The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-05-13

spect to the fullest extent ana know
many more who echo my sentiments.
With this assurance / am
Yours devotedly, VIVIAN.
MYRA'S NIEANDERINGS.
An Evening with Mark Twair-A Feast CT
Reason and FLOW of Soul-The Great
Humorist as a Reader.
New ORLEANS, May 6, 1882.
MY DEAR FLoRRIE:
Ever since those bright Autumn days,
some years ago, when we, gay party of
frolicsone, merry -hearted girls barely
escaped from the thfaldom of boarding
school, used to wander out in the cane
fields, and read aloud beneath the arches
Of the living green, Innocents Abroad"
have I felt a strong growing desire to
know personally the author Of so much
exquisite humor. What a rare treat to
catch the very tones Of his Voice and note
the changeful expression Of eye and lip;
to listen to him recount, III his own inim
liable manner, racy aneclote and humor-
Gus incident! Aud SO I have actually
experienced that pleasure! Here, il our
own Crescent City, have enjoyed social
converse with "Mark Twain!"
must tell you about the charming
evening gathering at Mr.. JAS. B. Guthries
On Monday last, when Mark Twain,"
elias Mr.. Samuel Clemens, was the mod
est lion Of the occasion. For he is one
Of the most modest men l have ever seen
-neve: presuming in the slightest de-
| gree upon lis great gift Of authorship or
| his literary fame, but gracious and toler-
ant to all, and accepting the homage
rendered him, in spirit Of appreciation
and humility.
There were about two dozen persons
chiefly literary-assembIed i'll Mrs.
Guthrie's cheerful parlors to meet Mr..
Clemens. Among the guests were Mr..
Geo. Cable, our own rising, or risen gen
ius, the gifted Xaritfa," and MI. James
Osgood, the famous Boston publisher. Mr..
Joel Chandler Harris, more tamiliarly
known as Uncle Remus," should have
been there, but Mr.. Clemens alleged as
the cause of his absence his extreme
which you know, Floy was a very in
sufficient excuse. | remarked that it
seemed just little puzzling how u NOR
riea man conll regard us as formidable
or terrible. "Why, no. said Mr. Cable,
"he has done the terrible thing il getting
married, and every thing else shonld he
comparatively easy!" 1t was quite
disappointment not to meet Uncle Re
NUS whose name is household word
in many 4 Southern home.
When [ tell you about the charm Of
the evening, than which l don't believe
| ever passed a pleasanter, l half think
you will agree with me that ga feast of
reason and a flow of soul !" is infinitely
more agreeable than tripping it on the
light fantastic toe" Notwithstanding
your extraordinary prediction for that
questionable advertisements Music and
rccitatons abonnded, and general con
versation, which is readily acknowledged
to be the choicest of all talk. Only a
very brilliant conversationalist can en-
chain the attention and really entertain
roomful at the same time; and let no
one lay claim to brilliancy or even great
cleverness III that line who can not sue
cesstully accomplish this. Those with
pronounced ilirtatious tendencies, how
ever, find it " stale, flat and unproftable'
| to engage i'll the spiciest general CONVEX
sation. 1t is not little amusing to note
| these budding propensities in some gen
tlemen and ladies, too we are also
| under the ban :! who always manage to
! drift lnscnsibly into a tcte-a- tete where
personalities are not rightly interdicted.
There is one gentleman here, one of
the most brilliantly endowed and finely
cultivated in the city, who could lead
| any conversation and entertain as many
listeners as could group themselves about
him, but whose @ 1lirtatiols tendencies"
are "nhappily so strong,t that he always
| will insist upon entertaining just one at
time, and that one ''ladye faire," Of
course.
One of the sweetest features of the
evening was the appearance of Mrs.
Gnthrie's two lovely little children as
| Romeo and Juliet. These juvenile actors
assumed the role of the lovers very charm
| ingly, and enacted one of the most senti-
| mental parts with SO much gusto and
| tenderness as to elicit the unbounded
| applause of all the delighted auditors
Mr.. Clemens declared he had never heard
| Romeo and Juliet SO beautifully rendered
and so entirely free from any tinge of
artiticiality.
Then Mr.. Gideon Townsend gave us a
Negro sermon which we, who have lived
on plantations, could fully appreciate;
and Mr.. JAS. Guthrie, who has fine his
trionic ability, recited one of the sweet