex
ton to seat them as near Mark Twain's
pew as possible.
The story the intimate friend tells is
this: One evening in the summer of
1874, Dudley Warner and his wife drop
ped in upon Mark Twain, who had been
gloomily smoking clay pipes in his den
all the week. Even the CHEEKY Joe
Twitchell had been unable to shake him
from his melancholy.
IF you look from your den window
10 the northeast" the parson would say,
you can see where Gen. Hawley lives,
and his success ought to encourage you"
N Nhnf aaly i'll -. .4s,
and they are a curse''
well, look over across the street, and
you can see where Jewell lives. You
know he began life with his shirt sleeves
rolled up and his arms to the elbow in a
tan vat"
"Now, don't! He reminds me of mails
and letters, and they are an abomina-
ton"
swell, there is Mrs. Harriet Beecher
Stswe's house next door. See what
name she made after discouragements."
But slavery is gone now"
well, there's Dudly Warmers Sum
mer in a Garden over there. You can
almost see the pusley from here"
That settles it. I'll get Warner here
tonight and bother him about pusley."
so Warner came around, and during
the evening spoke of recent American
novel.
Its atrocious what bosh is written
for American novels now" Warner said.
II believe could write better novel
myself"
"Youl You write a novel!' said Mrs.
Warner, and she laughed. "Why, you
can't write anything except about pusley
in your garden"
"Warner is quite right" Mark Twain
drawled out. II have for long time
felt that could write a better story than
any American novelistE'
Then Il was his wife's turn, and when
she controlled her merriment. she said:
you write storyl Why, all that
you can do is to write about jumping
frogs"
Lets write a story, Warner, and show
these women what we can do"
Mark Twain's blues had departed, and
he pulled Warner up stairs to his den,
lighted clay pipe, and talked it over as
rapidly as he can talk-about sixty
words to the minute, about half the or
binary rate.
Don't let's tell Twitchell until it's
done" Mark Twain suggested, because
we want to surprise him, you know"
The story was to be highly dramatic,
strictly moral, and to have point.
Warner suggested that too many novels
had points, and Mark Twain said it
WOuIuut 40 10 nave pOlntieSS novel,
and he was disposed to reprove Warner
when the author of the Summer in a
Garden" suggested that people would
take Marks most serious attempt as de
signed TO be funny.
That's just il, Warner / want to
write something so serious that it can't
be mistaken for fun
IL being decided that the story should
teach lesson, the two authors found
themselves brought up short in trying to
decide what the lesson was to be, and
they prepared to make night of il, for
getting all about the wives below. War
ner had dim idea about the evils of
speculation, while Mark Twain thought
something on the errors of religious
teaching of the present day would do,
and he got warm about it.
At length Warner said that he once
knew man who would make a first
rate character for a novel; and then he
told Mark Twain about Col Eschol Sell
lers, who had always been just on the
point Of making his millions
:, That's the thing said Mark Twain.
name and all.''
Warner protested against the name.
because he was afraid they might hear
nom Col Sellers, but Mark Twain was
stubborn and said that the character and
name were just the foundation for a
novel showing the dan gerous effect of