THE AMERICAN CLAIMANT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 31, 6 February 1892, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE AMERICAN CLAIMANT.

BY MARK TWAIN-

CHAPTER VII.

Arrived in his room Lord, Berkeley made preparations for that first and last and all-the-timo duty of the visiting Englishman— bhe jobbing down in his diary of his ' impressions 'bo date. His preparations consisted in ransacking hi 3 ' box ' for a pen. There was plenty of steel pens on his table with the ink bottlo, but ho was English. Tho English people manufactured steel pens for nineteen-twentieths of the globe, bub bhey never use any bhemselves. They use exclusively tho pre-historic quill. My lord not only found a quill pen, but the besb one he had seen in several years—and afber writing diligently for some time, closed wibh the following entry :

' Bub in ono thing I have made an immense mistake. I ought bo have sunk my title and changed my name before I starbed.'

He sat admiring bhab pen a while, and bhen wenb on :

' All abbempbs bo mingle wibh bhe common people and become permanenbly one of bhem are going to fail, unles9 I can geb rid of it, disappear from ib, and re-appear with bho solid protection of a now narao. lam astonished and pained to tee how eager tho most of these Americans aro to got acquainted with a lord, and how diligent thoy are in pushing abbenbions upon him. They lack English serviliby, ib is brue — but bhey could acquire ib, with practico. My quality travels ahead of mo in the most mysterious way. I write my family name without additions, on the register of this hotel, and imagine that I am going to pass for an obscure and unknown wandorer, but the clerk promptly calls out, " Front ! show his lordship to four-oighty-two '." and before I can gob to tho lift bhere is a reporter trying to interview mo, as thoy call io. This sorb of bhing shall coaso ab once. I will hunt up the American Claimant bhe firsb thing in tho morning, accomplish my mission, then change my lodgingand vanish from scrutiny under a fictitious name.'

Ho left his diary on bho table, where ib would bo handy in caso any now ' impressions ' should wa'ko him up in the nighb, then he went to bed and presently foil asleep. An hour or bwo passed, and then ho came slowly bo consciousness with a confusion of mysterious and augmenting sounds hammering at <;!ie gates of his brain for admission ; tho runt moment he was sharply awake, and those sounds burst with tho rush and roar and boom of an uudnmmed freshob inbo his ears. Banging and slamming of uhubbers, smashing of windows and the ringing clash of falling glass, clatter of flying foot along tho halls, shrioks, supplications, dumb meanings of despair within, hoarso shouts of command outside, cracklings and snappings, and tho windy roar of victorious flames ! Bang, bang, bang on tho door, and a cry : ' Turn out—the house is on fire !' The cry passed on, and tho banging. Lord Berkoiey sprang oub of bed, and moved with all possiblo speed towards the clothes-press in the darkness and the gathering smoko, but fell over a chair and lost his bearings. Ho groped desperately about on his hands, and presently struck his hoad against tho table, and was deeply grateful, for ib gave him his bearings again, since it stood close by the door. Ho seized his mosb precious poises-ion, his journulled 'Impressions of America,' and durted from bhe room.

