mark twain, a biography, 1866-1875-第32节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


enjoyment　of　the　first　day's　overland　travel：

　　　　　It　was　now　just　dawn；　and　as　we　stretched　our　cramped　legs　full
　　　　　length　on　the　mail…sacks；　and　gazed　out　through　the　windows　across
　　　　　the　wide　wastes　of　greensward　clad　in　cool；　powdery　mist　to　where
　　　　　there　was　an　expectant　look　in　the　Eastern　horizon；　our　perfect
　　　　　enjoyment　took　the　form　of　a　tranquil　and　contented　ecstasy。　　The
　　　　　stage　whirled　along　at　a　spanking　gait；　the　breeze　flapping　the
　　　　　curtains　and　suspended　coats　in　a　most　exhilarating　way；　the　cradle
　　　　　swayed　and　swung　luxuriously；　the　pattering　of　the　horses'　hoofs；
　　　　　the　cracking　of　the　driver's　whip；　and　his　〃Hi…yi！　g'lang！〃　were
　　　　　music；　the　spinning　ground　and　the　waltzing　trees　appeared　to　give
　　　　　us　a　mute　hurrah　as　we　went　by；　and　then　slack　up　and　look　after　us
　　　　　with　interest　and　envy；　or　something；　and　as　we　lay　and　smoked　the
　　　　　pipe　of　peace；　and　compared　all　this　luxury　with　the　years　of
　　　　　tiresome　city　life　that　had　gone　before　it；　we　felt　that　there　was
　　　　　only　one　complete　and　satisfying　happiness　in　the　world；　and　we　had
　　　　　found　it。

Also；　there　is　that　lofty　presentation　of　South　Pass；　and　a　picture　of
the　alkali　desert；　so　parching；　so　withering　in　its　choking　realism；　that
it　makes　the　throat　ache　and　the　tongue　dry　to　read　it。　　Just　a　bit　of
the　desert　in　passing：

　　　　　The　sun　beats　down　with　a　dead；　blistering；　relentless　malignity；
　　　　　the　perspiration　is　welling　from　every　pore　in　man　and　beast；　but
　　　　　scarcely　a　sign　of　it　finds　its　way　to　the　surfaceit　is　absorbed
　　　　　before　it　gets　there；　there　is　not　the　faintest　breath　of　air
　　　　　stirring；　there　is　not　a　merciful　shred　of　cloud　in　all　the
　　　　　brilliant　firmament；　there　is　not　a　living　creature　visible　in　any
　　　　　direction　whither　one　searches　the　blank　level　that　stretches　its
　　　　　monotonous　miles　on　every　hand；　there　is　not　a　sound；　not　a　sigh；
　　　　　not　a　whisper；　not　a　buzz；　or　a　whir　of　wings；　or　distant　pipe　of
　　　　　bird；　not　even　a　sob　from　the　lost　souls　that　doubtless　people　that
　　　　　dead　air。

As　for　the　humor　of　the　book；　it　has　been　chiefly　famous　for　that。　　〃Buck
Fanshaw's　Funeral〃　has　become　a　classic；　and　the　purchase　of　the　〃Mexican
Plug。〃　　But　it　is　to　no　purpose　to　review　the　book　here　in　detail。　　We
have　already　reviewed　the　life　and　environment　out　of　which　it　grew。

Without　doubt　the　story　would　have　contained　more　of　the　poetic　and
contemplative；　in　which　he　was　always　at　his　best；　if　the　subject　itself；
as　in　the　Innocents；　had　lent　itself　oftener　to　this　form　of　writing。　　It
was　the　lack　of　that　halo　perhaps　which　caused　the　new　book　never　quite
to　rank　with　its　great　forerunner　in　public　favor。　　There　could　hardly　be
any　other　reason。　　It　presented　a　fresher　theme；　it　abounded　in　humor；
technically；　it　was　better　written；　seemingly　it　had　all　the　elements　of
popularity　and　of　permanence。　　It　did；　in　fact；　possess　these　qualities；
but　its　sales；　except　during　the　earlier　months　of　its　canvass；　never
quite　equaled　those　of　The　Innocents　Abroad。

