Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1882-03-17
SKETCHES.
lark TWain's Brightest Effort
Kept from Print.


u Mark Twain was doing To-
4 k on the Virginia City, (Nev.)
\ Use, Dennis Mccarthy was man.
r editor and part owner of the pa
Ono night new saloon was
-one of those gorgeous affairs
y N ffIShed woods, mirrors, fine cut
Ej9d 8 <ilverware and wines and IL
z Qno Hat would do for the sidcboard
0f hionable metropolitan club
!. L those surprises that cause equal
h i and delight to strange travel
Nbag gebrush lands. 1t was an i'm
occasion, as it's elegance and
Il ITO games were evidences of pros
q & times, which every investor in
camp property had already
u 6 to believe. 1t was an event,
" knowledge of which in San Fran
q. g vas worth more as an advertise
NJ - this young camp than strike
81 NO rock. 1t reflected dignity and
NJ tllIty upon the camp, and in more
|. Than one gave its merchants
y n co01Sge in asking credit in San Fran
y GfSc6 Thus it was that Mccarthy
said 10 Mark Twain: "Sam, we must
ID notice this opening tonight, and as
had rather do an editorial on the Pre-
u, ceSGion of the Exninoxes than write a
y buSiness notice, you will have to do
7 Y it. The ethics of journalism some.
Ni1 so lapse in the mining camps
that the managing and city editors do,
upon times, talk in this friendly, easy
u way with each other: There is box
of assorted wines and liquors in the
other room," Mccarthy added, "and
perhaps You may get some inspiration
nj from that" In those days Clemens
N never wrote anything that was not
funny, or alleged to be SO. and he de-
sBl termined after viewinc the box of as
iA sorted edinspiration, to write funny bus
iness notice. The idea in itself struck
la him as something funny, and he lit his
le pipe ID just the right mood to do good
work.
= He took out of the box all the bot
ties and arranged them in long row,
with the wines of simple names first,
and the most difficult ones following
in order to the last bottle, which con-
tanned wine of complicated, mixed
and impossible to be- pronounced
. name. Sam thought he would do a
rather neat thing by describing each
= bottle as though he were sampling
from each, and in such manner that
u the reader would be vividly impressed
M that The writer had started in sober
N and cDntinued writing and samplng
~ and describing until he was in state
"a Of diagonal inebriety. The progress
ing cpmplexity of names would assist
M the fleet very much, and with the
" work all planned out in advance Glen
:" ems sat down smoking industriously
and only referring to the labels of the
?la' bottles. He wrote well, in peculiar
ce conceit with the idea, and in order te
I'D keep'strictly to his work till through
81 never uncorked single bottle. Nc
Carthy, who went into the local room
just as Clemens finished, and hearo
the artice read, told me short timt
III ago that Mark Twain never before OF
I 1sirlce did more artistically grotesqut
y piece of work than that same Star No
'' tices The copy was passed in, anC
,e.e about one o'clock in the morning
Clemens returned to the office to reaC
y proof of the article. He had onl,
read 9 very little while before his eye'
began to bulge out, and next ht
clutched his hair in desperate rage