The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-08-30

The Way the Famous Humorist In
Company With W. D. Howells Did
Not Attend the Centennial Of the
Battle Of the Minutsmen at Concord
In bis "reminiscences OF Mark Twain
In Harper's Magazine W. d. Howelis
tells amusIngIy OF the time when be
and Mr. Clemens missed the anniver
sary Of the battle OF Concord:
mark Twain came on TO Cambridge
10 April. 1878. 70 80 with me 70 the
centennial ceremonies at Concord In
celebration Of the battle Of the minute-
men With the British troops hundred
years before. we both had special 10
vitations. including passage from Bos.
ton. but / said wbx bother % 80 to
Boston when we could just as well
take the train for Concord az the Cam
bridge station. He equally decided
that Il would be absurd, so we break
tasted deliberately and then walked to
the station. reasoning OF many things,
as usual.
"when the train stopped we found
It packed inside and out People stood
dense on the platforms Of the carl
To our startled eyes they seemed
project from the windows. and unless
memory betrays me they lay srewn
upon the roofs like brakemen slain at
the post OF duty. We remounted the
fame worn steps Of Porter's station
aud began exploring North Cambridge
for some means Of transportation over
land 10 Concord. for we were that far
on the road by which the British went
and came on the day Of the battle.
The llyerymen whom we appealed TO
received lis. some with compassion.
some with drrisiou. but in either mood
c0nvinrcd Us Tint we could not have
hired d GAG to attempt our conveyance.
much e~~ horse or vehicle Of any
description
n was raw. windy day. very un-
like the exceptionally hot April day
when the routed redeouts. pursued by
the colonials. aed painting back TO Bos-
ton. with their Tongues hanging out
like dogs bu we could not take due
comfort In the vision Of their discom-
future. We could almost envy them.
for they had al least got 20 Concord.
swift prmssslon OF roathes. car
riages and ou4g s all gnlpg TO Con-
cord. parsed as inert 1na helpless. on
the sidewalk iu pecuatly cold
mud Of North Caulfasr ~ began
to wonder II we nf4a WI ane or
them and bribp u "a tas u.s.
Il felt keenly the -hsNr Il defeat
and the guilt Of resmas IS for our
failure. and when gas party Of stu
dents came toward Us 90 the top of
talIyho. luxuriantly empty Inside. we
felt that our chance had come and our
last chance. he said thai i would
stop them and tell them who ] was
they would gladly. perhaps proudly.
give us passage. | commended that II
with his far vaster renown be would
approach them our success would be
assured.
.Whlle we stood. lost In this contest
OF civilitles. the coach passed US. with
cav notes blown from the horns OF the
students. aud then Clemens started In
pursuit. encouraged with shouts from
the merry party. who could not Inn
agine who was trying 10 run them
down. to a rivalry OF speed. The I'M
equal match could end only in one
way, and am glad ! cannot recall
what he said when be came back 90
me. since then have often wondered
at the grief which would have wrung
those blithe young hearts If they could
have known that they might have had
the company OF Mark Twain to Con-
cord that day and did not.
1--WE hung about unavailingly In the
bitter wind awhile longer and then
slowly. very slowly, made our way
home. We wished to pass as mucn
time as possible In order to give PROD
ability TO the deceit we intended to
practice. for we could not bear 70 own
ourselves baffied IN our buasted wis
dom Of taking the train az Porters
station and had agreed TO say that we
had been to Concord and got BACK.
Even after coming home to my house
we felt thar our statement would be
wanting ID verisimilitude without fur
Their delay. and we crept quietly into
my library and made up roaring IRE
on the hearth and thawed ourselves
out in the heat Of 1t before we Tegaiued
our courage for the undertaking With
all these precautions we failed, TOT
when our statement was Impaired 70
the proposed victim she instantly pro-
nounced it unreliable. and We were LETT
with it on our hands intact thinE
the humor of this situation was hnalis
a greater pleasure 70 Clemens than an
actual visit to Concord would have
been. Only few weeks before his
death he laughed our defeat over with
one OF my family in bermuda and ex-
Fl .xr,.,.n4 1ntnaffnu y