'Roughing　It'　was　accepted　by　the　public　for　just　what　it　was　and　is；　a
great　picture　of　the　Overland　Pioneer　daysa　marvelous　picture　of
frontier　aspects　at　a　time　when　the　frontier　itself；　even　with　its
hardships　and　its　tragedies；　was　little　more　than　a　vast　primal　joke；
when　all　frontiersmen　were　obliged　to　be　laughing　philosophers　in　order
to　survive　the　stress　of　its　warfares。

A　word　here　about　this　Western　humor：　It　is　a　distinct　product。　　It　grew
out　of　a　distinct　conditionthe　battle　with　the　frontier。　　The　fight　was
so　desperate；　to　take　it　seriously　was　to　surrender。　　Women　laughed　that
they　might　not　weep；　men；　when　they　could　no　longer　swear。　　〃Western
humor〃　was　the　result。　　It　is　the　freshest；　wildest　humor　in　the　world；
but　there　is　tragedy　behind　it。

'Roughing　It'　presented　the　picture　of　those　early　conditions　with　the
startling　vividness　and　truth　of　a　great　novel；　which；　in　effect；　it　was。
It　was　not　accurate　history；　even　of　the　author's　own　adventures。　　It　was
true　in　its　aspects；　rather　than　in　its　details。　　The　greater　artist
disregards　the　truth　of　detail　to　render　more　strikingly　a　phase　or　a
condition；　to　produce　an　atmosphere；　to　reconstruct　a　vanished　time。
This　was　what　Mark　Twain　did　in　'Roughing　It'。　　He　told　the　story　of
overland　travel　and　the　frontier；　for　his　own　and　future　generations；　in
what　is　essentially　a　picaresque　novel；　a　work　of　unperishing　fiction；
founded　on　fact。

The　sales　of　'Roughing　It'　during　the　first　three　months　aggregated
nearly　forty　thousand　copies；　and　the　author　was　lavishly　elate
accordingly。　　To　Orion　（who　had　already　closed　his　career　with　Bliss；　by
exercise　of　those　hereditary　eccentricities　through　which　he　so　often
came　to　grief）　he　gave　1；000　out　of　the　first　royalty　check；　in
acknowledgment　of　the　memorandum　book　and　other　data　which　Orion　had
supplied。　　Clemens　believed　the　new　book　would　sell　one　hundred　thousand
copies　within　the　year；　but　the　sale　diminished　presently；　and　at　the　end
of　the　first　year　it　was　considerably　behind　the　Innocents　for　the　same
period。　　As　already　stated；　it　required　ten　years　for　Roughing　It　to
reach　the　one…hundred…thousand　mark；　which　the　Innocents　reached　in
three。




LXXXV

A　BIRTH；　A　DEATH；　AND　A　VOYAGE

The　year　1872　was　an　eventful　one　in　Mark　Twain's　life。　　At　Elmira；　on
March　19th；　his　second　child；　a　little　girl；　whom　they　named　Susan
Olivia；　was　born。　　On　June　2d；　in　the　new　home　in　Hartford；　to　which　they
had　recently　moved；　his　first　child；　a　little　boy；　Langdon；　died。　　He　had
never　been　strong；　his　wavering　life　had　often　been　uncertain；　always
more　of　the　spirit　than　the　body；　and　in　Elmira　he　contracted　a　heavy
cold；　or　perhaps　it　was　diphtheria　from　the　beginning。　　In　later　years；
whenever　Clemens　spoke　of　the　little　fellow；　he　never　failed　to　accuse
himself　of　having　been　the　cause　of　the　child's　death。　　It　was　Mrs。
Clemens's　custom　to　drive　out　each　morning　with　Langdon；　and　once　when
she　was　unable　to　go　Clemens　himself　went　instead。

