Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-20

tween $50 and z, and turns over the second
time before going to sleep every night be-
fore the clock has struck IL. He eats his
breakfast an hour after rising, and is great
advocate of the healthfulness of wheaton
grits and baked apples. A chop, ar egg
and roll, some baked potatoes, cup OF
coffee, the grits and the apple, costing all
told not more than so cents at marketing,
are all that tickle his $50, 100000 palate
every morning, and he goes to bed after
supper quite as simple. washing down the
homemade bread with a cup of black tea.
He is regular in his exercise, drives good
horse, drinks but little that intoxicates, and
does not even smoke in Ben Buffers dry
way. He has not grown year older in
decade, and he will last till he drops to
pieces all at once like the old deacon's
chaise.
Senator Bate, of Tennessee, gives me
some interesting matter about Mark Twain's
father. Everybody knows Colonel Sellers,
and most people are aware that the play is
dramatizstion of Mark Twain's book,
"The Gilded Age" Few know that the
characters are taken from life, and that
Colonel Sellers is a representation of Mark
Twain's father, who was fully as visionary
as Marks fancy paints him. The Clemens
family came from the mountains of Tennes-
see. Marks father had put all the money
he could make and scrape into the rough
lands of the Tennessee Mountains. He
owned thousands of acres about him, and
he would look over these and say, 'These
lands are underlaid with the finest of coal
and iron. There's millions in them! Mil
lions! Millions!''
FORTUNE WENT FOR A SONG.
At that time, however, the lands were
worth nothing. Everyone laughed at Marks
father, and Mrs. Clemens, who was Of a
more practical and ambitious turn than her
husband, urged that they sell the property
and move into civilization. She finally per-
suaded him to do this. The lands brought
a mere song, and the family went to Mis-
souri,, where Mark Twain first saw the light
of day.
The recent developments in Tennessee,
says Senator Bate, have made these lands
which Colonel Sellers Clemens owned i'm
mensely valuable. They contain valuable
deposits of coal and iron as old man
Clemens stated, and did Mark Twain own
them to-day he might have bigger busi-
ness than in his book publishing and book
writing. He is'now worth million. had
his father stuck to his lands and to his
theories he might have been worth his tens
of millions. Had the fortune come, how
ever, during Marks childhood, the world
would have lost hundred million laughs
'Innocents Abroad would never have been
written, and the prince and Pauper"
would probably have remained unpenned.
Senator Bate tells me that the Rugby colony
is doing very well, and that the lands which
they own are growing valuable.
Senator Joe Black burn, OF Kentucky, had
a ride the other day quite as wild as that of
Sheridan on his way to Winchester. 1t was
the day of the races and Senator Blackburn
and Correspondent Stealey, of the Courier
Journal, had driven out together. They
were in closed coupe to which was hitched
a tall, thoroughbred Kentucky sorrel, man
aged by big colored driver.
"This horse, said Senator Blackburn, "is
a goer, and he will take us to the race track
inside of u minutes"
His prophecy became true, and the two
were driven out at the rate OF 16 miles an
hour. 1t happened to be a big day for Ken
lucky and the horse named after Senator
Beck made the best run of the day.
A HALF DOLLAR TO THE DRIVER.
Both Blackburn and Stealey had invested
slightly in the French mutual pools, and
Blackburn was SO happy over his winnings
that in spasmodic fit OF generosity he gave
half dollar to the driver. With this half
dfulk before the races were over and when
Senator Blackburn and Correspondent
Stealey were ready to go home he could
hardly sit upright Senator Blackburn
told Stealey that the man had promised to
take them back in ten minutes. This was
just as the horse started, snds-the two men
inside the coupe could see through the glass
doors the driver reeling from side to side.
"The man is drunk" said Stealey, "and
I'm afraid he'll kill us"
YES" said Blackburn, that's all right!
He's Just drunk enough to drive WE'LL"
Ali this time the driver was lashing the
Kentucky sorrel and Black burns rig shot
out and in among the teams and around cor
ners and over cutters at 2:30 pace. Black
burn and Stealey poked their heads out of
the windows and tried to veil to him, but be
would not listen but only whipped up harder
than eyer.
We shall certainly be killed" said
Stealey, and Blackburn replied:
81 am believer in predestination, and if
fate has ordered that we are to die this way
we can't help it. 1 think we're destined to
be saved and we will get through"
Just before reaching the Ebbitt House The
driver dropped his whip and he whirled the
horse, running as he was, five times around
in ring In the endeavor to strike the exact
spot where it lay. He finally got it and
then continued his 2:40 gait to the Ebbitt
House. Both Stealey and Blackburn look
upon their escape as miraculous.
FRANK G. CARPENTER,