The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-09-29
he LOST THE RACE.
Mark TWain's Futile Chase After
a TaIIyho Coach.
MISSED A BIG CELEBRATION.
The Way the Famous Humorist In
Company With w. D. Howells Did
Not Attend tho Centennial Of the
Battle Of the Minutemen at Concord.

company win w. " 'oWellS D'u
Not Attend tho Centennial OF the
Battle Of the Minutemen at Concord
In his "reminiscences of Mark Twain
in Harpcr's Magazine w. d. Howells
tells amuslngly OF the time when he
and Mr. Clemens missed the anniver-
sary of the battle of Concord:
"Mark Twain came on to Cambridge
In April. 1879. to go with me 10 the
centennial ceremonies at Concord IN
celebration OF the battle OF the minute.
men with the British troops a hundred
years before. We both had special in
vitations. including passage from Bos-
ton, but | said why bother to 90 TO
Boston when we could just as well
take the train for Concord at the Cam
bridge station. He equally decided
that it would he absurd, so we break
tasted deliberately and then walked to
the station, reasoning of many things,
as usual.
"When the train stopped we found
II packed inside and out. People stood
dense on the platforms of the cars.
To our startled eyes they seemed to
project from the windows, and unless
memory betrays me they lay strewn
upon the roofs like brakemen slain at
the post of duty. We remounted the
fame worn steps of Porter's station
and began exploring North Cambridge
for some means of transportation over
land to Concord. for we We're that far
on the road by which the British went
and came on the day of the battle.
The lverymen whom we appealed 70
received us. some with compassion.
some with dcrision. but In either mood
convinced us that we could not have
hired cat TO attempt our conveyance,
much less a horse or vehicle OF any
description.
1T was a raw. windy day. very un-
like the exceptionally hot April day
when the routed redcoats, pursued by
the Colonials fed painting back to Bos-
ton. with their tongues hanging out
like dogs but we could not take due
comfort in the vision of their discom-
future. We could almost envy them.
for they had at least got to Concord.
A swift procession of coaches, car
riages and buggics, all going TO Con.
cord, passed us, inert and helpless, on
the sidewalk in the peculiarly cold
mud of North Cambridge. We began
TO wonder IL we might not stop one of
them and bribc it to take us.
81 felt kccnly the shame of defeat
and the guilt OF responsibility for our
failure. and when gay party of stu
dents came toward us on the top of Il
tallyho. luxuriantly empty inside. we
felt that our chance had come and our
last chance. He said that IL | would
stop them aud tell them who ] was
they would gladly, perhaps proudly.
give us passage. | cOntendcd that IL
with his far vastcr rcnown he would
approach them our success would be
assured.
"While we stood. lost in this contest
of civilitics. the coach passed us, with
gay notes blown from the horns of the
students. and then Clemens started in
pursuit. encouraged with shouts from
the merry party. who could not i'm
agine who was trying TO run them
down, TO rivalry of speed, The un-
equal match could end only. In one
way, and | am glad cannot recall
what he said when he came back to
me- Since then have often wondered
| az the grief which would have wrung
those bllthe 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
I'VE hung about unavaiingly in the
bitter wind awhile longer and then
slowly, very slowly, made our way
home We wished to pass as much
time as possible in order to give prob
ability 10 the deceit we intended tc
practice. for we could not Lear TO owl
ourselves bafTled In our boasted wis
dom Of taxing the train at Porter'S
station and had agreed TO say that We
had been to Concord and got back
Even after coming home 10 my house
we !elt that our statement would b,
wanting in verisimilltude without fur
thrr delay, and we crept quietly int
| Wy lDIdIy anu Hlhue up iO"tih6 w
on the hearth and thawed ourselves
out In the heat of 1t before we regainet
our courage for the undertaking. viii
all these precautions we failed, fo
when our statement was impaired Il
the proposed victim she instantly pro
nounced it unreliable, and we were lef
with 1t on our hands intact. | thinl
the humor of this situation was fnall.
a greater pleasure to Clemens than al
actual visit TO Concord would hay'
been, Only few weeks before hi
death he laughed our defeat over will
one of my family in Bermuda and ex
ulted in our prompt detection"
|
CALIFORNIAN CAUTION.