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that　exquisitely　refined　script　of　his；　without　being　able　to　inscribe　a
line。　　It　may　be　owned　for　him　that　though　he　came　to　the　East　at　thirty…
four；　which　ought　to　have　been　the　very　prime　of　his　powers；　he　seemed　to
have　arrived　after　the　age　of　observation　was　past　for　him。　　He　saw
nothing　aright；　either　in　Newport；　where　he　went　to　live；　or　in　New　York；
where　he　sojourned；　or　on　those　lecturing　tours　which　took　him　about　the
whole　country；　or　if　he　saw　it　aright；　he　could　not　report　it　aright；　or
would　not。　　After　repeated　and　almost　invariable　failures　to　deal　with
the　novel　characters　and　circumstances　which　he　encountered　he　left　off
trying；　and　frankly　went　back　to　the　semi…mythical　California　he　had　half
discovered；　half　created；　and　wrote　Bret　Harte　over　and　over　as　long　as
he　lived。　　This；　whether　he　did　it　from　instinct　or　from　reason；　was　the
best　thing　he　could　do；　and　it　went　as　nearly　as　might　be　to　satisfy　the
insatiable　English　fancy　for　the　wild　America　no　longer　to　be　found　on
our　map。

It　is　imaginable　of　Harte　that　this　temperament　defended　him　from　any
bitterness　in　the　disappointment　he　may　have　shared　with　that　simple
American　public　which　in　the　early　eighteen…seventies　expected　any　and
everything　of　him　in　fiction　and　drama。　　The　long　breath　was　not　his；　he
could　not　write　a　novel；　though　he　produced　the　like　of　one　or　two；　and
his　plays　were　too　bad　for　the　stage；　or　else　too　good　for　it。　　At　any
rate；　they　could　not　keep　it；　even　when　they　got　it；　and　they　denoted　the
fatigue　or　the　indifference　of　their　author　in　being　dramatizations　of
his　longer　or　shorter　fictions；　and　not　originally　dramatic　efforts。
The　direction　in　which　his　originality　lasted　longest；　and　most
strikingly　affirmed　his　power；　was　in　the　direction　of　his　verse。

Whatever　minds　there　may　be　about　Harte's　fiction　finally；　there　can
hardly　be　more　than　one　mind　about　his　poetry。　　He　was　indeed　a　poet；
whether　he　wrote　what　drolly　called　itself　〃dialect；〃　or　wrote　language；
he　was　a　poet　of　a　fine　and　fresh　touch。　　It　must　be　allowed　him　that　in
prose　as　well　he　had　the　inventive　gift；　but　he　had　it　in　verse　far　more
importantly。　　There　are　lines；　phrases；　turns　in　his　poems；
characterizations；　and　pictures　which　will　remain　as　enduringly　as
anything　American；　if　that　is　not　saying　altogether　too　little　for　them。
In　poetry　he　rose　to　all　the　occasions　he　made　for　himself；　though　he
could　not　rise　to　the　occasions　made　for　him；　and　so　far　failed　in　the
demands　he　acceded　to　for　a　Phi　Beta　Kappa　poem；　as　to　come　to　that
august　Harvard　occasion　with　a　jingle　so　trivial；　so　out　of　keeping；　so
inadequate　that　his　enemies；　if　he　ever　truly　had　any；　must　have　suffered
from　it　almost　as　much　as　his　friends。　　He　himself　did　not　suffer　from
his　failure；　from　having　read　before　the　most　elect　assembly　of　the
country　a　poem　which　would　hardly　have　served　the　careless　needs　of　an
informal　dinner　after　the　speaking　had　begun；　he　took　the　whole
disastrous　business　lightly；　gayly；　leniently；　kindly；　as　that　golden
temperament　of　his　enabled　him　to　take　all　the　good　or　bad　of　life。

The　first　year　of　his　Eastern　sojourn　was　salaried　in　a　sum　which　took
the　souls　of　all　his　young　contemporaries　with　wonder；　if　no　baser
passion；　in　the　days　when　dollars　were　of　so　much　farther　flight　than
now；　but　its　net　result　in　a　literary　return　to　his　publishers　was　one
story　and　two　or　three　poems。　　They　had　not　profited　much　by　his　book；
which；　it　will　doubtless　amaze　a　time　of　fifty　thousand　editions　selling
before　their　publication；　to　learn　had　sold　only　thirty…five　hundred　in
the　sixth　month　of　its　career；　as　Harte　himself；

　　　　　　　　　　〃With　sick　and　scornful　looks　averse；〃

confided　to　his　Cambridge　host　after　his　first　interview　with　the　Boston
counting…room。　　It　was　the　volume　which　contained　〃The　Luck　of　Roaring
Camp；〃　and　the　other　early　tales　which　made　him　a　continental；　and　then
an　all　but　a　world…wide　fame。　　Stories　that　had　been　talked　over；　and
laughed　over；　and　cried　over　all　up　and　down　the　land；　that　had　been
received　with　acclaim　by　criticism　almost　as　boisterous　as　their
popularity；　and　recognized　as　the　promise　of　greater　things　than　any　done
before　in　their　kind；　came　to　no　more　than　this　pitiful　figure　over　the
booksellers'　counters。　　It　argued　much　for　the　publishers　that　in　spite
of　this　stupefying　result　they　were　willing；　they　were　eager；　to　pay　him
ten　thousand　dollars　for　whatever；　however　much　or　little；　he　chose　to
write　in　a　year：　Their　offer　was　made　in　Boston；　after　some　offers
mortifyingly　mean；　and　others　insultingly　vague；　had　been　made　in　New
York。

