The record-union., 1897-06-25
MARK TWAIN'O CONDITION.
The Celebrated American Tells Of His
Affairs.
Smiling Through His Tears, But
Said to be in Sore Straits
Financially.


a subscription list for Samuel L. Glenn
ems Mark Twain) with $1,000. It's
European edition publishes the follow
ing from its London correspondent;
''Of course, am dying.
And Mark Twain smiled grimly
But l do not know that / am doing
it any faster than anybody else. AS
for dying in poverty, I had just as
soon die in poverty here in London as
anywhere But it would be little more
difficult, because I have got quite
a number of friends, any one of whom
believe would be good for months
provision, and that would drag out the
agony fairly long time"
1 could not help thinking there was
something forced in the careless tone.
Was it possible that the reverses of
fortune of the author of so many works
bubbling over with wit and philosophy
and high spirits were as serious as has
been recently stated? 1t is true that
Mr.. Clemens denied the report first
published-namely, that he was dying
in a state of extreme poverty-and GER
tainly he looked in fairly good health
when l saw him a couple of days ago
in his house at Chelsea, and yet there
1t was more lined and much thinner
than when l saw him last His hair
is as bushy as ever and is now almost
snowy white, and there was a species
of hopeless resignation in his bearing
that was in painful contrast to his one
time easy going carelessness; and in
spite of his disclaimer, in spite of his
assertion that he was perfectly well I
1,,+ IL
health were of the best he was, never
theless, so disturbed by mental worries
that the report of his falling condition
was practically we'll founded
DENIES HIS HEALTH IS BAD.
mo, 1 assure you,' he added Il am
as well as ever / was. You see. you
must not attach too much Importance
TO my wife's remark that I was not in
a condition to receive visitors That
simply meant that l was in bed. Now
most women think that if a man does
not get up before y o'clock there must
be something wrong with him, and as
l never do get up before then, my wife
thinks l am not in good health. AS a
matter of fact, when you were an
nounced told her to have you shown
up to my room, but you can never per-
suade a tidy woman to show a stranger
into an untidy bedroom, and SO that
did not work.
L said to her, show him up. Send
some cigars up. am comfortable
enough
Yes she said, but what about
him?'
Oh I said, if you want him to be
as comfortable as 1 am make him up
a bed in the other corner of the room
That did not work either. so 1 thought
the best thing to do was to get up and
come to see you"
Chatting in this way I introduced as
delicately as possible the subject of
the reports published recently in the
American press to which he gave the
answer that opens this interview.
As a matter of fact, however, 1 heard
from other sources that since the death
of his little daughter, some months ago.
Mr.. Clemens has been trying to hide his
grief, trying to live down his bereave-
ment in complete isolation Until a few
days ago, in fact, very few people
We're in the secret of his whereabouts,
and had it not been that a cousin of
his here in London fell i'll Mark Twain's
name would not probably have been
brought up in connection with any such
statement as that he was dying in COM
plete poverty, for, although his losses
with the Webster publishing firm have
been SO serious as to engulf the whole
Of his fortune, he is, perhaps the last
man in the world to let any one know
of his financial difficulties so long as
he has strength to hold his pen or so
long as his fertile brain can evolve
thoughts.
A CONFUSION OF NAMES.
His cousin fell i'll, and, the names
being the same, the two men were con-
fused The financial losses sustained
by Mr.. Clemens were well known, and
the elements for the report that he was
dying in poverty are there all ready
to hand.
From the same source I learned that.
in spite of Mr.. Clemens sturdy dis
claimer, he is overwhelmed with fnan-
cial embarrassments, but there was
only his air. which seemed dreadfully
like that of a man trying to keep his
head above water and not succeeding
too Well TO support his assertion.
Poverty" he said, sis relative.
have been in poverty so often that it
does not worry me much. A more seri-
Gus matter is the money owing to other
people, not by any fault of mine, and
yet owing by me. But do not trouble
about the rumors that go about in re-
gard to me. Why should I? The ru-
NOR viii die itself if you will only give
1t three days. Start any rumor, and
if the public can go with its curiosity
unsatisfied for three days something
else viii spring up which will make the
public forget all about the first one.
Therefore, when people talk about my
dying, or as really happened a few days
ago about my being dead, I do not
take the slightest notice. I know per-
fectly well that the public will forget
all about it if I let it alone. I keep
on blowing away and working and
working and hoping and hoping, but
the idea of being in poverty does not
either trouble me or frighten me-"
What are you working on just
now?''
"On my Journey round the world.
Everybody has done his little circum-
navigation act, and l thought ii about
time l did mine. so I have been getting
it ready for the press since I have been
here. and therefore, for the matter of
that, the book is just my impressions
of the world at large. I go into no de-
tails. 1 never do, for that matter. De-
tails are not my strong point. unless
choose for my own pleasure to go into
them seriously. Besides. I am under
no contract to supply details to the
reader. All that I undertake to do is
TO interest him If instruct him that
is his fate He is that much ahead
A II