"He ran down the desertod hall towards the red lamp which he knew indicated the place of a fire-escape. Tho door of the room beside it was opened. In tho room the gas was burning full head ; on a chair was a pile of clothing. Ho ran to bhe window, could not get it up, but smashed it wibh a chair, and stepped oub on bhe landing of the fire-escapo; below him was a crowd of men, with a sprintuing of women andyouth,massedinaFuddy light. Must ho go down in his spectral nighb-dross? No — this side of the house was nob yeb on firo except ab bhe further end; ho would snatch on thoso clothes. Which he did. They fitted well enough, though a triflo loosely ; they were just a shade loud as bo pattern, also as to hat—which was of a now breed to him, Buffalo Bill not having been to England yet. One sido ol the coab went on, bub bhe other refused ; ono of ibs sleeves was bhrned up and stitched to bho shoulder. He startod down without waiting to got ib loose, made bhe brip successfully, and was prompbly husbled oubside bhe limib-rope by bhe police. Tho cowboy hab and bho coab bub half on made him boo much of a cenbre of abtracbion for comfort, although nobhing could be more profoundly nob to say deferential, bhan was bho manner of the crowd toward him. In his mind he framed a discouraged remark for early ontry in his diary:''lt is of no use; thoy know a lord bhrough any disguise, and show awe of him, even somebhing very liko fear, indeed.' Presonbly ono of tho gaping and adoring half circle of boys ventured a timid question. My lord answered ib. The boys glanced wondcringly ab each other, and from somewhere fell the commenb — ' English cowboy ! Well, if bhab ain'b curious.' Anobher menbal note fco bo preserved for bhe diary. ' Cowboy. Now, whab mighb a cowboy be ? Perhaps ;' Bub bhe viscount perceived that some more questions were about bo be asked. So he worked his way oub of bhe crowd, released the sleeve, put on tho coab, and wandered away bo seek a humble and obscure lodging. Ho found it, and wenb bo bed and was soon asleep. In the morning he examined his clothes. They wore rather assertive, ib seemed bo him, bub thoy were new and clean, ab any rabe. There was considerable properby in bhe pockebs. Item, five one-hundred-dollar bills. Item, near fifty dollars in Briiall bills and *;iv<-;r. Plug of tobacco. Hymn-book which refuses bo open ; found bo contain whisky. Memorandum book bearing no name. Scattering entries in ib, recording in a scrawling ignorant hand, appointments, bots, horse-trades, and soon, wibh people of strange hyphenated name— Six-Fingered Jake, Young-Man Afraid-of-his Shadow, and bho "like. No letters, no documents. The young mar arises—maps out his course. His letter of credit is burned ; ho will borrow tha small bills and the silver in these pockets, apply parb of ib bo advertising for tha owner, and use bho resb for sustenance while he seeks work. He sends oub for the morning paper noxb, and proceeds to read aboub bho fire. Tho biggesb lino in the display head announces his own death ! The body of the aceounb furnishes all bhe particulars; and tells how, wibh bhe inherited heroism of his casbe, bo went on saving women and children until escape for himself was impossible; then with the eyes of weeping multibudes upon him, he stood with folded arms and nternly awaited bhe approach.of the devouring fiend: 'and so standing, amid a tossinw sen of flame a,nd on-rushing billows of smoke, tho noble young heir of the greab house of Rossmore was caughb up in a whirlwind of fiery glory, and disappeared for over from the vision of men.' The thing was so fine and generous and knighbly that it brought the moisture to his'oyes. Presently jhe said to himself: ' Whab bo do is as plain as day, now. My Lord Berkeley is dead—leb him, stay so. Died creditably, too; thn' will make the calamity tha easier for my wthor, And I

don'b have to reporb to the American claimant, now, Yes, nothing could be betber bhan bhe way mabbers have burned oub. I have only to furnish myself wibh a new name, and bake my new start in life totally unfcramelled. Now I breathe my first breath of real freedom, and how fresh and breezy and inspiring it is ! At last I am a man ! a man on equal terms with my neighbour ; and by my manhood, and by ib alone, I shall rise and be seen of bhe world, or I shall sink from sighb and deserve it. This is the gladdest day, and the proudest, thab ever poured its sun upon my head !

