The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-07-21

is a chapter from the autobiographies
of Mark Twain entitled a Cat story
With Many Lives" in which mention is
made Of Charles Warren Stoddard, the
we'll known author. The part Of the
story referring to Mr.. stoddard is as
follows:
But I was not done with Jim and the
Cats yet. In 1873 l was lecturing IN
London, in the Queens Concert Rooms.
Hanover SQUARE, and was living at the
I.angham Hotel, Portland Place. 1 had
inc domestic household and no Official
| household except George Dolby, Leo
! ture-agent. and Charles Warren Stod-
| dard, the California poet, now Profess
sor of English Literature in the Ro-
man Catholic University, Washington.
! Ostensibly Stoddard was my private
secretary; in reality he was merely my
| comrade-I hired him in order TO nave
! his company. AS secretary there was
nothing for him to do except to scrap
| book the daily reports of the great trial
! of the Tichborne Claimant for perjury
But he made a sufficient job out of that.
for the reports filed six columns a
day and he usually postponed the
scrap-booking until Sunday; then he
| had SO columns to cut out and paste
| ina proper labor for Hercules.
He did his work well, but if he had
been older and feebler it would have
killed him once a week. Without doubt
he does his literary lectures we'll, but
also without doubt he prepares them
fifteen minutes before he is due on ms
platform and thus gets into them a
freshness and sparkle which they
might lack if they underwent the stall
ing process of overstudy.
He was good company when he was
awake. He was refined, sensitive,
charming, gentle, generous, honest
himself and unsuspicious Of other
| peoples honesty and I think he was
the purest male have known, in mind
and speech. George Dolby was some-
thing of contrast to him, but the two
were very friendly and sociable to-
gether, nevertheless.
Dolby was large and ruddy, full or
| life and strength and spirits, tireless
and energetic talker, and always over.
| flowing with good-nature and bursting
with iollity. 1t was a choice and salts
factory menagerie, this pensive poet
and this gladstone. gorilla. An indel-
cate story was sharp distress TO
| Stoddard; Dolby told him twenty-five
a day. Dolby always came home with
us after the lecture. and entertained
! Stoddard till midnight. Me too. After
he left, walked the floor and talked.
and Stoddard went to sleep on the
| t,s-ol Iiy,o for n0Y7Uanv
Dolby had been agent for concerts
and theaters, and Charles Dickens and
all sorts of shows and attractions
for many years; he had known the
human being in many aspects, and ne
didn't much believe in him. But the
poet did. The waits and estrays found
friend in Stoddard: Dolby tried tc
persuade him that he was dispensing
his charities unworthily, but he was
never able to succeed.
One night a young American go'
access to Stoddard at the Concert
Rooms and told him a moving tale
He said he was living on the Surry
side. and for some strange reason his
remittances had failed to arrive from
home: he had no money, he was out
of employment. and friendless; his
girl-wife and his new baby were act
ualIv suffering for food; for the love
lof heaven could he lend him a SOW
ereign until his remittances should
lresume? Stoddard was deeply touch
ed, and gave him a sovereign on my
account Dolby scoffed, but Stoddard
stood his ground. Each told me his
, story later in the evening, and
backed Stoddard's judgment. Dolby
said we were women in disguise. and
not a sane kind of women, either.
The next week the young man
came again His wife was i'll with the
pleurisy, the baby had the bots, or
! something, I am not sure OF the name
of the disease; the doctor and the
drugs had eaten up the money, the
poor little family was starving. II
Stoddard "in the kindness of his
heart could only spare him another
sovereign etc, etc. Stoddard was
much moved, and spared him a SOW
ereign for me. Dolby was outraged.
He spoke up and said to the GUS
toner
Now, young man, you are going to
the hotel with US and state your case
to the other member of the family.
If you don't make him believe in you
/ I shan't honor this poets drafts in
your interest any longer, for L don't
believe in you myself
The young man was quite willing.
I found no fault in him. On the
contrary, 1 believed in him at once,
and was solicitous to heal the wounds
inflicted by Dolby's too frank incre=
dulity: therefore 1 did everything L
could think of to cheer him up and en-
| terrain him and make him feel at
home and comfortable, I spun many
yarns; among others the tale of Jim
Wolf and the Cats. Learning that
he had done something in a small
way, in literature, I offered to try to
find a market for him in that line.
His face lighted joyfully at that, and
he said that if I could only sell a
small manuscript = Tom Hoods An
nual for him it would be the happiest
event of his sad life and he would
hold me in grateful remembrance al
ways. That was a most pleasant
night for three of us, but Dolby was
disguised and sarcastic.
Next week the baby died. Meantime
had spoken to Tom Hood and gained
his sympathy. The young man had
sent his manuscript to him, and the