The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-03-22
HIS GIRL FRIENDS.
Mark Twain Dearly Loved Cni!.
dren as Playmates.
THE ANGEL FISH SOCIETY.
A Delightful and Touching Story Abou.
Little Margaret, One of It's Members.
and the Genial Humorist-A Pretty
Compact and Quaint Letter.


and the Genial Humorist-A Pretty
Compact and a Quaint Letter.
Like many another great man, Mark
Twain was fond Of children. He never
Outgrew childhood. and he always
chose young playmates where they
were TO be found. He formed curious
societies Of these girl friends. Back
in the ninetieS. when he was living in
Europe. he created club which was
TO consist of one (only one) girl IN each
country of the globe, the duty Of said
member being to write occasionally to
the chief officer, who faithfully replied
to these random and far faring mes
sages. OF course these little girls were
swept into womanhood presently but
even to the last years Of his life the
member who signed herself France"
remained faithful 10 the law. 4
Another club Of girls. little girls. beg
came one of the chief interests during
his final years. 1t had its beginning
in Bermuda during one OF his frequent
visits to those happy islands. 1t was
called the Angel Fish club, after u
gorgeous swimmer Of those waters, and
he gave to each member an angel fish
pin as a society badge 1t was a sue
cessful club, and on his return TO
America he elected other members.
enough to make twelve in all.
His home at Redding. Conn. Storm
field, had been originally named IN
nocence at Home, and as Angel Fish
headquarters Innocence at Home it
always remained. Members with their
parents visited him there. and the bill
lizard room, where the fishes were
likely to spend most Of their time
knocking the balls about, under the
chief members instruction, was called
the Aquarium, and gay prints Of
many Bermuda fishes were hung along
the walls to carry out the idea. Each
member had the privilege of selecting
one of these as her patron fish and of
identifying it with her name.
1t was in Bermuda one day when he
was walking along the beach with one
of his angel fish members that he pick
ed up a small iridescent double shell,
delicately hinged together. He sepa-
rated 1T and handed his companion half.
you will be going away from me
pretty soon, Margaret he said. land
growing up and l won't know YOU
any more. l shall see a great many
Margarets, and now and then one of
them will say she is my Margaret. but
l will say, NO: you resemble my Mar
garet, but you are bigger than my
Margaret, and I can't be sure Then |
will take out this shell and | will say.
IF you are really my Margaret you
will have the other half of this shell,
and it will fit exactly Then if she
has the shell and it fits | shall know
that it is really my Margaret. no mat
ter how many years have gone by or
how much older she has grown"
All this he said very gravely and
earnestly, and the little girl took the
shell thoughtfully and promised to
keep it always. Next morning when
she came running up to meet him on
the hotel veranda he looked at her
questioningly.
"You look like Margaret" he said,
"but l can't be sure. If you are really
my Margaret you will have a shell
gave her Once-he mate to this one
He got no further The talisman was
promptly produced, and it fitted ex
actly. He returned to America. and
somewhat later Margaret received
letter-one of the pretty letters he was
always writing to children. In it he
said:
I am always making mistakes. When
I was in New York six weeks ago I was
on corner of Fifth avenue and saw a
small pirf-nnf ri
from the opposite corner, and l exclaim-
ed to myself joyfully. THAT is certainly
my Margaret" so | rushed to meet her.
But as she came nearer 1 began to doubt
and said to myself, It's Margaret, that
is plain enough. but I'm half afraid it is
somebody else's." So when l passed her
/ held my shell so she couldn't help but
see it. Dear she only glanced at it and
passed on. | wondered if she could have
overlooked it. 1t seemed best to find out.
SO 1 turned and followed and caught up
with her and said deferentially. Dear
miss, already know your first name by
the lock of you. but would YOU mind
telling me your other one?' She was
vexed and said, pretty sharply: Its
Douglas, if you're SO anxious to know.
know your name by your looks, and Ia
advise you to shut yourself up with pen
and ink and write some more rubbish. l
am surprised that they allow you to run
at large. You are likely to get run over
now and don't let the cows bite YOU.
What idea, There aren't any COW.
on Fifth avenue. But l didn't smile l
didn't let on to perceive how uncultured
she was. She was from the country, Of
course, and didn't know what comical
blunder she was making.
Margaret. with her mother called
when they returned to America. When
the cards We're brought TO him he look
ed at hers and said:
We'll, the young lady, her name
seems familiar, but l can't be sure its
my Margaret without a certain token
which she is supposed to carry as Il
proof Tie shell came up without
delay. He took the two halves now to
q ieweler and had them set in gold as
charms. One of these Margaret Wore
on a ribbon about her neck. and the
other he linked to his watch chain.
where it remained till he died. What
a sweet fancy it all was
He spent the last months of his life
In Bermuda in the home of one of his
angel fish. Helen Allen. daughter OF
the American vice consul there. She
was his daily companion. and it will
be her lifelong happy memory that
she frightened and comforted his final
days.-Albert Bigelow Paine in Ladies'