The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-03-04

HON MARK TWAIN HELPED HIS
RIOGRAPHEK.

Tx. \
Writing of his association with
Mark Twain in Harper's M~agazine:
Albert Bigelow Paine. the author
lied biogIapher OF the great hu-
moriSt, tells Of how he began tho
work and the part which Mark Twain
himself played in it.
O Tuesday, January 9. 1906, II
was on hand with q capable stenog-
rapher. one who had successfully and
successfully held Secretarial positions
with Charles Dudley Warner and Mrs.
Mary Mapes Dodge, n was there
fore peculiarly qualified for the work
In hand.
Mark Twain, meantime. had been
revolving our plans and adding some
features Of own. He proposed to
double the Va. 1e and interest Of our
employment by letting his dictations
continue the form OF some earlier
photographed chapters. begun in
1855. and continued later in Vienna
think he could follow a definite
chronological programme; that he
would like to wander about. picking
up this point and that, as memory
Or fancy prompted. without any par
ticular biographical order. I could
also suggest subjects for dictation, and
ask particulars Of any special cpl
Sode or period. I believe this covered
the whole arrangement, which did not
require more than five minutes and
We set to work without further pro-
logue.
He dictated that morning Of mat
ters connected with the history Of
back to hts childhood, returning again
to the more modern period, and
closed, I think, with some comments
on current affairs. It was absorb
sngly interesting; his quaint, unhur-
rled fashion OF speech, the uncon-
play OF his features as his fancies
phrases passed in mental review
and were accepted or waved aside
We were watching one OF the great
literary creators of his time in the
Very process Of his architecture. We
constituted about he most selec,
audience In the world enjoyi~~ what
was. likely enough. it's most remark
able entertainment. When he turn
ed at last and inquired the time, We
were an amazed that two hours and
more had slipped away.
THE dictations thus begun con-
tinued steadily from week to week
and always with increasing charm
We never knew what he was going tC
talk about. and it was seldom that
: he knew until the Of begin
ming: then he went drifting amons
SpiSo0cS, lHclOentS, ana perlOOS IN ms
! irresponsible fashiOn-the fashion o.
| table conversation, as he said-the
methodleSS method OF the human
: mind.
g 1T was not for several weeks tina
y I began to realize that these mar
velous "reminiscences bore only an at
e mosphcric relation to history; tina
I they were aspects of biography rathe'
: than its veritable narrative. and bull
e largely-sonetimes whOHy-from al
Q imagination that, with age, had doni
S mated memory. creating details. ever
: reversing them. Yet with a perfec
sincerity Of purpose on the part o
5 h narrator to set own the litera
e and unvarnished truth. 1t was hi
constant effort to be frank and faith
q full to fact, to record, to confess. an
to condemn without stint. If yor
wanted to know the worst of Mar
Twain you had only to ask him 70
1t. He would give it. to the las
- Syllable-worse h the worst, 70
= his Imagination would magnify it an
adorn it with new iniQuities. and
Z he gave 1t again, or a dozen time!
II he would improve upon it each tim.
until the thread Of history was a
le NOS impossible to trace through tn
marvel of that fabric; and he woul
y do the same for another person jus
l. as willingly. Those wildly real pei
m %sOnalitieS that he marched and cour
l. tef-mdTCneU DeIOrS us were the mo:
he convincing creatures in the worl,
rs the most entertaining, the most e.
cruciatinSly humorous, or wicked. {
re tragic: but, alas, they were not a
t. way safe to include in a record tn;
TO must bear a certain semblance
No history. They often disagreed in the
m performance, and even in their cha
IN acters. with the documents in II
nr next room, as I learned by and
Il. when those records, disentangled. b
gan To rebuild the structure Of II
~ years.
~1TH