The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-07-24
ADay With Mark Twain Biographer

/ Burlington Hawk-Eye: Albert Bige-
low PAYNE, whose name that gentle
4 man admits, sounds like lot of dish
pans falling down stairs, spent sew
leral DAVIS in Keokuk this week, look
ing up Mark Twain data. He is the Of
fetal, biographer of the late humorist,
and had learned that there was much
OF interest in Keokuk concerning Mr.
/ Clemens early days. Clemens lived
lin Keokuk1 with his brother~ Orion,
Il during the forties. For five years, as
4 a young man of shiftless and appar-
emily no. account disposition he pass
ed his time in school and at work,
or In various indifferent occupations
in that city. Later on. some twenty
five years ago, the mother lived in
Keokuk, and finally died there 1t was
/ TO secure any data of value to add to
/ the vast fund of information con-
4 corning Mark Twain's life and activi-
j ties that Mr.. Payne came to Keokuk.
While in that city he was the guest
i OF DIR. G. Walter Barr, the well
known writer and critic, and his gift
ed daughter, Miss Mamie Clark Barr.
E a number OF friends were invited to
/ meet Mr. Payne and found that gen.
/ tleman to be man of rare interest,
full of his work and alive to every
thing that had bearing on the de-
! velopment of the biography to which
he is now bending his energies.
Mr.. Payne is well known to the lit
; erary world as writer and critic of
ability. His various books on travel
and camp lore are treasures to those
{ who love the moving outdoor life. He
became associated with Mark Twain
, through some of his excellent literary
efforts. chiefly in connection with
the biography of the late celebrated
: cartoonist, Thomas Mast In fact, his
; five years of intimate companionship
! with the humorist, up to the time OF
!, the latters death, was an outcome OF
! an almost lifelong admiration of the
: man.
4 In early boyhood Mr.. Payne was ar
!. eager student of the cartoonist, Mr.
! Mast The great artist was one of the
:, inspirations Of his early years. Later
:, on there came into his life anothel
vivid interest, and that was the crea
: lures of the brain of Mark Twain. Ht
: lived and breathed with Tom Saw
: Becky Thatcher, Mulberry Sellers
:. Hawkins, Sally, and the other famfl
: lar and lovable characters create,
: by the master humorist AS he grey
: to manhood and throughout his bus
= literary life, Mr.. Payne retained tn
early love for the creations of thes
!, two men. The opportunity came on
= day for him to compile a biograph
= of Thomas Mast He entered upo
: the work with delight and enthu!
- iasm, and succeeded in producing
volume that has won high criticisI
= for its accuracy, interest and genera
= excellence of composition. Will
= working on the matter of this volum
= Mr.. Paine came across a number c
! letters from Mark Twain to the ca
:. toonist. some among them, by tn
- way. proposing joint lecture tou
= Twain 10 do the lecture and Mast
=. illustrate it with crayon drawing
The other letters were in the natur
of comment and congratulation O
- the work of the cartoonist. NJ
:. Payne desired greatly to use thes
- letters in the Mast biography, and aft
|, some hesitation, for fear of refnsa
Il wrote 10 Clemens asking permission
i This, after some preliminaries, We
:. granted, and the work was finishe
- One day complimentary dinner VIZ
=. given to Mark Twain at one Of q
=. New York clubs TO which he ha
81 been elected an honorary member. tt
he guests included Albert Bfgelow Payn
IN The invitation list. out of courtes
p had previously been submitted
- Mark Twain for approval. rs tn
an man the author Of the Mast biogr
phy2" asked Clemens Of the comm
tee, pointing out Payne's name. Z
was told that he was. Then wa
ne him at the dinner, sure; | wish TO s.
az him" That was five years ago. At Il
on dinner Mark Twain informed N
Oh Payne that he had been so favorab
he impressed with the biography of N
ri. Mast that be had made up his mil
irv he wanted the author to be his bi
in grapher. An appointment was ma
ial
nm :. i.