CHAPTER VIII. 'God bless my soul, Hawkins.' Tho morning paper dropped from bhe colonel's nerveless grasp. ' Whab is ib ?' ' He's gone—the brig-b, bhe young, bhe gifted, bhe noblest of his illustrious race— gone. Gone up in flames and unimaginable glory.' 'Who?' 'My previous, preciou3 kinsman—-Kirk-cudbright Llanover Marjoribanks Sellers Viscount Berkeley, eon and heir of usurping Rossmore.' ' No.' ' It's true—boo true.' ' When ?' 'Last nighb.' 4 Where?' 'Righb herein Washingbon, where he arrived from England, lasb nighb, bho papers say.' ' You don'b say.' 'Hotel burned down.' ' What hotel ?' 'Tho New Gadsby.' ' Oh, my gooduoss. And have we lost both of them ?' «Bobh who ?' ' One-Arm Pete.' ' Oh, great guns, I forgot all aboub him. Oh, I hope not.' 'Hope. Well, I should say. Oh we can't spare him. -We can bebter afford to lose a million viscounts than our only support and stay.' Thoy searched the paper diligently, arid wero appaliod to find thab a one-armed man had been seen Hying along one of bho halls of tho hotel in his underclothing, and apparently out of his head with fright; and, as he would listen to no ono, and porsistod in making for a stairway which would carry him to certain death, his case was given over as a h opoloss one. ' Poor fellow,'sighed Hawkins; 'and he had friends so near. I wish wo hadn't come away from bhere—maybe we could have saved him.' The earl looked up and said calmly : ' His boing dead doesn't matter. Ho was uncertain before. We've gob him sure, this timo.' ' Gob him ? How ?' 'I will materialise him.' 'Rossmore, don't—don'b trifle with me. Do you mean that? Can you do it? : '1 can do it, just as sure as you aro sibting thore. And I will.' ' Give me your liand and leb mo have the comfort ot shaking it. I was perishing and you havo put new life into mo. Get at ib, oh, got ab it righb away.' 'It will tako a libtic lime, Hawkins, bub bhere'.'i no hurry, mono in the world—-in bhe circumstances. And, of course, certain •duties have devolved upon me now, which necessarily claim my first attention. This poor young nobleman—' ' Why, yes, I am sorry for my hearbless-nr>-.s, ami you smitten with bhis now family affliction. Of course you musb maboriuliso him first—l quibe underr-tand that.' 1 r—]—well, 1 wasn't meaning jusb that, bub, why, what am I thinking of? Of course [must materialise him. Oh, Hawkins, selfishness is tho bottom trait in human nature; 1 was only thinking that now, with bho usurper's heir out of tho way— But you'll forgive that momontary wcakiichs, and forgot it. Doij't ever remember it against mo. thab Mulberry Sellers was onoo" moan enough to think the thoughb thab I was thinking. I'll materialise him I w iH, on my honour—and I'd do it were ho a thousand heird jammed into ono and strotehing in a solid rank from hero to tho stolen estates of Rossmoro and road forever to tho rightful earl !' 'There spoke the real Sellers—the other had a false ring, old triond.' 4 Hawkins, my boy, it just occur 3to me— a thing I keep forgetting to mention—a matterTluit we\o got to bo mighty careful about.' 'What is bhab?' ' Wo musb keop absolutely still aboub bheso materialisations. Mind, nob a hinb of thorn must escape —not v hint. To say nothing of how my wife and daughter-high-strung, sensitive organisations—mighb feel aboub thorn, the negroes wouldn'b sbay on the place a minute.' ' That's true, they wouldn'b. Ibs well you spoko, for I'm nob naburally discreet wibh my bongue when I'm nob warned.' f Sellers reached oub and bouched a bollbutton in the wall, set his eye upon the roar door and waited, touched it again and waibed, and jusb as Hawkins was remarking admiringly thab bhe colonel was the mosb progressive and mosb alorb man ho had ever soon in bhe matter of impressing into his servico every modern convenience iho moment it was invented and always keeping breasb bo , breast wibh bhe drum major in bhe greab work of maberial civilisation, he forsook bho bubton (which hadn'b any wire abbdehed bo ib), rang a vasb dinner bell which sbood on tho bable and remarked bhab he had bried bhab new-fangled dry babtery, now, bo his onbiro satisfaction, and had gob enough of ib ; and added— ' Nobbing would do Graham Bell bub I must bry it; said the mere fact of my trying ib would secure public confidence arid ge'b ib a chance to show whab ib could do. I told him bhab in bhcory a dry babtery was just a curled darling, and no mistake, but whon ib comes bo practice, sho !—and here's the result. Was I right? What should you say, Washingbon Hawkins? Y r ou've seen me try thab bntbou twice. Was I righb?— that's tho idea. Did I know what I was talking aboub, or didn't I ?' ' Well, you know how I feel about you, Colonel Sellers, and always have felt. It seems bo me bhab you always know everything about ovcrybhing. If thab man had known you as I know you, ho would have taken your judgment ab bhe sbarb, and dropped his dry babtery whore ib was.' ■ Did you ring, Marso Sellers ?' 'No, Marso Sellers didn'b.' •Dan ie was you, Mar.»e Washingbon. I'se heah, snh.' 'No, ib wasn'b Marso Washingbon, eibhor.' ' Do good lan ! who did ring her, den ?' ' Lord Rossmoro rang ib !' The old negro flung up his hands and exclaimed : ' Blame my skin if I hain't goho en forgib dab name agin ! Come heah, Jinny—run heah, honey.' Jinny arrived. ' You bake dish— yer order de lord gwine to give you. I's gwine down suller and study dab name bell I gib ib.' do order ! Who's yo' nigger las' year ? De bell rung for you.' ' Dab don't mako no diffunce. When a bell ring for anybody, an' old marsber bell me bo—' 'Clear oub, and settle ib in the kitchen !' The noise of bhe quarrel presently same bo a murmur in bhe distance, and the earl added: 'That's a trouble with old house servants that were your slaves once and have been your personal friends always.' ' Yes, and members of the family.' ' Members of the family is just what they become — the members of the family, in facb, and eometimes master and mistress of the household. These bwo are mighty good and loving and faithful and honost, bub hang ib, bhey do jusb about, as they p!ea3e, thoy chip into a conversation whenever they wanb to, and tho plain fact is, they ought to be killed.'

