The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-10-02
HoWELL's DESCRIPTION or DIG
NAL EFFgcT or HUMoRisT's
ATTEMPT TO MAKE GAME OF
MAoTERo At DINNER.

upon the innocent miners as respec-
lively Ralph Waldo Emerson. Henry
Wadswort6 Longfcllow and Oliver
Wendell Holmes. Tho humor OF the
conception must prosper or must fail
according to tho mood Of the bearer.
bat Clemens felt sure Of compelling
this to sympathy. and. he looked for
ward 10 an unparalleled triumph.
but there were two things that lie
had not taken into account. One was
the species Of religious generation In
which these men were held by those
nearest them. They were men OF ex-
traordinary dignity. Of the thing call.
I'd presence for want Of some clearer
word. 20 that no one could well ap-
peoach them In n personally light or
tsl0ing spirit. do not suppose that
anybody more truly valued them or
more piously loved them than Glenn
ems himself, but the intoxication Of his
fancy carried him beyond the bounds
q that regard and emboldcncd him to
The other thing which be had not taken
INTO account-namely. the immense
hazard Of working his fancy out be-
fore their faces and expecting them to
enter into the delight Of II. II neither
Emerson nor Longfellow nor Holmes
had been there the scheme might pos
sibly have carried. but even this IL
doubtful.
II was the hapless president. fulfll.
ing the abhorred function Of calling
people to their feet and making them
speak. When ! came to Clemens !
AuH..As~A>Sa Mia 18th th> oorSaeal "a
miration ] had for him a. one Of my
greatest contributors and dearest
friends. Here. said. in sum. was q
humorist who never left you hanging
your head for having enjoyed his joke.
and then the amazing mistake. the be-
wildering blunder. the cruel catastro
phe was upon 10. believe that after
the scope Of the burlcsque made itself
clear there was no one there. including
the burlesquer himself. who was no,
smitten with . deso'ating dismay.
There fell y silence. weighing many
tons to the square inch. which deep
cned from moment to moment and
wax broken only by the hysterical and
blood curdling laughter Of single
guest. whose name shall not be hand.
ed down to infamy. Nobody knew
whether to look at the speaker or
down ut his plate. chose my plate
m the least afniction. and so do no,
know how Clemens looked. excep,
when stole q glance ut him and saw
him standing solitary amid his ap
palled and appalling listeners. with his
joke dead on his hands. From a 6fst
glance Mt the great three whom his
jest had made its theme. was aware
Of Longfcliow sitting upright and re-
gardling the humorist with an air of
pensive puzzle, Of Holmes busily writ
Ing on his menu with well feigned
effect Of preoccupation. and Of Elmer
uon holding his elbows and listening
With q sort OF Jovian oblivion of this
neither world In that lapse Of memory
which saved him In those later years
nom 20 much bother. Clemens must
have dragged his joke to the climax
ana left tt there. but I cannot say
this from any sense Of the fact. Or
what happened aftcrward at the table
where the immense. the wholly inno-
cent. the truly unimag ined affront was
offered. have no longer the least re.
membrance. ! next remember being
IN . room Of the hotel where Clemens
was not to sleep. but to toss In despair
ana Charles Dudley Warmers saying
IN the gloom. We'll. Mark: You're
funny fellow 1t was as well as any
thing be could have said. but Clemens
seemed unable to accept the tribute.
II stayed the night with him. and
the next morning after u haggari
breakfast we drove about. and he
made some purchases Of bric-a-brac
1oe his house In Hartford. with q soul
~ far away from bric-a-brac as eve.
the soul Of man was. He went hon.
By an early train. and he lost no time
n writing back to the three divine
personalities which he had so involun-
tat1ly seemed to nout. They all wrote
oack 20 him. making II as light FOR
him - they could. ! have heard that
GmeEson was q good deal mystificti
and In his sublime fcrgetfulness asked.
Who was this gentleman who appear
ID TO ta.as he had offered him some
oors OF anpc.'sacer Hut am not
sure that this " accurate. What !
am sure - b that Lons.cilow q few
days after 10 my! study stopped before
. photograph Of Clemens ard said
.Ah. hs IL wsc- ana nothing n,o-s
Holmes to!1 me. with deep emotion
much ~ brother s-ro.i<t might vel
Seel. that he had not icst IA. instant in
replying 70 Clemens letter nd ss*;.-
ING him TINT there had not hesa u
lrast ofIenss and entfsaeing him ncvc.
~ tAiuk Of the matter again. He sa.d