The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1902-05-23

~ - ~ VI hNi Nhtu n llltu nus
10 explain his own jokes. Mark Twain
has had to do this because so many
people have written TO ask him what
he means by certain sentence in his
Double Barreled Detective Story" II
was ouly a joke. Mr.. Clemens says,
only a harmless, well inteDtioned little
Joke, but It has excited general suspi.
cion. Therefore Mr.. Clemens has been
moved to write letter TO the Spring.
field Republican, in which he says:
One OF your citizens has asked me
question about the "esophagus," and I
wish to answer him through you. This
In the hope that the answer will get
around and save me some penmanship
! for | have already replied to the So me
question more than several times and
am not getting as much holiday as |
, ought to have.
| published a story lately, and il was
In that that / put the esophagus.
will say privately that expected ii TO
i. bother some people-in fact, that was
the intenton-but the harvest has been
larger than | was calculating upon.
The esophagus has gathered in the
guilty and the innocent alike, whereas
was only fishing for the innocent
the innocent and confding | knew
few Of those would write and ask me;
that would give me but little trouble
but was not expecting that the wise
and learned would call upon me for
succor. However, that has happened
and it is time for me to speak up and
stop the inquiries IL can, for letter
writing is not restful to me- and am
not having so much fun out Of this
thing as | counted on. That you may
understand the situation | will insert
couple Of sample inquiries. the first
from a public instructor in the Philip
| pines:
Ny Dear slr-I have Just been reading
/ your latest story. entitled "A Double Bar
/ relied Detective Story" in which occurs
| this passage: Far in the empty sky a
solitary esophagus slept upon notion
! less wing: everywhere brooded stiffness.
[ serenity and the peace of God Now
| there Is one word do not understand
| namely. "esophagus." My only work OF
reference is the Standard Dictionary. but
that fails TO explain the meaning. II you
can spare the time / would be glad to
have the meaning cleared up as l consider
the passage a very touching and beautiful
one 1t may seem foolish TO you. but con-
slider my lack Of means away out in the
northern part Of Luzon Yours very
truly.
Do you notice? Nothing in the para.
! graph disturbed him but that one word
llt shows that that paragraph was most
Rably constructed for the deception II
was intended to put upon the reader.
II was my intention that 1t should read
plausibly, and it is now plain that il
does; it was my intention that it should
I. .e emotional and touching. and you see
: yourself that it fetched this public in
structor. Alas, if | had but left that
one treacherous word out | should have
scored 49, scored everywhere 80 and the
paragraph would have slidden through
every readers sensibilities like oil and
left not a suspicion behind! The other
sample inquiry is from professor in a
New England university. 1t contains
one naughty word (Which cannot bear
to suppressl. but he is not in the theo-
logical department, so it is no harm:
Dear Mr.. Clemens-"Far in the empty
sky a solitary esophagus slept upon mo-
Nonless wing"
II is not often I get a chance TO read
much current literature, but l have just
,'yone through at this belated period. with
much qualification and edihcatlon, your
"A Double Bsrreled Detective Story"
But what in hell is an esophagus7 I
keep one myself, but II never sleeps in the
air or anywhere else. Ny profession 10 TO
deal with words and esophagus interest
ed me the moment lighted upon IT, But.
as a companion OF my youth used to say,
''Ill be eternally, co-eternally cussed" II
can make it out ls It joke. or ] an
lgnoramus2
Between you and me | was almost
ashamed OF having fooled that man,
,pt for pride's sake | was not going 10
fay so. l wrote and told him it was
loke, and that is what am now say
ng to my Springfield inquirer. And
old him to carefully read the whole
paragraph, and he would find not a
Yestige OF sense in any detail of II.
This also commend to my Springfield
enquirer have confessed. | am sor-
ty-partially. l will not do so any
nore-for the present. Don't ask me
any more questions. Let the esopha-
tonless wing.
comment by The Republican,
"A Double Barreled Detective Story" is
tective fiction. with striking melodramatic
passages. In which II Is difficult 10 detect
the deception so ably Is II done. As for
the paragraph which has 30 admirably
Illustrated the skill of Mr.. Clemens en-
semble and the careessness OF readers.
here II is;
"It was a crisp and spicy morning in
early october. The lilacs and laburnums.
NJ with the glory fires of autumn. hung
burning and flashing in the upper air
- Al ia g.
he wingless wild things that have their
home in the treetops and would visit to-
gether; the larch and the pomegranate
nung their purple and yellow flames in
brilliant broad splashes along the slant
ing sweep OF the woodland; the sensuous
Fragrance OF innUmerable deciduous fiow-
srs rose upon the swooning atmosphere
.ar in the empty sky solitary esophe gus
lept upon motionless wing; everywhere
orooded Stiffness, serenity and the peace