Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1895-10-26
o,weo WITH The oovsaNoa.

oiNEo WITH THE GOVERNOR.
Marx Twsin's story Of the Old salt
Who Knew Governor Russell.
Mark Twain told q capital story
capitally the other day. which he said
hod never been In print but which de.
serves to be II for no other reason than
20 allow It to fall into the hands of the
self.nppointed managers of tie embryo
presidential boom Of its hero. 1t was
ON the ship coming home from Europe
At the entertainment given In aid Of
poor sailors that Mfr. Clemens recalled
the tale In response to the encore de.
handed after he read q selection from
bis own writings. Naturally he turned
to the sea and seafOlk for inspiration.
This was the story, robbed perforce Of
all the inimitable features of the telling
peculiar to Mark Twain In his happiest
mood, when the words drawl their slow
length along, fairly floating In their
humor, which IL frequently fur more In
the style Of utterance than in the mat.
ter itself. He had the tale from an old
salt he met once en- route to Havana.
The old salt, who was Nantucket
fisherman and for many years master
Of craft Of his own, was reminiscing
about the queer characters and odd ex-
periences he had encountered first and
last In his day. Shortly before the
Nantucketer and Mark Twain came
across each other the old captain, just
home from a long voyage, together
with the mute Of his vessel, had gone
up to Boston to see the sights. Among
them they concluded to take luncheon
at q swell hotel just to see what .
swell hotel was like. After many mean.
derings they fetched up at the Ire.
mont house, now soon to be no more,
and got fairly seated at one Of the tables
In the main dining.room. While they
were waiting for their best substitute
for plum dun they noticed that great
deal Of attention was being paid to
gentleman who had just come In &C.
companied by two ladies. They were
- impressed by this that tho captain
asked the walter who the important
parsonage was, and he learned that he
was the Governor Of Massachusetts.
When he named the Governor the cap.
tain's memory was stirred, and, with
his seaman's love Of dramatic effects,
he turned to his mate and "bct fiver"
that he'd 20 over and shake hands with
the Governor. The mate bet Hver
he "dasscnt." But the captain wasn't
daunted; he added that he was ready to
bet another flyer that the Governor
would not only shake hands with him
but would ask him to dinner. The mate
accepted this wager. too. and the cap.
tain gave hitch to his trousers"
which Is trick MI seamen "larn," and
got up.
In telling the story he said he almost
felt ready to lose his wager after he
started, but he didn't want to make o
fool Of himself. 80 he went over TO the
Governors table ana made his best bow
and said, "How do you DOR The Gov.
ernor said. How do you dor" too. but
went on to say that lie wasn't able to
place the face, and SO on. The captain
had his pedigree oil ready; It consisted
Of his own name and the name Of his
vessel. The mate, who was looking on.
saw change come over the face Of the
iOvernOr, and walters aud oil were
much surprised to see the stately digni.
,ary leave his chair Mt a step. grasp the
hand Of tho queer.looklng old codger
and shake It vigorously. The captain
was asked mt once to sit down and have
some luncheon, but he said he couldn't.
as he'd left his mate over aft there.
"Well. go get your mate" said his excel
'ency; "thcre's room for all Of us; II
there isn't we'll have room made; here.
waiter"
The upshot OF It was that the first
lady In the by state and her sister and
his excellency the Governor and the
captain and his mate ute together In
pence and harmony and food of old.
time memories. and the mate lost his
two flyers. The Governor was William
II. Russell, Massachusetts "boy" Gov.
ernOr. who filed the executive chair
with his democratic presence so well
that he filed It for three years In that
proverbinlly Republican State.--New
York Commercial Advertiser.