Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-02-09
MARK TWAIN INTERVIEWED.
Rash Reporter Frustrated by the
Dcnsc lgnOrin Of The IIMInOrIsI.

counter with an interviewer is full of hi
peculiar flavor
! was not feeling bright that morning
Indeed my power seemed bit under
cloud. However, went to the bookcase
and when | had been looking six or sever
minutes, I found 1 was obliged to refer t,
the young man. | said
"How do you spell it ?''
Spell what?'
"Interview.
"Oh, my goodness what do you want
to spell it ior?"
81 don't want to spell it [ want to see
what it means
"Well, this is astonishing l must say.
can tell You what it means, if you, if
you-"
ooh, all right. That will answer. and
much obliged toyou, too"
I'm, in, ter, ter, Inter"
Then You spell it with an I ,"
why, certainly !"
'Oh, that is what took me so long"
"Why. my dear sir, what did You pro-
pose to spell it with ?"
"Well, I-I-hardly know. / had tbe
unabridged, and was ciphering around
in the back end, hoping | might tree her
among the pictures. But it's very old
edition.
"Why, my friend they wouldn't have
a picture of it in even the latest E.
My dear sir, | beg your pardon. | mean
no harm i'll the world, but you do not
look as-as-intelligent us expec ted Won
would. No harm-I mean no harm at
ALL"
ION, don't mention it 1t has often
been said, and by people who would not
latter and who could have no iuducement
to Halter, that am quite remarkable in
tnat way; ies-yes; they always speak
of it with rapture
~ can easily imagine it. But about
this interview. Iou know it is the GUS
tom, now, to interview any man who has
become notorious"
'lndeed, had not heard of it before,
1t must be very interesting What do
you do it with ~
"Ah, well-well-well,t this is dish cart
ening. 1t oWgM to be done with club
III some cases but customarily it consists
IN the interviewer asking questions and
the interviewed answering them 1t is |
all the rage now. Will You let me ask
you certain questions, calculated to bring
out the salient points of your public and |
private history 2"
"Oh, with pleasure-with pleasure. Ii
have very bad memory-singularly IL |
regular Sometimes it goes i'll Il gallon. |
and then again it will be as much as n
fortnight passing given point. This is
a very great grief to me-"
"Oh, It's no matter, SO you will try to
do the best You can"
81 will. will put my whole mind ON
it,"
Thanks. Are you ready to Begin"
"Ready." !
Q. How old are YOU? /
A. Nineteen, in June.
Q. Indeed would have taken you
to be thirty-tive or six. Where were you
born?
A. In Missouri.
Q. When did you begin to write?
A. In 1886.
@. Why. how could that be, if you are
only 10 now?
A. don't know. 1t does seem curious.
somehow
Q. 1t does, indeed. Whom do YOU con-
slder the most remarkable man you ever
met?
A. Aaron Burr.
q. But you never couldha met Aaron
Burr ii you are only 10 years
A. Now. if you know more about it |
than do, what do you ask me for e?
q. Well, it WAS only suggestion
nothing more; How did you happen to
meet Burr?
A. Well, happened to be Mt his fune-
raj one day, and he asked me to make
less noise, and
q. But, good heavens if you were at
his funeral he must have been dead: and |
~ ha Il l.,,, 1 l.. ~
er you made noise OF not
A. l don't know. He was always a
particular kind Of man that way.
@. Still don't understand it at all. |
You say he spoke to you, and that lie was
dead?
A. didn't say he was dead.
q. But wasn't he dead?
A. Well, some said he was, some said
he wasn't.
Q. What did you think?
A. Oh, 1t was none of my business. 1t
wasn't any OF my funeral.
q. Did yon-. However, we can never
get this matter straight. Let me ask
about something else. What was the
date Of your birth?
A. Monday, Oct. 81, 1893.
q. What Impossible ! That would
make you $50 years old How do YOU
account for that?
A. | don't account for it at all.
q. But you said at first you were only
10, and now you make yourself out TO be
$50. 1t is an awful discrepancy.
A. Why, have you noticed that? (Shak-
ing hands) Many time it has seemed
to me like discrepancy, but somehow
couldn't make up my mind How quick
you notice thing!
q. Thank you for the compliment, MS
far as it goes. Had you. OF have you,
any brothers or sisters?
A. Eth? III think so-yes-but |
don't remember.
@. Well, that is the most extraordinary
statement ! ever heard.
A, Why, what makes you think that?
Z, How could think otherwise Why.
look here Who is this picture of on
the wall? Isn't that brother of yours
A. Oh yes, yes, yes Now you re-
mind Inc of it, that Uus brother of
mine. That's William-Bill, we called
him. Poor old Bill
q. Why, is he dead, then?
A. All ! well, | suppose so. We never
could tell There was n great mystery
about it,
q. That is sad, very sad. He disap-
peared, then?
A, Well, yes, in sort of general way,
We buried him.
Q. Buried him hurled him, with
out knowing whether he was dead OF
not?'
A. Oh, no! Not that He was dead
enough.
O. Well, confess that can't under.
stand this. If you buried him, and you
knew he was dead
A. No no We only thought lie was.
| n Ol uani JJo ,o,,o D., i;ro -, q