MARK TWAIN AND THE " BAWGUNSTRICTOR."

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 104, 25 January 1908, Page 13

MARK TWAIN AND THE " BAWGUNSTRICTOR."

A delightful picturo of himself as romancer to his childron is givon by Mark Twain'in tho latest chapter from his autobiography now appearing in tho New York "Tribune." ' I remember thoso 'story-tolling days vividly," says Mr. Clemens. "They w ero a difficult and ■ exacting audience—thoso ' little creatures. "Along one sido of the library, in tho Hartford homo, tho bookshelves joined , tho mantelpiece^—in fact,' there wero'i shelves on both sides of tho mantelpiece: On- these shelves and on the "mantelpiece stood various ornaments; At 0110 end of the procession was a framed oil painting of a'cat's head, at the other'end was a head of a beautiful young, girl, life size, called Emmeline, becauso she looked just about like that—an impressionist water-colour. Between the ono picturo and tho other there \rero twelve or hfteon bric-a-brac-things; also an oil painting by Elilni Veddor," 'Tho Young- Medusa.' Every, now and then tho childr.en required me to construct. a romanco—always impromptu—/not a moment's preparation'permitted, and: into that ronlanco I had to get all'that bric-a-brac and tho ■throe pictures. I had to start always with tho cat and. finis'i with Emmeline.' I was never allowed tho refreshment of'a change, end for end. It was not permissible to introduce a•' bric-a-brac ornament into tho story out of its placo -in. the procession. ~ , "Thoso bric-a-bracs were never allowed > a peaceful day,: a reposeful day, a restful Sab-, bath. In their'lives there was no Sabbatli; in their lives there was no peace; 1 they.-knew no existence but- a monotonous. ' career 'of violonco and bloodshed. In the courso -of time the-bric-a-brac and tho pictures showed wear. : It was because thoy bad-had so many and such tumultuous adventures in their romantic careers., ■ ■ "As romancer to the children I had a, hard timo; evon .from tho boginning. If", they brought me a picturo in a magazine, and required mo to build a story to it, thoy would cover the-rest of the pago with their pudgy hands to keep mo from stealing an idea trum it. Tho stories: had to come hot from, <he bat always. . They had to be abs >1 inly original and fresh. Sometimes the children furnished mo simply a character or two, 1 or a dozen, and required mo to start, o'lt at once' on -that slim basis and deliver, thoso characters up-to a vigorous: and cnterta.-iins life of crime. If thoy heard of a.iiew trade, or an unfamiliar animal; or anything -in <j that, I was pretty sure to have to deal -.rill those things in tho next romance. (irio Clara required..me.to -build, a suddon fate out of a plumber and'a- 'hawgunstrictor,' and I had to do it. Sho didn't know what a h'a constrictor was until ho developed in the f-.die; then sho was better satisfied with it than over." . .