The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-05-27
mARK rwAIN.s RoYHoon.
An Interview With Mrs. Jane Clemens,
Mother OF the Famous Humorist-

An Interview With Mrs. Jane Clemens,
Mother OF the Famous Humorist-
In an unpretentious two-story brick
dwelling. at the intersection OF High
and Seventh streets, keokuk, Iowa,
lives Orion Clemens and his wife. The
former is the eldest brother of the IA
nous Mark Twain, and is lawyer
by profession. He is the parsonage
who was the Governor Secretary
at Carson, New, and who gave Mark
the subordinate position which result
ed, with its attendant experiences. in
the production of probably the most
thrilling realistic portrayal of frontier
life ever given to the world-the book
.'Roaghing It. MIR. Orion Clemens
now lives very quiet and secluded life,
being much given to literary pursuits, in
which he Is assisted by his graceful aud
accomplished wife. They have no
children.
With them resides Mr.. Clemens
mother who will be 81 years of age
next June. The writer, being strand
ed in Keokuk for few hours, improy-
ed the opportunity to make a call upon
the venerable old lady, and in the
course of an hours conversation, which
followed, received from her lips
MANY ANECDOTES.
concerning her most noted son, which
win be new to the generality of read
ers.
sam was always a good-hearted
boy, said Mrs. Clemens, ''but he was
a very wild and mischieyous one. and
DO what we would we could never
make him 90 to school. This used to
trouble his father and me dreadfullY,
and we were convinced that he wonld
never amount to as much in the world
as his brothers, because he was not
near so steady and sober-minded as
they were. -
4 suppose Mrs. Clemens that your
son in his boyhood days somewhat re-
sembled his own Tom Sawyer, and
THAT fellow feeling is what made him
so kind to the many hair-breadth es-
capades Of that celebrated youthP'
''Ah. no, replied the old lady with
a merry twinkle in her eye, The was
more like 'Huckleberry Finn than
Tom SAWYER. Often his father would
start him off to school and in a little
while would follow him to ascertain
his whereabouts There was a large
stump ON the way to the school house,
and Sam would take his position be-
hind that and as his father went past
would gradually circle around it in
such q way rs to keep out of sight.
Finally his father and the teacher both
said it was of no use to try to teach
Sam anything, because he was deter
mined not to learn. But l never gave
up. He was always a
GREAT BOY FOR HISTORY
and could never get tired of that kind
of reading, but he hadn't any use for
| school houses and text-books?"
at must have been a great trial to
you?"
Indeed it was, reioined the moth
en- land when Sans father died, which
occurred when he was IL wears of age,
] thought then, if ever, was the proper
| time to make lasting impression on
the boy and work a change in him, so
| took him by the hand and went into
the room where the coffin was and in
| which the father lay, and with it be-
tween Sam and me said to him that
| here in this presence / had some serious
requests to make of him, and that /
knew his word once given was never
| broken. For Sam never told false
| hood He turned his streaming eyes
| on me and cried out, ''0h mother, /
will do anything, anything you ask of
me except to go to school; | can't dc
thatI' That was the very request
was going to make. Wen, we after
! ward had q sober talk, and / concluded
to let him 90 into 4 printing office to
learn the trade, as | couldn' have him
running wild. He did so, and has
gradually picked up enough education
| TO enable him to do about as well as
| those who were more studious in early
life. lie was about 20 years old when
lie went