THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF
MARK TWAIN
Ushering in Susy as Biographer
«fV r 7"VV'7' in;x > "'" v was thirteen, and was a
$*>'£' W ] " " A h " : hl ' ]v 1V "' : ' 1 w:th plaited tails
Vx/if of copper tinged brown hair down
iS >' ' . her back, and was perhaps the
[<* /r ,•• -■« busiesi bee in the household hive,
•-'.■■•i by reason of the manifold studies,
n/ljE --^ health exercises, md recreations
/£v'-* .*•" •'♦ ■■■<• ■•■■■I to attend to, she secretly.
[c@o • ,v*■ ] •'" ■ "' her own motion, an 1 out
\^*jt_*\ I~>J> of love, added another task to her
labors: the writing of a biography
I • this work in her bed room at night,
md •: " rec rd hi lien. After a little the
- • red il and niched it, and let me see
it; tl Susy what she had done, and how
please ' in I '". >w pr< I.
I:■ tliai time with a deep pleasure I
bad liments before, bui none that touched
■ ne tl il could approach it for value
i' has kepi that place always since i
>mpliment , no praise, no tribute from
any - ' '■ ■>- so precious to me as this one
A.s ! read il now, after all these
• is still a king's message to me, and
lie same dear surprise il brought me
the path is added, of the thought
■ ■ an 1 ha ■• \ han ! thai sketi he i h and
I noi touch mine again. — and
! ile and unexpectanr must
■ ■ eyes fall upon the edict
■• i the ranks i■: the noble
\"< ile I was rummaging in a \ ile
o ■'.- v. hii h i hadn I seenf< ir
icross a reference to tlial biography.
i- lent that several times, at breakfast
. -.:i those long past days, I was p i j
: : phy In fact, 1 clearly remember
• g thai . and 1 also remember thai
S lii I remember saying a very smart
I deal of an air, at the breakfast
I ■ ing, and that Susy observed to her
• ly a little later, that papa was doing
• >graphy
ng myself to change any line or word
in - - "^ me; but will introduce passages
fr ■!■! then just as they came in their
... ■ f her h inest heart, which
tifu heart of a child. What c mes
iurce has a charm and grace of its own
.... all the recognized laws of
■ choose, and yet be literature still,
'.: ispitality. 1 shall print the whole
sjraphy. before i have done with it —
sent ence.
is frequently desperate; but it was
tand I love it, an i cann< it
■ is gold r< ■ correct it would
I■ w< iuld sp< >:1 it . It wi 'i:ld
-.1 flexibility, and make
tiff and n v en it is most extrava
■ I .• I]-: [1 is Susy's spelling, and
doing the best she could — and nothing
etter it for me.
Dt'^innink? the Momentous Work
V l>egan the biography in 1885. when I was
... roi my age, and she just enter
■ nth f hers She begins in this way:
• • tmily We 1 nsist ■ Papa,
■ ■ me. It is papa ! am writing
■ • tr :'■'■ in ■kn ...
■ .. ■ i - .1 very striking ■hit t< ter
• . minute — I n -.11 return ti • Susy presently.
tter of slavish imitation, man is the
• uperior all the time. The average man
of independence of opinion. He is not
! -.!i • mtriving an opinion of his own, by
I reflection, but is only anxious to find < »ut
neighbor's opinion 1- and slavishly adopt
generation ago I found out that the latest
•a I k was pretty sure to be just a refiei -
: the earliest review of it; that whatever the
reviewer found to praise or censure in the book
v ild be repeated in the latest reviewer's report,
n ■•;.:n^ fresh added. Therefore, more than
c 1 took the precaution of sending my bo k in
manuscript to Mr Hi i\v« when he was editor of
The Atlantic Monthly," so thai he could prepare
a review of it at leisure. I knew he would say the
• ;•' about the book; I also knew that he would
m >re merit than demerit in it, because I already
new that that was the condition <>t the book I
II >wed no copy of it to go out to the press until
r Mr. Howells's notice of it had apiieared. That
. was always safe. There isn 1 a man be
.l \K-n in all America that ha I the i .: tge
• I anything in the '•• • •": ■.■:.:■ h Mr 11
■ found; there wasn't a man behind a pen
icrica that had >p:r:t enough t'> say a brave
ig al " >ut ■ k oi ■. m re
[ believe thai
■
...
