MARK TWAIN MANUSCRIPTS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1097, 8 April 1911, Page 9

MARK TWAIN MANUSCRIPTS.

Writing of a recent salo of Marl; Twain's hocks and manuscripts, the Ne\y York "Evening I'ost" says:— Portions of tlie library have been given to. the'public library nt I?cc]tliiiy, Conn., in which Mark 'J'wain was much interested. In IfIUS ho had a printed sheet, headed "To My Guests, Greeting, and Salutation, ami Prosperity!" telling of the progress of the library,

and closing with the following characteristic sentences, v,-'nidi 'have not, so far as we know, been -re-printed "Everybody will have a chance to contribute to this fund. Everybody, including my guests—l moan guests from a distance. It seems best .to use coercion in this case. Therefore, ! have levied a tax-—a Guests' Mark Twain Library Building Tax, of one dollar, not upon the valuable sex, but only ■upon the other one. Guests of the valuable sex aro tax-free, ami shall so remain; but guests of tho other sex must pay, whether they are willing or not. 1 desire that the money be paid to me, personally; this is the safest way. If it were paid to'n.y secretary, a record would have to be.made of it, and the record could get lost." A list of the .moro important manuscripts included in tho sale has been already printed in this column. They aro mostly lato manuscripts, the longest being ''A Horse's Tail," written on one side of 1.39 leaves, printed in "Harper s Magazine''■ in 1006,' and "Meistersehaft," 02 leaves, printed in the "Century' Magazine" •in ISBS.' A note to tho printer on the . "Meisterschaft" manuscript shows that there was probably prepared a privately printed issuo of this pieco which, i. one is still in ! existence, would be counted a great troasuro by any Mark Twain collector. ■This note reads: "Dear \ an, —Please set this up, and after you have got your proof as clean as you-caii, send mo a proof, and'l will correct it, and return it to you, and ask .you to strike off two or three i'i? 1 ' copies for mo to forward-tc the.- Century.' . . . Keep tho thing private. Don't let it get out.of vour hands.' 1

This shows that the original plan was to set up the story in sonio other printing office and strike off. a few copies which the author could revise with moro care than oould be given to the regular magazine .proofs.'. . Whether or not this was actually done is, of course, uncertain. .