It　was　not　his　fault　that　their　venture　proved　of　such　slight　return　in
literary　material。　　Harte　was　in　the　midst　of　new　and　alien　conditions；　…
…＇See　a　corollary　in　M。　Froude　who　visited　the　U。S。　for　a　few　months　and
then　published　a　comprehensive　analysis　of　the　nation　and　its　people。
Twain's　rebuttal　（Mr。　Froude's　Progress）　would　have　been　'a　propos'　for
Harte　in　Cambridge。　　D。W。＇　and　he　had　always　his　temperament　against
him；　as　well　as　the　reluctant　if　not　the　niggard　nature　of　his　muse。　　He
would　no　doubt　have　been　only　too　glad　to　do　more　than　he　did　for　the
money；　but　actually　if　not　literally　he　could　not　do　more。　　When　it　came
to　literature；　all　the　gay　improvidence　of　life　forsook　him；　and　be
became　a　stern；　rigorous；　exacting　self…master；　who　spared　himself
nothing　to　achieve　the　perfection　at　which　he　aimed。　　He　was　of　the　order
of　literary　men　like　Goldsmith　and　De　Quincey；　and　Sterne　and　Steele；　in
his　relations　with　the　outer　world；　but　in　his　relations　with　the　inner
world　he　was　one　of　the　most　duteous　and　exemplary　citizens。　　There　was
nothing　of　his　easy…going　hilarity　in　that　world；　there　he　was　of　a
Puritanic　severity；　and　of　a　conscience　that　forgave　him　no　pang。　　Other
California　writers　have　testified　to　the　fidelity　with　which　he　did　his
work　as　editor。　　He　made　himself　not　merely　the　arbiter　but　the
inspiration　of　his　contributors；　and　in　a　region　where　literature　had
hardly　yet　replaced　the　wild　sage…brush　of　frontier　journalism；　he　made
the　sand…lots　of　San　Francisco　to　blossom　as　the　rose；　and　created　a
literary　periodical　of　the　first　class　on　the　borders　of　civilization。

It　is　useless　to　wonder　now　what　would　have　been　his　future　if　the
publisher　of　the　Overland　Monthly　had　been　of　imagination　or　capital
enough　to　meet　the　demand　which　Harte　dimly　intimated　to　his　Cambridge
host　as　the　condition　of　his　remaining　in　California。　　Publishers；　men
with　sufficient　capital；　are　of　a　greatly　varying　gift　in　the　regions　of
prophecy；　and　he　of　the　Overland　Monthly　was　not　to　be　blamed　if　he　could
not　foresee　his　account　in　paying　Harte　ten　thousand　a　year　to　continue
editing　the　magazine。　　He　did　according　to　his　lights；　and　Harte　came　to
the　East；　and　then　went　to　England；　where　his　last　twenty…five　years　were
passed　in　cultivating　the　wild　plant　of　his　Pacific　Slope　discovery。　　It
was　always　the　same　plant；　leaf　and　flower　and　fruit；　but　it　perennially
pleased　the　constant　English　world；　and　thence　the　European　world；　though
it　presently　failed　of　much　delighting　these　fastidious　States。　　Probably
he　would　have　done　something　else　if　he　could；　he　did　not　keep　on　doing
the　wild　mining…camp　thing　because　it　was　the　easiest；　but　because　it　was
for　him　the　only　possible　thing。　　Very　likely　he　might　have　preferred　not
doing　anything。




IV。

The　joyous　visit　of　a　week；　which　has　been　here　so　poorly　recovered　from
the　past；　came　to　an　end；　and　the　host　went　with　his　guest　to　the　station
in　as　much　vehicular　magnificence　as　had　marked　his　going　to　meet　him
there。　　Harte　was　no　longer　the　alarming　portent　of　the　earlier　time；　but
an　experience　of　unalloyed　delight。　　You　must　love　a　person　whose　worst
trouble…giving　was　made　somehow　a　favor　by　his　own　unconsciousness　of　the
trouble；　and　it　was　a　most　flattering　triumph　to　have　got　him　in　time；　or
only　a　little　late；　to　so　many　luncheons　and　dinners。　　If　only　now　he
could　be　got　to　the　train　in　time　the　victory　would　be　complete；　the
happiness　of　the　visit　without　a　flaw。　　Success　seemed　to　crown　the
fondest　hope　in　this　respect。　　The　train　had　not　yet　left　the　station；
there　stood　the　parlor…car　which　Harte　had　seats　in；　and　he　was　followed
aboard　for　those　last　words　in　which　people　try　to　linger　out　pleasures
they　have　known　together。　　In　this　case　the　sweetest　of　the　pleasures　had
been　sitting　up　late　after　those　dinners；　and　talking　them　over；　and　then
degenerating　from　that　talk　into　the　mere　giggle　and　making　giggle　which
Charles　Lamb　found　the　best　thing　in　life。　　It　had　come　to　this　as　the
host　and　guest　sat　together　for　those　parting　moments；　when　Harte
suddenly　started　up　in　the　discovery　of　having　forgotten　to　get　some
cigars。　　They　rushed　out　of　the　train　together；　and　after　a　wild　descent
upon　the　cigar…counter　of　the　restaurant；　Harte　rushed　back　to　his　car。
But　by　this　time　the　train　was　already　moving　with　that　deceitful
slowness　of　the　departing　train；　and　Harte　had　to　clamber　up　the　steps　of
the　rearmost　platform。　　His　host　clambered　after；　to　make　sure　that