Birmingham age-herald., 1895-09-11
DINED WITH THE GOVERNOR.


 Mark Twain's Story of the Old Salt Who
 Knew Governor Russell.
 New York Commercial Advertiser.
 Mark Twain told capital story cap italy the other day, which he said has never been in print, but which deserves to be for no other reason than to allow 1t to fall into the hands of the self-ap- pointed managers of the embryo pres tdential boom of its hero It was on the ship coming home from Europe at the entertainment given in aid of poor sailors that Mr Clements recalled the tale in response to the encore demanded after he read selection from his own Writings. Naturally he turned to the sea and seafolk for inspiration. This was the story, robbed perforce of all the lnimitable features of the telling pecul- far 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 ot utterance than in the matter It. self. 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 experiences he had encountered first and last in his day. Shortly before the Nantucketer and Mark Twain came across each ether 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 concluded to take luncheon at a swell hotel just to see what a swell hotel was like After many meandeings they fetched up at the fremont 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 substi- tute for plum duff they noticed that a great deal of attention was being paid to a gentleman who had just come in &C., companied by two ladies. They were so impressed by this that the captain asked his waiter who the important parsonage was and he learned that he was the gov ernor of Massachusetts. When he named the governor the captains mem- ory was stirred, and, with his seaman's love of dramatic effects, he turned to his mate and "bet a fiyer' that he'd go over and shake hands with the governor. The mate bet a flyer he "daSsant." 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 captain gave hitch to his trousers which is a trick all 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 8 fool of himself as he went over to the governors table and made his best bow and said, How do you do?" The gov ernor said, How do you do?" too 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 on, saw change come over the face of the governor, and walters and all were much surprised to see the stated dignitary leave his chair at a step, grasp the hand of the queer looking old codger and shake it vigorously. The captain was asked at once to sit down and have some lunch4 con, but he said he couldn't, as he had left his mate over aft there. "Well, go get your mate" said his excellency; there's room for all of us if there isn't we'll have room made; here waiter-." The upshot of it was that the first ladyi in the bay state and her sister and his eXcellency the governor and the captain and his mate ate together in peace and harmony and a flood of old-time memo- ries, and the mate lost his two flyers. The governor was William D. Russell, Massa chusetts' "boy" governor who filled the executive chair with his dem ocratic presence so well that he filled it for three years in that proverbially re- publican state. ]