Graham guardian., 1895-11-01
piNEp WITH THE GOVERNOR.
Mark Twain's Story of the Old Salt Who
Knew Gov. Russell.

Mark Twain's Story of the Old Salt Who
Knew Gov. Russell.
Mark Twain told a capital story
capitally the other day, which he said
had never been in print, but which
deserves to be if for no other reason
than to allow it to fall into the hands
of the self-appointed managers of the
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 Mr.. Clemens re-
core demanded after he read selec-
tion from his 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
is frequently far more in the style of
utterance than in the matter itself.
He had the tale from an old salt he
met once en- route to Havana.
The old salt, who was a 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 long voyage, together
| with the mate of his vessel, had gone
up to Boston to see the sights. Among
them they concluded to take lun-
cheon at swell hotel just to see what
swell hotel was like. After many
meauderings 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
substitute for plum duff they noticed
that great deal of attention was be-
| ing paid to gentleman who had just
come in, accompanied by two ladies.
They were so impressed by this that the
captain asked his waiter who the i'm
| portant parsonage was, and he learned
that he was the governor Of Massachu-
sets. When he named the governor
| the captains memory was stirred, and,
with his scaman's love of dramatic eff
fects, he turned to his mate and "bet
a fiver" that he'd go over and shake
hands with the governor. The mate
| bet a fver he "dassent." But the
captain wasn't daunted; he added that
he was ready to bet another fiver 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 sea.
men '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 q
| fool of himself, as he went over to the
governors table and made hisbest 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 a change come over the face Of
the governor. and, walters 4 and All were
much surprised 70 see the, ,sthted digni
tnry leave his chaif al = Step, grasp the
hand Of the queer-foolSfhg bid codge,
and shake it vigorously The Captain
was asked at once 10 sit down and have
some luncheon. but he said he couldn't
as he'd left his mate over aft therg
swell, go get your mate" said lis ex
cellency; there's room for al of us
if there isn't we'll have room made
| here, waiter"
The upshot gift was that the frs
lady in the Bay state and her sistel
and ms excellency, the governor, ant
the captain and his mate ate together
in peace and harmony and flood O
old-time memories, and the mate los
his two fivers. The governor was vii
liam E. Russell, Massachusetts, boy
| governor, who filled the executiv,
chair with his democratic presence 81
well that he filed it for three years il
that proverbially republican Staten
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