The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1911-03-10
HIS GIRL FRIENDS.
Mark Twain Dearly Loved Chill
dren as PIaymates.
THE ANGEL FISH SOCIETY.
A Delightful and Touching Story About
Little Margaret, One of Its Members,
and tho Genial Humorist-A Pretty
Compact and a Quaint Letter.


Compact and Quaint Letter.
Like many another great man, Mark
Twain was fond Of children. He never
Dutgrew childhood, and be 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 I'm
Europe, he created a club which was
TO consist Of one (only onel girl In each
country OF the globe. the duty Of said
member being to write occasionally to
the chief officer, who faithfully replied
10 these random and far fariIg mes
Bages. or 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 to the law.
Another club Of girls, little girls. be-
came one Of the chief interests during
his final years. 1t had It's beginning
I'm Bermuda during one of his frequent
visits to those happy islands. 1t was
called the Angel Fish club. after a
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 1t
always remained Members with their
parents visited him there, and the bill
Hard 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 II 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 small iridescent double shell,
delcately hinged together. He sepa-
"You will be going away from me
pretty soon, Margaret" he said. land
growing up. and | won't know you
any more. shall see a great many
Margarets. and now and then one OF
them will say she Is my Margaret. but
I will say, No; you resemble my Mar
garet, but you are bigger than my
Margaret. and 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 she'll
and It will flt exactly Then IL she
has the shell and 1t fits l shall know
that 1t 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 II always. Next morning when
she came running up to meet him on
questioningly
"You look like Margaret" he said,
"but | can't be sure. If you are really
my Margaret you will have shell l
gave her once--the mate to this one
He got no further. The talisman was
promptly produced. and 1t fitted ex-
nctly. He returned TO America. and
somewhat later Margaret received a
letter-one of the pretty letters he was
always writing to children. In Ii he
said:
! am always making mistakes. When
| was I'm New York six weeks ago | was
on a corner OF Fifth avenue and saw a
small girl-not big one-start across
from the opposite corner. and l eXclalm-
ed to myself joyfully. THAT is certainly
my Margaret" so / rushed to meet her
But as she came nearer l began TO doubt
and said TO myself. IT'S n Margaret that
IS plain enough. but I'm half afraid II is
somebody elses." SO when | passed her
] held my shell so she couldn't help but
see II. Dear. she only glanced at IL and
passed on. l wondered II she could have
overlooked II. II seemed best TO find out
so | turned and followed and caught up
with her and said deferentially, Dear
miss l already know your first name by
the look OF you. but would you mind
telling me your other oneY' She was
vexed and said. pretty sharply: It's
Douglas IL you're so anxious 10 know. j
know your name by your looks, ana Ia
advise you TO shut yourself up with pen
and ink and write some more rubbish. i
am surprised that they allow you 60 run
at large You are likely TO get run over
by n baby carriage any time. Run along
now and don't let the cows bite you
What an idea! There aren't any cows
| 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 were brought TO him he look
ed at hers and said:
"Well. the young lady. her name
seems familiar. but can't be sure It's
my Margaret without a certain token
which she is supposed to carry rs n
proof" The shell came up without
delay. He took the two halves now to
| an go~~aior opI bod fham cot I'm rpid ~