Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1897-07-02
MARK TWAIN / TALKS.
MS BRAIN IS AS ACTIVE As EVER,
BUT HIS HEART IS HEAVY.

HIS BRAIN IS As ACTIVE AS EVER,
BUT HIS HEART IS HEAVY. ~
Brave Struggles to Redeem His Lost For.
tune-He Laughs at His Poverty, but
Tears Dim His Eyes Characteristic
Jokes and Quaint Sayings.
"Of course I an, dying"
And Mark Twain smiled grimly.
"But do not know that am doing IL
any faster than any body else. As for dying
In poverty, had just as soon die In pow
.rty hore In London as anywhere. But IL
would be little more difficult because
have got quito a number Of friends, any
ono Of whom, believe, would be good fora
months provision, and that would drag
out the agony fairly long time"
could not help thinking there was
something forced in the careless tone. His
hsce was more lined and much thinner
than when saw him last His hair is az
bushy NJ ever and Is now almost snowy
white, and there was species Of hopeless
Resignation in his bearing that was In
painful contrast to his one time easy going
carelessness. And, In spite Of his disclaim-
perfectly we'll, I was convinced that If his
physical health were of tho best he was
nevertheless so disturbed by mental worries
that the report Of his failing condition was
practically we'll founded.
mo, assure you," he added, II am an
we'll as ever was. You see, you must
not attach too much Importance to my
wifc's 1emark that was not in condition
to receive visitors. That simply meant that
I was In bed. Now, most women think
that II man does not get up before IL
O'Clock there must be something wrong
with him, and as never do get up before
then my wifo thinks nm not In good
health. As matter Of fact when you
were announced told her to have you
shown up to my room, but you can never
persuade tidy woman to show stranger
Into an untidy bedroom, and 90 that did
not work.
II sud to her: SHOW him up. Send
some cigars up. I am comfortable
enough
Yes sho said, but what about himP'
"'Oh,' said.' II you want him to be
"a comfortable as am, mako him up
bed In tho other corner Of the ROOM
That did not work, either, 80 I thought
tho bost thing to do was to get up and
como to Geo you.
Chatting In this way, introduced as
delioately as possible tho subject Of tho re-
ports published recently in tho American
press, to which he gave the answer that
opens this interview.
As matter Of fact, however, I heard
from other sources that since the death Of
hie daughter, some months ago, Mr.. Glenn
ems has tecn trying to hide his grief, try
ing to live down his bereavement, IN COM
plete isolation. Until Il few days ago, in
fnct, very few people were in tho secret Of
his whereabouts, and had it not boon that
a cousin Of his hero In London fell Ill
Mark Twuin's namo would not probably
have been brought up In connection with
any such statement as that he was dying
and In complete poverty, for, although his
losses with tho Webster publishing firm
have been 80 serious As to ongulf tho
whole of his fortune, he Is perhaps tho last
man In the whole world to let any ono
know of his financial difficulties so long as
he hns strength to hold his pom or so long
| a. his fertile brain can evolve thoughts.
His cousin fell i'll. and, tho names boing
tho samo, the two men were confused.
Tho financial losses sustained by Mr..
Clemens were we'll known, and tho elo-
ments for tho report that no WAS dying In
poverty nrc there, ill ready at hand.
From tho same source learned that. In
spite of Mr.. Clemens sturdy disclaimer,
no Ia overwhelmed with financial cnbar-
easements, but thero was only his air,
which seemed dreadfully Ike that of
man trying to keep his head above water
and not succeeding too well, to support
his assertion.
"Poverty, he essid. '"is relative I have
been In poverty 80 often thnt 1t docs not
worry mo very much. A more serious
matter Ia the money owing to other people,
not by any-fault of mine, and yet owing
| to them by me- But do not trouble
about tho runners that go about In regard
| to me. Why should II The rumor will die
itself II you will only give 1t three days.
| Start any rumor, and If tho public can 60
with It's curiosity unsatistied for three
days something else will spring up which
will make the public forget oil about tho
| first ono. Therefore, when people talk
about my dying, or as really happened
few days ago, about my being dead, do
not take the slightest notice. know per
fectly we'll that the public will forget all
about 1t II I let 1t alone. keep on plow-
ing away and working and working and
hoping and hoping, but tho idea Of being
In poverty does not either trouble me or
brighten me-"
"What are you working upon just nows"
ION my journey round tho world. Ev-
erybody has done his littlo circumnaviga-
ton act, and thought 1t about time
did mine. 60 have been getting 1t ready
for tho press since have been here, and
therefore, for the matter Of that, the book
Ia Just my impressions of the world ut
large. I 60 into no details. never do,
for that matter. Details are not my strong
point, unless choose for my own pleasure
to go into them seriously. Besides, am
under no contract to supply details to the
reader. All that undertake to do Is to
interest him. II instruct him, that Is.
his fate. He 10 that much ahead"
"Whet is to be Its namc9'
~ had thought Of calling 1t Another
Innocent Abroad, but following advice,
~ the lawyers cay, have decided to
GALL II The Surviving Innocent Abroad
"Now, my wife said. But that is not
true, because there's So-and-so in Cleve-
land and that and the other In Philadel-