The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-05-19

/ place IOI newspaper hioh ~ "A'e~ ~
book: or, at any rate, for such news
paper man as was to write such book
as the publisher demanded. tried 1t
hard. but my chum was a story-teiler,
and both he and the stove smoked in
cessantly. And as we were located
handy for the boys to run in, the room
was ALWAYS full Of the boys. who leaned
back in my chairs, put their feet ON
placently on my manuscript and smoked
! till could not breathe
us that the way you wrote Innocents
Abroad " ] asked.
" No: that is the way | didn't write II.
Nv publisher prodded me for copy, which
| couldn't produce, till at last ] arose
and kicked Washington behind me, and
ran off to San Francisco. There | got
elbow-room and quiet.
81 suppose you have been pirated a
good DEAL | said to Mr.. Clemens. !
J do not mean by illegal publication OF
your works. but by private individuals
! claiming TO write your writings
ooh. yes" be said, considerably
some scores OF cases, ! suppose. one
ambitious individual in the West stu
claims 10 have written the Jumping
Frog Of Calaveras County and another
is snre that he produced that classic
work known as Jim Wolfe aud the
Cats" suppose either would face me
down with il: and their conduct has
! led me to conjecture that man
NAV possibly claim a piece OF
property so long and persistently that
! he at last comes honestly 10 believe 10 Is
his own. You know that poor fellow
i'm New Jersey. so weak-minded az TO de
clare that he wrote Beautiful Snow, and
going to his coffin with fearful protests
| And YOU know about Colonel Joyce ana
Ella Wheeler, and laugh and the world
laughs with YOU
"But | haven't been bothered that way
so much as | have by personators. In a
good many places men have appeared
represented that they were Mark lwain'
and have corroborated the claim by Dor
rowing money and Immediately disap-
nearing. Such personatOrs do not al
WAYS borrow money Some times they
seem TO be actuated by sort OF idiotic
vanity.
why a fellow stopped at hotel in
an English city, registered as Mark
Twain, struck up an acquaintance WIN
the landlord and guests, recited for them
and was about to accept public dinner
of welcome 10 the city when some mere
accident exposed him. Yet, ! myself
had stopped for weeks at that same inn,
and was well known to the landlord and
citizens. His efTrontery was amazing.
Did he resemble YOU
81 do not know | hope and believe
that he did not Parties whom ! have
since been inclined 20 regard as my enc
mics had the indecency to say that he
did"
1.-THE same thing happened in Boston
and several other cities. IL was not
pleasant TO have bills coming in for
money lent to me in Albany, Charleston
Mexico. Honolulu, and other places,
and nv calm explanation that J was
not there bringing sarcastic letters in re-
plv with "Oh, Os course not, didn't see
you with my own eyes = &c, and re-
/ solved that | would follow up the next
swindler heard Of | had not long 10
wait. 4 dispatch came from Des MOines
/ Ia.
as Mark Twain at home
eyes. am here, and have not been
away ! answered.
Man persOnated you-gOt $3.50 from
audience-shall ] catch him. came back
bearing the signature of lawyer Yes,
telegraphed in reply, have sent you
check for expenses. lie was "A good
while catching him-s0me weeks-per-
| hans months, and then he made me an
elaborate report, giving the route of his
/ labyrinthine and serpentine chase OF the
swindler, the money he had expended
and the information that he did not en-
tircly and completely catch him, though
he got near him several times was
out some hundreds of dollars.
Since Mrs. Harrison had the burr oak
| leaf figured on the silk from which was
made her gown for the inaugural ball,
and more especially since the centennial
celebration of ashingt0n's Inauguration
has Quickened the feeling of nationality.
| The question, why have we not an en-
blematic flower, has begun TO be discuss
ed among women. There are the roses
of,England. the thistle Of Scotland, the
shamrock of Ireland the fver az iis Of
France. and the violet Of the followers
of Napoleon, the mignonette OF
Saxony, the linden beloved of
ePrussians. the pomegranate of
Spain, the lotus Of Egypt, and
this broad country any flower OF plant
which is in any way entitled to repre-
sent US. Have We posy or bit of
green which is strongly marked and
may stand for our bigness and strength,
our high hopes and the sturdy character
of our peOpleg Is there any bloom
which is beautiful, which we all love, and
which could be worn as BeacOnstield's
friends wear the primrose, as the bride
wears the myrtle and the orange, as the
victor used to wear the laurel, for a bit
Of sentiment, for pride and loyalty If
we have "A flag and a bird, why not ma
tional flower "The chrysanthemum 30
Mrs Margaret +. Sangster, the new
editor of Jumpers Bqzaaf, was looking
up at the same pictures, which used to
hang before the eyes of Miss Mary l..
Booth, as she made this suggestion
you set" she said 81 have changed
nothing. 1t seemed sacrilege at first to
sit in her chair, impossible to move her
belongings. 4 woman in time must
make a room look more or less like her
self, but have not begun 10 alter this
ones complexion.
"A National hOwery The country is
too large and the elements of its ciyili-
zation are too mixed to make it an easy
task TO indicate any bloom which could
be accepted as emblematic or representa-
tive. Could any single type or combina-
ton Of types stand for such diversity 2
The mignonette would be my choice per
sonally, but that is too modest for this
land of blooms. do not know flower
more beautiful than the jasmine which
garlands the South with its yellow bios
SONS, but no flower would meet with
general approval which is peculiar 10 a
section. The golden has some things to
recommend it, but am inclined TO pin my
faith to the chrysanthemum Ii is a
beautiful flower and gloriously brave
one, Haunting its banners in the very
face of jack frost. 1t is a vigorous
flower and a noble one, and it belongs TO
the asters, which grow everywhere, and
whose CHEEKY autumn cOlOrs brighten