large value \V ; r> Dudley Warner an i 1
were ..••• "Tl G lAj
! »aily Graphic " persuaded ■
let him have ai • . giving i
word : .... . VV( iusi .
in In:- pa] Lfter "Th( M i
notice should have appeared Th< reptil<
I a review •■! the book within I
afterward. I could not really complain, b<
he had only given me his word of honor as
nty : 1 ■ iughi t< i have r< |uin i oi him si mie
thinj; i i t]
I believi ■ ■ lid not d mail
■
m ir il atl itude 1 I It v
that 1 had iw ■ •
upon the ] : ; '..-.; Mr Warn* i
much as h.A\ of i lie 1 1. . an I 1 I
. . . ...
so the crii
■
■ 1 he
■ ■
! ■ lion, in that il
■■ : -
I
oi a bi m ■•. or of any other woi
:.■ • ■
in Amerii a i •::■ ftcr 1 .
■ ■ ■
and ':• : • that dun ...
. • ■ most mi-
M : 1 11( \\ ■ •
to inveni i I
:': ' Grai
Howi ci let it go It i il
mv •
.
Meantime. 1
: ■ ...
I •
not unus< I
Perpetuating a Description
w
: ■
tiun wiili i nil in<
! .
floated around the country in the papers, and was
i:i constant use and wear for v quarter of .1 1 eni ury
It seems .... thai apparently 11 • critic in
the country could be found who could look at me
and have t!:<- courage {>■ take up his pen and destroy
that lie. That lie began its course on the Pacific
coasi in 1864, ami ii likened me in personal appear*
ance to Petroleum V. Xasby, who hail been put there
leci uring.
For twenty-five years afterward ii" critic could
furnish a description of me without fetching in
N.i -' t> help out my portrait. I knew Xasby
well, and he was a good fellow; but in my life 1
haw- not felt malignant enough ..... more
than ...... charge those ... with
resembling Xasby It hurts me to the heart.
I was always handsome. Anybody but a critic
could have een ii And h :... i long been a distress
t" my family, including Su-y. ... tl i
i:" "!i making th:> weari 01 .■ 1 take, year after
year, when there was nu foun !.•: ■:: for :: Even
when .1 criti wanted !<■ ':•<■ particularly fr:e:i !'.y
and complimentary to me, he didn't dare to go
nd my clothes He never ventured bej nd
that old sate frontier Whin he had finished ■■.•':.
my clothes he had said all the kind things, the
pleasant things, the complimentary things, he could
ri k Then ::•■ dropped back "M Xasby.
Yesterday 1 found th:- clipping in the pocket '»f
(•ne of those an nt 1 i ndum I>•«-k.-^I >• « -k.-^ of mine.
I- i oi the date <•! thirty-nine years ago, and '■ >th
• '.< :■■;■• and the ink are yellow \\ :• : . the bitterness
that 1 felt 111 that old day when I clipped it out to
Ind brood over it, an 1 grieve about it.
will copy it here, to wit. :
A > ... indent ol Phi I'hiladelphia Press." writing
:■■•;■•:•;.. ■. ■ <i ■■:• VVa h
... ' Mai . .•■ hum 1
• ■ ilc erves to U- Mark
• ■ ■ ■ ■■ • nowy vest i
.... . . .
• ' ■ i •••■.!•: '.'. X::;.' toi •: ':.
: ■ ■ ■ 1 i : . i 1 v
• • ■ .• . ■ •.■:.• have Lh en tolen t» >va ■■■■■ fui
harei te were they in :. ■• but n 1
thai In form ami
tun ' ■ • • ■ : ■ to the imnv >rta! N
l>ut wl t IVti ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ • • re. Twain is
1 ....
.. ■ .
■
I .... ...
.... . j. .
5
Drawing by F Luis M,.ra