MARK TWAIN.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 834, 4 June 1910, Page 9

MARK TWAIN.

The English papers, bringing the. news of Mark Twain's death, are naturally full of articles of. the dead humorist. Here is an anecdotal article, from the "Westminster Gazette' , :— Of all thewitty. things said or written by Mark Twain, .110 phrase has been quoted oftener than his reply ;• to an alarmist report: "Humour of uiy death greatly exaggerated." I think the history of this-, bon mot'(says a correspondent) may interest Marie Twain was on .a visit to-London-some years ago, and had been secured as-the chief guest of a dinner to be given by a "literary"club. *On the-" morning'of the day when the dinner was to take place . the secretary was shocked to hear .1 rumour that Mark Twain had died suddenly. At his wit's end, he 'sought to it by a diplomatic note to Mrs. Clemens, in which he mentioned the' rumour. Mark Twain got. hold of the note, and telegraphed the now-famous reply: "Bumour of my death greatly exaggerated." " Few people arc aware that several years ago Mark Twain took a house at Giiildfdrd, and lived very quietly there. . His daughter was then studying music, and when her London lessons were over Mr. Clemens, went with hoi , to live in Vienna, in order that she might have ■ the advantage of a celebrated teacher's guidance. Mark Twain enjoyed the ietirement of his Surrey days very much. /Mr. Clemens used to tell that while he was in England his head was once taxed—he believed, as gasworks. He wrote Queen Victoria a friendly letter of protest. He said, "I don't know you, but I've met your son. He was at the head. of a procession in • the Strand, and I was, on a.'bus." Years afterwards he met the Prince of Wales at'Homburg. They had a long walk and talk together. When bidding him good-bye the. Prince said, "I am glad to have met you again." .This remark troubled. Mark Twain, who feared that he had been mistaken for someone else, perhaps Bishop Potter. Ho communicated his suspicion to the Prince, who replied; "Why, don't yofl remember when you met me in the Strand, and I was at the head of a procession and you wore on a 'bus?" . ." To a question on one occasion as to his methods of work, Mark Twain replied: "I work very regularly when I work at all. I work every day and all day from breakfast 'till , late, into the night until the work is .-finished. I never begin to work before eleven ; .n the morning, and I sit at it till they pull me away from table to dress for dinner at seven at night. They make me stop then fora while, as they think I jnight overwork myself, but I don't think there is any fear of that. The mere physical work would not hurt me or anybody else; you can sleep that off. The mental part of it is nothing but amusement; it's not work." Asked what he found most helpful*in his work, Mark at once replied, "Tobacco," picking up a capacious pipe, which was kapfc busily engaged as lie paced up and down the room, enveloped in a thick cloud of smoke. "I always smoke when at work; I couldn't do without it, I smoke by necessity. I did stop smoking once for a year and n quarter,-bill m thiit year and a quarter I didn't write anything." With reference to the'amount of tobaoco used, it has been stated that Mark Twain's annual "ailnv/ancn" of cigars was ihno thoiisiml, but this by no means ends t-ho .iC.'ira, and his love Fnr his "com cob" rm close his partiality for lhc> n:e::v r.ristoeratic form. .Tiro bowl nf hif. j>ip" was mado from the hnUowod-o-,it. cob af an ear of Indian corn.