Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-12-23
RemInitcences orTwain.

Interview in New York Times.l
Know Mark Twain Well | used
to know Sam Clemens quite well when
he was out here. Isaw him once after
he became Marx Twain, way down in
San Jose, lecturing, | think. Funny
cuss. Don't think he'd recognize me
in these togs-habiliments OF ciyiliza-
ton, if you please. | remember one
day Sam and | started across the
Sierras. OF a sudden a tremendous
snow squall came down on US. | stopped
short and he stared at me. Il see he
drawled, by the stern compression of
your lips, that there's danger ahead
Yes l explained, Tiers no use pok-
ing around in a snow storm on these
mountains. Ifyou would leave the
long line of Clemens unbroken, you
will stop right in your tracks, or you
might find yourself flying down the
side of an ugly canon DO you pray?'
he finally asked. We'll, | came of a
praying family l said. The three
brothers who founded the family in
this country came from England and
settled in Kittery, Me-, where they
gave rise to a numerous and happy
progeny. Religion runsin the branch
to which l beloag, and | told Sam |
could pray a little, though it had
been some years siRce my voice had
piped much in that particular strain.
Let us pray, then, said Sam, aud
down we went on our knees. | prayed
vigorously and v%ociferously, We sang a
hymn, and our voices reverberated
among the Sierras above the blasts of
the tempest. l prayed largely for our
family and its particular member who
was now in dire distress, and incident
ally | mentioned the name Of Sam.
He never forgot that and | think he
felt somewhat hurt at my neglect at
the time, for after | had reached the
amen, he too opened an account, and
if l remember Alright, neither u
family name nor mine appeared in it.
But the storm cleared away and we
got down on the other side, thankful
enough to have escaped being buried
alive or slowly frozen to death. Sam
called all the miners together in the
next settlement, and there related the
| story to illustrate, as he said, the saw
ing power Of prayer. And he laid
particular stress upon how near | came
to miss mentioning his name in my
petition. Twas a narrow shove for Us,
that trip across the Sierras, and l
don't believe Sam would car to make
it again except in a railroad car.
But there was another little Incl.
dent which | call to mind. Old Bill
Nye, Of Nevada-everybody knows
who he Unsupported Sam Clemens
and l school committeeman for our
district. Well, we had a few Piute
young ones and one OF two white ones,
enough to make a nucleus, as Sam
said, so we hired a female teacher.
She was considerable on morals, and |
suspect Sam had intimated that this
branch oftheir training should not be
neglected. 1t was a pretty barren soil
to SOW ideas on, but the teacher was
as cute as they make EN-, and she was
bound to please and perhaps astonish
the committeeman. So she goes TO
work and stands them up like a lot Of
sticks, and practices moral instruction
upon them. She always ranged them
in exactly the same order, and like
young colts, the youngsters soon
learned to know what was their par
ticular stall or standing post. For boy
No. l she always had one question;
Who made your OF course there
was but one answer, and thatwas God,