ONLY FATHER'S FUN

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 208, 24 August 1908, Page 4

ONLY FATHER'S FUN

MISS CLARA CLEMENS TELLS SOME "NAN.NYGOATS" ABOUT HER FATHER, MARK TWAIN. To begin with, 1 call them '•nannygoats," because that was what 1 called them when i was a little girl. We were trowing the Atlantic, 1 remember, and father, alter walking witii me one morning on the promenade-deck, suddenly had an idea, and stopped short in the middle of a stride.

" I'm goimr inside'." he told lie. ■• Don't let anyone disturb me, Clara; iuul, if they ask. where I am, say I'm writing up an anecdote.'' ■Sure enough, live minutes later a gentleman came, up to me and asked f or lather. "Ob. he mu.tu't be disturbed! ' 1 told him. "lie's inside with a nannygoat!' Being in London without a father, as 1 am now, is quite a novel experience lor me, for 1 have done, comparatively little travelling without him. One big advantage of having him. on a journey is that he is .practical, and counts everything, lie counts the. packages when he gets into a train, and again when he gets out, and if the two totals don't lallv,' he knows that something has been lost. 1 remember bis-once counting, when we got into a train, eleven packages, and when we got. out, only ten. Father was in great distress. Suddenly-, however, his face lit up. ' "Why, Clara," kc exclaimed, ,- X was forgetting von!" Jlc had lumped me in with gasog»ne and umbrellas! Once, he forgot me altogether. Ihe. family had been stopping at Aix, while niv sister and 1 were at a pension )ii [ Geneva, and father, on a certain day, was to come and meet us. I Well he came; but when he reached 'the pension, he learned that wn hail left for llw hotel, and, when he reached the hotel, was told we were not there. For some time, ho drove from the pension to the hotel and from the hotel l.) the pension; and, then, suddenly be forgot what he was looking for! What did he do?. He drove back to the hotel and asked them. Father, as perhaps you.know, always smokes the. strongest, worst cigars obtainable in America. He likes cigars 'that talk—shout, if possible. _ On one occasion we landed in France, and were going through the Customs. Father declared everything—among the rest, a number of these strong cigars •■ Two hundred francs," said the olli--lint mv dear man," said iathei. ■ thev didn't cost me as much as that! ■■Two hundred francs," repeated tlie " lan - . , i,., f ■-- •■You won't get me to pay that. .■lid father. "H isn't fair duly! there you are! Take the cigars! You can ii.ive them!" The oliieial smiled, and made no ooiection. .Snipping off the end of one, lie lit up, anil was soon pulling awa, r,, his heart's content. As Vmatter of fact father had known , uil , well what be was doing watched the man turning a delicate green. ~ u.,,,,,,,,1, ■» ■•Here, vou can pass them thiougli. , mmiml ,:,l' the oliieial. "I've i'»>"« l " the conclusion they don I conic uiulei the heading of dutiable articles ..•j„, lU y, a "nannygoat" about falhei i, "s l uiueoHel,rau"'J»"t 0 He l, rau"'J»" t when father took ~„ the receiver he couldn't get any

''"■•w'ikU. tl.t- 1-liuiky Wank LliUik i.hiil; 1 " roarer! father. . "'••U Hint you, Mr. Cl«'ii.™s{ •.■ami .„v,,- ,1,,. lim'. "Tins is Mr. aft! ..y„ <: t ].U is Mr. ftim*,' f,U.,r i" niilk-amUlii'iwy aecimts. ,'i'n !-.':;\ihl lihw liwso tclcplKJiU's work!