It was a random remark, but ib gave him an idea; however, nobbing could happen withoub bhab result.

' What I wanted, Hawkins, was to send for the family and break the news to them.'

' Oli, never mind bothering with the servants then. I will go and bring them down.'

While he was gone, the earl worked his idea.

' Yes,' ho said to himself, ' when I've got the materialising down to a certainty, 1 will geb Hawkins bo kill bhem, and afber bhabbheywill bounder bobber conbrol. Wibhoub a doubb a materialised negro could be hypnotised into a stabo resembling silence. And this could be made permanent—yes, and also modifiable, at will—sometimes wry eilonb, sometimes turn on more talk, more action, moro emobion, according bo whab you wanb. Ibs a prime good idea. Make ib adjusbable—wibh a screw or somebhing.' The two ladies entered now with Hawkins, and the bwo negroes followed, uninvited, and fell to brushing and dusting around, for bhey perceived bhab bhere was mnbber of inbe'resb bo the fore, and were willing to find oub whab it was. Sellers broko the news with stabeliness and ceremony, firsb warning bhe ladies, with gentle art, that a pang of peculiar sharpness was aboub bo be inflicbed upon bheir hearbg—hearbs still sore from a like hurb, still lamenting a like loss—bhen he book tho paper, and with trembling lips and with bears in his voice he gave bhem bhab heroic deabh-picture. Tho result wivj a very genuine outbreak of sorrow and sympathy from all the hearers. Tho elder lady cried, thinking how proud thab greab-hearted young hero's mother would bo, if sho wore living, and how unappoasablo hor grief; and the two old sorvanbs cried wibh hor, and spoke oub their applause and bheir pibying lamenbations wibh bhe eloquent sincoriby and sinrpliciby native bo their race. Gwendolen was bouched, and bhe romantic sido of her naturo was strongly wrought upon. £>he 6aid thab such a nature as that "young man's was rarely and truly noble, and nearly perfect; and that wibh nobiliby of birth added ib was entirely perfect. For such a man she could endure all things, suffer all things, even to bhe" sacrificing of her life. She wished she could have seen him; the slightest, sho most momentary contacb wibh such a spirib would have ennobled her own character and made ignoble thougbbs and ignoble aebs thoreafbor impossible to her for ever.

' Have bhey found tho body, Rossmore ?' asked the wifo.

'Yes, bhab is, bhey'vo found several. Ib musb bo ono of bhem, bub none of bhem are recognisable.'

' YV hat are you going bo do ?' 'I am going down there and identify one of them and send it home bo the strickon father.' ' But, papa, did you ever soo tho young man ?' 'No, Gwondolen—why ?' ' How will you identify ib ?' ' I—woh, you know, ib says none of them aro recognisable. I'll send his father one of th_m —there's probably no choice' Gwondolen know ib was nob worth while bo argue, the matter further, since hor father's mind was made up and thero was a cbanco for him to appoar upon that sad eceno down yonder in an aubhontic and official way. So she said no moro—until he uskod for a basket. *A basket, papa. What for ?' 'It mighb be ashes.' (lo be Continued.)