The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1917-08-02

is in doubt to whether he made that half promise;
not-and he will give the thing the benefit of the
doubt; he will fulfill that half promise or kill him
self trying Fred Grant was right-he did fulfill
; his aggravangly trustful natures his genuineness
simplicity, modesty. difidence. selfdepreclation,
poverty in the quality of vanity and in no contra
dicton of this last his simple pleasure in the flowers
and general ruck sent to him by Tom Dick and Har-
ry from everywhere-a pleasure that suggested
perennial surprise that he should be the object of
much fine attention-he was the most lovable great
child in the world q mentioned his loyalty: you re-
member Harrison; the colored body servant? the
whole family hated him, but that did not make any
difference, the General always stood at his back,
wouldn't allow him to be scolded; always excused
his failures and Deficiencies with the unvaryng for
mula, We responsible for these things in his
race-t is not fair to visit fault upon them-et
him alone" so they did let him alone, under COM
pulson, until the great heart that his shield
taken away; tben-well, they simply couldn't stand
him, and so they were excusabe for determining to
discharge him-a thing which they MORALLY hated
to do, and by lucky accident were saved from the
necessity of doing) his toughness as barganer
when doing business for other people or for his
country WITNESS his terms at Donelson, Vicksburg
etc.; Fred Grant told mis- father wound up an
estate for the widow and orphans of friend in St.
Louis-it took several years; at the end every
plication had been Strengthened out, and the pro-
perty put upon prosperous basis great sums had
passed through his hands, and when he handed over
the papers there vouchers to show what had
been done with every penny and his trusting, easy
unexactng fashion when doing business for himself
Cat that same time he was paying out money in drb
let's to man who was running his farm for him
and in his first Presidency he paid every one of
those dribles again (tota, $4,000 F. sad), for he
hadn't scrap of paper to show that he had
paid them before; in his dealings with he would
not listen to terms which would place my money at
risk and leave his protected-the thought plainly gave
him pain, and he put it from him, waved it off with
his hands, does accounts of crushings and mu-
tations- wouldn't listen changed the subject; and
his fortitude! He under sentence of death last
spring; he sat thinking. musing several days-nobody
knows what about then he pulled himself together and
set to work to finish that book, colossal task for
dying man. Presently his hand gave out; fate
ed to have him checkmated. Dictation was suggest
ed. No, he could do that had never tried it;
too old to learn, now. By and by-if he could only
do Appomatox- So he sent for stenograph-
er, and dictated 5000 words at a single sitting!-
never pausing, never hesitating for word, never
repeating-and in the written out copy he made
hardly correction. He dictated again, every two
or three days-the intervals were intervals of ex-
haustion and slow recuperation-and at last he was
able to tell me that he had written matter than
could be got into the book then enlarged the
book-had to. Then he lost his voice. He was
not quite done yet, however:-there was no end of
little plums and spices be stuck in here and there
and this work he patiently continued, few lines
day, with pad and pencil till far into July, at Mt.
McGregor. One day he put his pencil aside, and
said he done-there was no more to do. If 1
had been there could have foretold the shock that
struck the world three days later.
We'll, I've written all this, and 1t doesn't seem
to amount to anything. But do want to help if l
only could. will enclose some scraps from my Au-
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES about General Grant-they
may be of some trfe of use, and they may not
they at least verify known traits of his character
My Autobiography is pretty freely dictated, but my
idea to jack-plane it little before die, some day
other, mean the rude construction and rotten
grammar. 1t is the only debating ever did, and 1t
was most troublesome and awkward work. You
may return it to Hartford
Sincerely Yours
S. L. CLEMENS"
Short of Men