The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-08-22
HE WON THE WAGER EASILY,
Mark Twain's Story of an Old
Sailor and His Bet.
ernor's Hand-He Did il and
Won a renner

Mark Twain told a capital story
capitally to a New York reporter the
other day, which he said had never
been in print, but which deserves 20
be if for no other reason than to allow
it to fall into the hands of the self-ap-
pointed managers of the embryo pres
idential boom of It's hero.
twas on the ship coming home from
Europe at the entertainment given
in aid of poor sailors that Mr.. Glenn
ems recalled the tale in response to the
encore demanded after be read selec-
ton from his own writings. Natur-
ally he turned to the sea and sea folk
for inspiration. This was the story,
robbed perforce of all the inimitabIe
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 is frequently far more
in the style of utterance than in the
matter itself. He had the tale from
an old salt he once met en- route to
Havana.
The old salt, who was a Nantucket
fisherman, and for many years master
of a craft of his own, was reminiscing
about the queer characters and odd
experiences 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 long
voyage, together with the mate of his
vessel, had gone up to Boston to see
the sights; among them they con-
cluded to take luncheon at a swell
hotel just to see what a swell hotel
was like
After many meanderings they fetch
ed up at the fremont House, now soon
to be no more, and got fairly seated at
one of the tables in the main dining
loom. While they were waiting for
their best substitute for plum duff they |
noticed that a great deal of attention |
was being paid to gentleman who !
had just come in accompanied by two |
ladies. They were so impressed by l
this that the captain asked his waiter |
who the important parsonage was,
and he learned he was the Governor
Of Massachusetts,.
When he named the governor the
captains memory was stirred, and,
with his seaman's love of dramatic
effects he turned to his mate and "bet
q flyer" that he'd go over and shake
hands with the governor. The mate
bet a flyer he "dassent." But the cap
tain wasn't daunted; be 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 captain "gave
hitch TO his trousers, which is trick
all seamen larn," and got up.
In telling the story he said he al
most felt ready to lose his wager after
he started, but he didn't want to make
! fool OF himself, and he went over to
the governors table and made his
best bow and said, 'How do you do"
The governor said, GLOW do you do"
zoo, but went on to say that he wasn't
able to place the face, and so on. The
captain had his pedigree all ready; it
consisted of his own name and the
name of his vessel.
The mate, who was looking oD, saw
! change come over the face of the
governor, and walters and all were
much surprised to see the State dig
litary leave his chair at a step, grasp
he hand of the queer-looking old
,odger and shake it vigorously.
The captain was asked at once to I
VT down and have some luncheon,
1ut he said he couldn't, as he'd left
his mate over aft there. "Well, go |
ret your mate" said his Excellency;
there's room for all of us; if there {
sn't We'll have room made; here, {
waiter"
The upshot of it was that the first
ady in the Bay State and her sister :
md his Excellency the governor and
he captain and his mate ate together z
n peace and harmony and a {
lood of old-time memories, and the
nate lost his two flyers.
The governor was William +. Rus {
ell, Massachusetts, "boy" governor, I
VhO filed the executive chair with
lis Democratic presence so well that :
e filled it for three years in that pro- :
Republican State. 1