The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-04-18
Too Little fo,. the Money.
dramatic News.

When the American dramatist docs write 6
successful play, or gets somebody else to dc
it for him, its returns are big enough in all
conscience. Take the case of the Gilded
Age. Mark Twain wrote the book, or to be
more accurate, threw it together. It toccurret1
to some one, no matter who, that in the part
of Colonel Sellers there lay the germ of q
humorous character. He tried his prentice
hand OH it, and failed. Then somebody by
the name of Green had fly at it, and sue
ceeded. Upon which, John r. Raymond,
eager for new piece, swooped down on it as
a purchaser, and upon which Mark Twain
went for it hot-foot for his royalty. Raymond
made the part as Green made the play, but
Twain made the money.
It is needless to tell how Clemens, with
his weather eye always open for questiona-
bly, fair dollar, saw the expanding blossom
that slowly unfolded itself from the wayward
and trivial seed he had cast out on the road
side. As soon as poor John Raymond be-
gan to pay bis debts like gentleman, Glenn
ems arranged to become his principal credit
or, and evolve as substantial bank account
out of Raymond's clever performances as
Raymond could himself.
There ia q picture somewhere or another
that represents spider spinning web in
human skull.
So it got to be with Raymond and Glenn
ems. Raymond went on acting and acting,
and Clemens went on rolling up his deposits
in his Hartford bank. By-and-by Ray
mond, patient az he is, was suddenly struck
by the idea, that he might, with
some disadvantage to himself, shake off this
Old Man of the Western Sea. As means
to such an end he consulted Sothern.
Sothern suggested arbitration. Arbitration
lassoed Twain, and Twain peacefully con-
sented for consideration to retire from the
box Office of every theatre in which Ray
mond might be, for the time being, playing
Colonel Sellers.
Three weeks ago the aggregate sum which
John I. Raymond had paid Samuel L..
Clemens for the right to apply the name of
Colonel Sellers to one of the cleverest of
original creations was 100000. It would
be m exaggerated estimate to suppose that
Raymond made as much for himself.
The fact, therefore, remains that Clemens.
the humorist, the genial. breezy wag, the
liberal, free-handed man of letters, took one
of every two dollars that flowed into Ray
mond's honest pocket.
did the humorist and genial, breezy wag
afford?
This-he sketched parsonage, and gave
him three bold, striking traits. Then he
redlled his pipe, turned over and lazily cogi-
tated how to make another honest penny in
the same easy way.
The hardihood of such toll taking would
be best paralleled if Matt. Morgan were to
sketch . scene for Millals to finish in oil,
with months of elaboration, and then de-
mand both the credit for the painting and
tvo-thirds of the price that the Raphael
ite got for it.
One hundred thousand dollars for Twain'e
play in Colonel Sellers is almost, if no,
quite, tho biggest joke he ever perpetrated
But it isn't joke, aud Twain, not content
with what he has got, has notified Raymond
that, if he plays the piece in England, he
shall want "more!' Let Us, therefore, re.
mind Mr.. Raymond that, under the laws Of
Great Britain, he il under no necessity to
pay Mr.. Twain one penny for the perform
ance of this 'play."