Arizona republican., 1912-04-25
HOW MARK TWAIN MET HIS
 WIFE.

In Harper's Magazine for May, AL bert BgeloW Paine the authorized bi ograp pher of Mark Twain. tells how the great humorfst first met Olivia Langdon who afterward became his wife They met in New York Young Charles LangdOn who had been on the voyage of the "Innoccnts' brought them together
 At the old St. Nicholas Hotel which stood on the west side ol Broadway between Spring and Broome streets. there were stopping at this time Jervis Langdon, wealthy coal dealer and mine-owner of Elmira. his son Charles, and his daughter Olivia, whose pictured face Samuel Clemens had first seen, in the Bay Of Smyrna, one September day. Young LangdOn had been especially anxious to bring his distinguished Quaker City friend and his own people together, and two days before Christmas Samuel Glenn chs was invited to dine at the hotc He went very willingly. The loVcI. girl of the miniature which he had first seen in her brothers state-room had been often a part of his waking dreams For the first time, now h" looked upon it's reality. Long after ward he said:
 ' It is forty years ago. From that day to this she has never been out of my mind
 His was not an unrufrled court ship When at last he reached the point of proposing for the daughter of the house. neither the daughter nor the household offered any noticeable encouragement to his suit.
 "Therc was only a provisional en- gagcment at first Jervis LangiOn suggested. and Samuel Clemens agreed with him, that it was proper to know something of his past as well as of his present before the official parental sanction should be given When MT. I.angdon inquired as to the names of persons of standing to whom he might wri,c for credentials, Clemens pretty confidently gave him the name of the Rev Stebbings and others of San Francisco, adding that he might write also to Joe Goodman if he wanted to, but that he hal lied for | Goodman a hundred times. and that l Goodman would lie for him if neces- sary. so his testimony would be of l no value The letters to the clergy were written, and Mir Langdon also | wrote one on his own account. "Clemcns was in Jacksonville, Hi nois at the end Of March G8G9 and | in letter to his publisher states that 1 he will be in Elmira two days later, 1 and asks that proofs of the book be sent there. He arrived according to | schedule, anxious to hear the reports l that would make him, as the novels l might say, the happiest or the most miserable of men Jcrvis Langdon had a rather solemn look when they
 were alone together. Clemens asked ! You've heard from those gentle
 men out there?'
 " Yes. and from another gentleman wrote concerning you"
 |" They don't appear tO have been very enthusiastic from your manner.
 " Well. yes. some of them were.
 " I suppose I may ask what partic- ular form their emotion tooR?'
 *' oh yes; yes they agree unani-
 mously that you are d brilliant, ahlc
 man. a man wi,h a future and that
 you would make about the worst huS-
 band on rccOrl.'
 The applicant for favor had | f0rlorn look.
 " There's nothing very eVaSiVt
 about that he said.
 'Thcrc was a period of reflective
 silence It was probably no more
 than few seconds. but it scemct
 longer.
 Haven't you any other fri"ne
 that you coulI sugges;?' Langdor
 said
 Apparently none whose testimony
 would be valuable
 "Jervis LangIon held out his hand