OCR Text |
Show MARK TWAIN. A VISIT TO HIS HOUSE IN HARTFORD HIS S1SGULAR BEHAVIOR. The New York Sun has the following follow-ing extract Irom a private letter to a gentleman in Now York city: Hartford, Oct. 18. I called yesterday yester-day upon our old friend Clemens, better known to the police as Mark Twain, for the purpose of ascertaining ascertain-ing the truth of certain stories which have reached us of late regarding the present condition of hia fine mind. Clemens lives iu a surprising house on Farraington avenue, in the outskirts out-skirts of the city. The resources of taste and wealth have been lavished upon this residence, and the result is a structure architecturally midway between a mediaeval church and a modern game of base ball. Herein Mark lives the elegant life of a man of leisure, cutting coupons, smoking long and strong pipes from morning till night, and drinking luger beer, which he buys by tbe keg, and often. I was shown into the library, the appointments of which are chan'.cter-iBtic chan'.cter-iBtic of the owner's originality. The tints are all neutral, and .the furniture furni-ture of the homeliest and plainest description. On the study -table stood a plaster bust of John Calvin, ra whose face somebody had inked a goatee and ftstotned moustaches. The charm of the room is in the immense im-mense open fireplace, where generous logs were burning upon old-lnshioned brass and irons. The mantlepierc i of heavy black oak, purchased by Mr. Clemena in Engiand. Over the fireplace is a brass plate, on which tbe followine inscription is engraved en-graved in Old English text: ; "A HANDSOME MAN 13 THEORNA- : MENT OF Hia OWN HOUSE." While I was reading this legend, our friend came in. He is as tall and as sad-eyed as ever. The unequal un-equal disposition of flesh upon his face, which is pulpy iu places and lean in others, tells of the struggle for supremacy that is going on within tiia tissues between the lat-producing beer and the fat-destroying tobacco. The tobacco appears to be getting the better of tbe beer. Clemena came in wearing ft long dressing gown of sombre hue, and after glancing furtively around the room, advanced and took my hand. " Hush, " he said, "you mint go instantly. in-stantly. We are observed. Do you no', bear their derisive laughter. Fly, my friend; fly at one." "Thev are not laughing at us," 1 replied, humoring bis strange fancy. "They are laughing over your bookB your joke." "Now, look here, pard," be paid, 1 tying his sinewy hand upon my Bhoulder and dragging me to the door. "That was a million, ten million mil-lion years a0. I know the humorous laugh and T know the political laugh. Escape without deiay. H they capture cap-ture us here together they will make you president and me inspector ol elections for this ward." I tried to sootie h:m, but in va n. "There was ft time, ages and ami now gone by," he continued, gazing abstractedly into the fire, "when it wag my ambition to bo inspector ol elections in thm ward. I worked for il; I pulled wires for i'; I prevarimled, aye, falsehood ed for it. They promised prom-ised to make me inspector of elections it I would preside at a political meeting in Hartfurd a town on the Connecticut Connecti-cut river and make a funny speech. Ha! I hear their fiendish laughter still. It has rung in my ears these centuries. They g-ive the place to another man. I sinki-d my toul and lost it. You come litre to jeer at me, to Bcofl ! But I am a desperate man. See hero !" He seized the tongs and with one powerlul blow be scattered John Calvin Cal-vin into a thousand fragments. Then he turned on .me. Seeing that it was useless to reaeon with him in his pres cnt slate of mind I tied. Clemens bus done many things lately which give his friends natural alarm. Last week he hnieled a little tUg of black crape on each of the numerous lightning rods which adorn his mansion. Last Sunday In? walked slowly up the aile of the Rev. Mr. Twichell'a church, stood a moment before the desk, and then turned and Ued, uttering piercing shrieki. Yesterday Yes-terday he aticnded a match game of Lhe California polo players, who are exhibiting at lhe trolling park, insisting insist-ing on mounting an almost unmanageable unman-ageable mustaug, known as tbe ! "bucking horse," and rode wildly up and clown Asylum street, ah ou Ling "Woe! woe unto Israel ?'' His actions ac-tions are especially queer at or near the full ot the moon. |