The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-11-11
HIS TRIBUTE TO HIS WIFE.
Mark Twain in Autobiography Talks
Lovingly of His Life COMPANION.
mark Twain in the North American
Review

$1,000" ""aAi III TIE NOIln American
Review
Tomorrow will be the thjrtv-sixtb an
nIVersary of our marriage. Nv wife
passed from this life one wear and eipbt
months ago in Florence. Italy. after an
uhDroken illness of twenty-five months
Gura ton.
saw her first in the form OF an iv-
DRY miniature in her brother CharIev's
stateroom in the steamer Quaker CITY.
IN the Bay of Smyrna, in the summer Of
1901 when she was in her twentv-sec-
on year L saw her in the flesh for the
iirst time In New York in the follow
ing december She was slender and
peautlful and girlish-and she was both
girl and woman. She remained both
girl and woman to the last dav Of her
me- Under grave and gentle exterior
burned lneXtinguiShable fires of svnn-
pathy, energy, devotion, enthusiasm
ana absolutely limitless affection. She
was always frail in body, and she
lived upon her spirit whose honef1,I-
ness and courage were indestrucfible
Perfect truth, perfect honesty. perfect
candor, were qualities of her character
Whlcn were born with her Her iude-
ments OF people and things were sure
ana accurate. Her intuitions almost
never deceived her. In her judgments
OF the characters and acts Of both
friends and strangers, there was al
ways room for charity. and this char
liy meyer tailed. l compared and con-
trasted her with hundreds Of persons
and my conviction remains that here
was the most perfect character have
ever known. Her character and disnosi-
ton were of the sort that not only in
VlteS worship. but commands if. No
servant ever left her service who de-
n In
could choose with glance. of her eve.
the servants she selected did in al
most all cases. deserve to remain. and
they did remain
she was always cheerful and she was
always able to communicate her cheer
fulneSs to others. During the nine
years that we spent in poverty ard
dept, she was always able to reason
with me out of my despairs and 10 find
a bright side to the clouds, and make
me see IT. In all that time, L never
knew her TO utter a word of regret
concerning our altered circumstances
nor did / ever know her children TO do
the like. For she had taught them. and
they drew their fortitude from her The
love which she bestowed upon those
whom she loved took the form of wor-
ship, and in that form it was returned
returned by the relatives friends
and the servants of her household 1t
was strange combination which
wrought into one individual, so TO
speak. by marriage-her disposition
and characted and mine. She poured
out her prodigal affections in kisses and
caresses, and in a vocabulary of en-
dearments whose profusion was always
an establishment to me. I was born e.
served as to endearments of speech
and careSSeS. and hers broke upon me
as the summer waves break upon Glib
raltar. / was reared in that atmos-
phere of reserve. AS / have already
said, III another chapter. / never knew
a member of my fathers family 10 kiss
another member of it except once, and
that at death-bed. And our village
was not a kissing community. The
kissing and caressing ended with court
ship-along with the deadly piano
playing of that day.
She had the 'heart-free laugh of a
girl 1t came seldom, but when it broke
upon the ear it was as inspiring as mu-
sic. I heard it for the last time when
she had been occupying her sick bed
for more than a year, and l made a
written note of ii at the time-a note
not to be repeated