SORROWS OF THE POOR.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1081, 10 August 1912, Page 4

SORROWS OF THE POOR.

HOW MARK TWAIN MET HIS WIFE.

In Harper’s Magazine, Albert Bigelow Paine, the authorised biographer of Mark Twain, tells how the great humourist first met Olivia Langdon, who afterwards became his wife. They met in New York. Young Charles Langdon, who had been on the voyage of the “Innocents,” brought them together.

“At the old St. Nicholas Hotel, which stood on the west side of Broadway between Spring and Broome Street, there were stopping at this time Jervis Langdon, a wealthy coal dealer and mine owner of Elmira, his son Charles, and his daughter Olivia, whose pictured face Samuel Clemens had first seen, in the Bay of Smyrna, one September day. Young Langdon had been especially anxious to bring his distinguished Quaker City friend and his own people together, and two days before Christmas Samuel Clemens was invited to dine at the hotel. He went very willingly. The lovely girl of the miniature which he had first seen in her brother’s state-room had been often a part of his waking dreams. For the first time, now, he looked upon its reality. Long afterwards he said :

‘lt is forty years ago. From that day to this she has never been out of my mind.’ “His was not an unruffled courtship. When at last he reached the point of proposing tor the daughter of the house, neither the daughter nor the household offered any noticeable encouragement to his suit.

“There was only a provisional engagement at first. Jervis Langdon suggested, and Samuel Clemens agreed with him, that it was proper to know something of his past as well as of his present before the official parental sanction should be given. When Mr Eangdon inquired as to the names of persons ot standing to whom he might write for credentials, Clemens pretty confidently gave him the name of the Rev Stebbings and others of San Francisco, adding that he might write also to Joe Goodman if he wanted, to, but that he had lied for Goodman a hundred times, and that Goodman would lie for him if necessary, so his testimony would be of no value. The letters to the clergy were written, and Mr Eangdon also wrote one on his own account.

“Clemens was in Jacksonville, Illinois, at the end of March (1869), and in a letter to his publisher, states that he will be in Elmira two days later, and asks that proofs of the book be sent there. He arrived according to schedule, anxious to hear the reports that would make him, as the novels might say, ‘the happiest or the most miserable ot men.’ Jervis Eangdon had a rather solemn look when they were alone together. Clemens asked:

“ ‘You’ve heard from those gentlemen out there ?’ “ ‘Yes, and from another gentleman I wrote concerning you.’ “ ‘They don’t appear to have been very enthusiastic from your manner.” “ ‘Well, yes, some of them were.’ “ T suppose I may ask what particular form their emotion took ?’ “ ‘Oh, yes ; yes, they agree unanimously that you are a brilliant, able man, a man with a future, and that you would make about the worst husband on record.’ “The applicant for favour had a forlorn look. ‘‘There’s nothing very evasive about that,’ he said. ‘‘There was a period of reflective silence. It was probadly no more than a few seconds, but it seemed longer. ‘‘ 'Haven’t you any other friend that you could suggest i Langdon said. ‘‘ ‘Apparently none whose testimony would be valuable.’ ‘‘Jervis Langdon held out his band. ‘You have at least one,’ he said. T believe in you. I know you better than they do,’

‘‘And so came the crown of happiness. The engagement of Samuel taugborne Clemens and Olivia Lewis Laugdou was ratified next day, February 2nd, 1869.”