is shakespeare dead-第14节

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g　out　the　bad　things　he　did　as　well　as　the　good　in　their　efforts　to　get　a　〃Mark　Twain　story；〃　all　incidents　being　viewed　in　the　light　of　his　present　fame；　until　the　volume　of　〃Twainiana〃　is　already　considerable　and　growing　in　proportion　as　the　〃old　timers〃　drop　away　and　the　stories　are　retold　second　and　third　hand　by　their　descendants。　　With　some　seventy…three　years　young　and　living　in　a　villa　instead　of　a　house　he　is　a　fair　target；　and　let　him　incorporate；　copyright；　or　patent　himself　as　he　will；　there　are　some　of　his　〃works〃　that　will　go　swooping　up　Hannibal　chimneys　as　long　as　gray…beards　gather　about　the　fires　and　begin　with　〃I've　heard　father　tell〃　or　possibly　〃Once　when　I。〃


The　Mrs。　Clemens　referred　to　is　my　motherWAS　my　mother。

And　here　is　another　extract　from　a　Hannibal　paper。　　Of　date　twenty　days　ago：


Miss　Becca　Blankenship　died　at　the　home　of　William　Dickason；　408　Rock　Street；　at　2。30　o'clock　yesterday　afternoon；　aged　72　years。　The　deceased　was　a　sister　of　〃Huckleberry　Finn；〃　one　of　the　famous　characters　in　Mark　Twain's　Tom　Sawyer。　　She　had　been　a　member　of　the　Dickason　familythe　housekeeperfor　nearly　forty…five　years；　and　was　a　highly　respected　lady。　　For　the　past　eight　years　she　had　been　an　invalid；　but　was　as　well　cared　for　by　Mr。　Dickason　and　his　family　as　if　she　had　been　a　near　relative。　　She　was　a　member　of　the　Park　Methodist　Church　and　a　Christian　woman。


I　remember　her　well。　　I　have　a　picture　of　her　in　my　mind　which　was　graven　there；　clear　and　sharp　and　vivid；　sixty…three　years　ago。　She　was　at　that　time　nine　years　old；　and　I　was　about　eleven。　　I　remember　where　she　stood；　and　how　she　looked；　and　I　can　still　see　her　bare　feet；　her　bare　head；　her　brown　face；　and　her　short　tow…　linen　frock。　　She　was　crying。　　What　it　was　about；　I　have　long　ago　forgotten。　　But　it　was　the　tears　that　preserved　the　picture　for　me；　no　doubt。　　She　was　a　good　child；　I　can　say　that　for　her。　　She　knew　me　nearly　seventy　years　ago。　　Did　she　forget　me；　in　the　course　of　time？　　I　think　not。　　If　she　had　lived　in　Stratford　in　Shakespeare's　time；　would　she　have　forgotten　him？　　Yes。　　For　he　was　never　famous　during　his　lifetime；　he　was　utterly　obscure　in　Stratford；　and　there　wouldn't　be　any　occasion　to　remember　him　after　he　had　been　dead　a　week。

〃Injun　Joe；〃　〃Jimmy　Finn；〃　and　〃General　Gaines〃　were　prominent　and　very　intemperate　ne'er…do…weels　in　Hannibal　two　generations　ago。　Plenty　of　gray…heads　there　remember　them　to　this　day；　and　can　tell　you　about　them。　　Isn't　it　curious　that　two　〃town…drunkards〃　and　one　half…breed　loafer　should　leave　behind　them；　in　a　remote　Missourian　village；　a　fame　a　hundred　times　greater　and　several　hundred　times　more　particularized　in　the　matter　of　definite　facts　than　Shakespeare　left　behind　him　in　the　village　where　he　had　lived　the　half　of　his　lifetime？

MARK　TWAIN。



Footnotes：

｛1｝　　Four　fathomstwenty…four　feet。

｛2｝　　From　chapter　XIII　of　〃The　Shakespeare　Problem　Restated。〃




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