Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-18

Mark T.Uain, sUho created the character,
Huck Finn, from the SON of Hannibal,
Mo-, ne'er-d0-sUeN
who caught Huck trying to pass on as q girl,
and the others, would get into an old faded Z
dress of my mothers. Sometimes, If the text
called for it. I'd don sunbonnet belonging to
my mother.
American artists Of his time. He is still alive
and is still as versatile in his drawing as he
was when he illustrated Huckleberry Finn. He
is about 20 years old now and lives In Cannon
dale, Conn.
For any one acquainted with Kemble's man
ner Of working-his lightning speed with which
ne could catch q facial likeness or pose-hs
ability to draw q lfelke portrait In two minutes,
1t is difficult to believe that he never attended
art school, and yet 1t Is true. II there ever was
native genius, he may be accounted one"
MARX TWAIN visited the Kemble studio ON
Az one occasion during the five months the
artist was at work on the illustrations, with
young court" Morris as his faithful model.
1.-The thing that impressed me most about
Mark Twain that one time met him." Mr.
Morris says, was that he gave no outward ap-
pearance Of being the professional humorist
He was very quiet and reserved, and showed
his appreciation Of things, not with words. but
by kindly twinkle Of his eyes. -,
He wore q frock coat and would stand with
his hands in his pockets and cigar IN his
mouth and watch Kemble as he sketched. He
was an inveterate cigar smoker. Once he
lighted them, he smoked them down TO the
smallest Of butts, and many times he would
burn his flowing mustache.
"He was q marked contrast then with the
pictures of him taken later In his life. His
thick mop Of hair. his heavy eyebrows and his
flowing mustache were sim dark. The familiar
pictures show him with snow-white hair.
while am the original Huckleberry Finn
as far as Kemble's illustrations of the story are
concerned" Mr.. Morris continued, and he
carefully emphasized the point. "of course. I
am not the Huck Finn Mark Twain had In
mind when he wrote the famous story.
'Eiuckleberry Finn was O real character, al-
though his name wasn't Huck Finn He lived
In Hannibal. Mo-. during Mark Twain's
boyhood."
EoR proof of his assertion, Mr. Morris refers
you to the famous humorist's autobd-
ography, and there you may read Mark Twain's
reply to one of the occasional newspaper &C.
counts Of Huck Firms demise.
IL have replied that Huckleberiy Finn was
Tom Blankenship." wrote Twain.
Toms father was at one time Town Drunkard.
an exceedingly well defined and unof6cial once
of those DAYS o and for q time he was
sole and only incumbent Of the ONCE, but after
ward Jimmy Finn proved competency and dis
puted the place with him.
In Huckleberry Finn have drawn Tom
Biankenship exactly as he was. He was
ignorant, unwashed, insuficiently fed; but he
had as good heart as ever any boy had. He
was the only really independent person-man
or boy-in the community, and by consequence
he was TRANQUILITY and continuously happy, and
was envied by all the rest Of u.s."
So, while Huckleberry Finn was Tom
Blankenship. he was also Court" Morris as far
as Kemble's illustrations are concerned, and,
therefore. it isn't surprising that when MI.
Morris meets his boyhood cronies, they usually
greet him with good-natured Hello, Huckl"
(Copyright, 1890. ~