〃I　should　not　have　been　permitted　to　do　it；〃　he　said；　remembering。
〃I　was　not　qualified　for　any　such　responsibility　as　that。　　Some　one
should　have　gone　who　had　at　least　the　rudiments　of　a　mind。　　Necessarily
I　would　lose　myself　dreaming。　　After　a　while　the　coachman　looked　around
and　noticed　that　the　carriage…robes　had　dropped　away　from　the　little
fellow；　and　that　he　was　exposed　to　the　chilly　air。　　He　called　my
attention　to　it；　but　it　was　too　late。　　Tonsilitis　or　something　of　the
sort　set　in；　and　he　did　not　get　any　better；　so　we　took　him　to　Hartford。
There　it　was　pronounced　diphtheria；　and　of　course　he　died。〃

So；　with　or　without　reason；　he　added　the　blame　of　another　tragedy　to　the
heavy　burden　of　remorse　which　he　would　go　on　piling　up　while　he　lived。

The　blow　was　a　terrible　one　to　Mrs。　Clemens；　even　the　comfort　of　the
little　new　baby　on　her　arm　could　not　ease　the　ache　in　her　breast。　　It
seemed　to　her　that　death　was　pursuing　her。　　In　one　of　her　letters　she
says：

〃I　feel　so　often　as　if　my　path　is　to　be　lined　with　graves；〃　and　she
expresses　the　wish　that　she　may　drop　out　of　life　herself　before　her
sister　and　her　husbanda　wish　which　the　years　would　grant。

They　did　not　return　to　Elmira；　for　it　was　thought　that　the　air　of　the
shore　would　be　better　for　the　little　girl；　so　they　spent　the　summer　at
Saybrook；　Connecticut；　at　Fenwick　Hall；　leaving　Orion　and　his　wife　in
charge　of　the　house　at　Hartford。

Beyond　a　few　sketches；　Clemens　did　very　little　literary　work　that　summer；
but　he　planned　a　trip　to　Europe；　and　he　invented　what　is　still　known　and
sold　as　the　〃Mark　Twain　Scrap…Book。〃

He　wrote　to　Orion　of　his　proposed　trip　to　England；　and　dilated　upon　his
scrap…book　with　considerable　enthusiasm。　　The　idea　had　grown　out　of　the
inconvenience　of　finding　a　paste…jar；　and　the　general　mussiness　of　scrap…
book　keeping。　　His　new　plan　was　a　self…pasting　scrap…book　with　the　gum
laid　on　in　narrow　strips；　requiring　only　to　be　dampened　with　a　sponge　or
other　moist　substance　to　be　ready　for　the　clipping。　　He　states　that　he
intends　to　put　the　invention　into　the　hands　of　Slote；　Woodman　&　Co。；　of
whom　Dan　Slote；　his　old　Quaker　City　room…mate；　was　the　senior　partner；
and　have　it　manufactured　for　the　trade。

About　this　time　began　Mark　Twain's　long　and　active　interest　in　copyright。
Previously　he　had　not　much　considered　the　subject；　he　had　taken　it　for
granted　there　was　no　step　that　he　could　take；　while　international　piracy
was　a　recognized　institution。　　On　both　sides　of　the　water　books　were
appropriated；　often　without　profit；　sometimes　even　without　credit；　to　the
author。　　To　tell　the　truth；　Clemens　had　at　first　regarded　it　rather　in
the　nature　of　a　compliment　that　his　books　should　be　thought　worth
pirating　in　England；　but　as　time　passed　he　realized　that　he　was　paying
heavily　for　this　recognition。　　Furthermore；　he　decided　that　he　was
forfeiting　a　right；　rather　that　he　was　being　deprived　of　it：　something
which　it　was　in　his　nature　to　resent。

When　'Roughing　It'　had　been　ready　for　issue　he　agreed　with　Bliss　that
they　should　try　the　experiment　of　copy