The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-11-21
ABOUT MARK TWAIN.
New Stories Told by One of His Mis-
 souri Cousins.

New Stories Told by One of His Mis- souri Cousins.
 A Palmyra, Mo, letter to the St. Louis
 Republic, says: While Mark Twain is
 hob-nobbing with the European nobili-
 ty and being wined, dined and lionized
 by lords and ladies, it may be interest
 ing to know that the glamour of royal
 ty has not made him forget the friends
 and companions of his boyhood days.
 Mrs J. w. Greening, Mark Twatn's
 first cousin, and the close companion of
 his childhood days, lives in this city
 They were born within few weeks of
 each other in the little village of Flori-
 da, Monroe county, and for years were
 fast friends and playmaates Mark {
 father and Judge John Quarrels, Mrs
 Greening's father, married sisters, the
 Misses Martha and Jane Hampton, and
 the two families moved together from
 Tennessee to Monroe county in 1885,
 when Clemens and Quarrells engaged
 in the general mercantile business. In
 November of the same year the two
 children were born, in houses within a
 stones throw of each other. When
 Mark was years of age his father
 moved his family to Hannibal, but un-
 til he was large enough to set type in the Hannibal Journal office, most of the famous humorists time was spent with his uncle on his Monroe county farm, where he had moved after retiring from the mercantile business at Florida.
 Mrs. Greening lives with her husband, a railroad man. in comfortable little home in this city. She is retiring pleasant faced little woman, and strongly resembles her Aunt Jane, Mark'es mother, handsome crayon portrait of whom adorns thewall of thecosy little parlor On the table in the same room Is collection of pho- tographs of various members of the family, among them recent one of her famous cousin, on the back of which is written in the humorist's bold and well-known chirography, "To Puss, from Cousin Sam,'' Fuss" is Mrs. Greenings girlhood nickname and in family circles she still bears it.
 That Mark had not forgotten his J boyhood playmate and favorite cousin i is evidenced by the fact that regularly every month she receives substantial check from him, at intervals letter and occasionally a new photograph. | The checks have been coming with monthly regularity for many years, ex- | fepting a brief period several years ago, when the publishing house in which he was interested failed and Clemens was financially embarrassed
 Sam doesn't write very often now" said Mrs. Greening to Republic repre- sentative recently. "We used to keep up regular correspondence, though, except when he was writing a book, and until that was finished, the only news any of the family had from him was through his wife During these periods he quit writing letters alto- gether, and his best friends couldn't get word from him directly"
 Mrs. Greening relates many interest," ing anecdotes of her childhood days and is very fond of talking of her H. lustrious cousin. When boy Mark was inclined to be rather delicate, and for this reason his father permitted him to spend much of his time, espec- tally during the summer. on his uncle's farm The two cousins spent their days together fishing, hunting and romping over the farm, and the friend ship of those days has not been ob- liberated by the years that have wrin- kled the brows and frosted the heads of both.
 Sam was always full of his fun" said Mrs. Greening. "He could play more pranks and escape with less pun ishment than any boy I ever knew He was always so frank and good -natured that every body liked him, and while 1.- 1.
 chief as an egg Is of meat they made great allowance for him. and where most boys would have suffered severely for similar offenses Sam usually went free. When a boy he was a victim of somnambulism, and close watch had to be kept on him to keep him from meeting with some mshap. He was frequently found wandering around the house or yard in his sleep, and on several occasions had narrow escapes from serious falls. Sam had the family characteristic of absent -mindedness, but 1t was not nearly so strongly de- veloped in him as it was in his father or his brother Orion.
 Speaking of absent -mindedness, continued Mrs. Greening, reminds me of how Uncle John forgot to take Sam along when he moved to Hannibal. The household goods had all been loaded in one wagon, and after it had started the family all piled into another wagon After Uncle John had nailed up the doors and windows of the deserted houses he mounted the seat, clucked to the horses and drove off, leaving little Sam making mudpies on the opposite side of the house. A half hour later my grandfather, Wharton Hampton, father of the Rev. E. J. Hampton, form- erly pastor of the Christian church in Palmyra, came riding along and found Sam busily engaged in his culinary work. He appreciated the situation, and, lifting the boy up in front of him, rode after the movers and when he had | travelled seven or eight miles caught | up with them So busy were they con- templating what was then considered a long journey and making plans for l their future that the absence of the to- | be Mark Twain had not been noticed. | The matter was taken as huge joke by all concerned, Sam included, and the journey resumed.
 '"ro those who didn't know the Glenn ems family, this may seem little over drawn, but is absolutely true, never thelesS Orion the eldest son. inherited ,