He wrote with a alias of course he was looking to dupe any future challengers-he hid his speed well enough to fool you
Samuel Clemens,aka Mark Twain
- Thread starter alphadog
- Start date
He wrote with a alias of course he was looking to dupe any future challengers-he hid his speed well enough to fool you
He had four cats that he trained to go to sleep on command.
"He would call (the cats) to "come up" on the chair, and they would all jump up on the seat. He would tell them to "go to sleep," and instantly the group were all fast asleep, remaining so until he called "Wide awake!" when in a twinkling up would go their ears and wide open their eyes."
- Anonymous article titled "The Funniest Writer on Earth. Some Anecdotes about Mark Twain," The Rambler, Dec. 24, 1898.
Hartford, Conn. April 2, 1890
EDITOR ECHOES:
DEAR SIR: -- There is nothing of continental or inter-national interest to communicate about those cats.
They had no history; they did not distinguish themselves in any way.
They died early--on account of being overweighted with their names, it was thought. SOUR MASH, APPOLLINARIS, ZOROASTER, and BLATHERSKITE, -- names given them not in an unfriendly spirit, but merely to practice the children in large and difficult styles of pronunciation.
It was a very happy idea. I mean, for the children.
MARK TWAIN
Above letter from an undated magazine story was found in photographer VanAken's personal scrapbook. It was reprinted in the Mark Twain Society Bulletin, Jan. 1989
"He would call (the cats) to "come up" on the chair, and they would all jump up on the seat. He would tell them to "go to sleep," and instantly the group were all fast asleep, remaining so until he called "Wide awake!" when in a twinkling up would go their ears and wide open their eyes."
- Anonymous article titled "The Funniest Writer on Earth. Some Anecdotes about Mark Twain," The Rambler, Dec. 24, 1898.
Hartford, Conn. April 2, 1890
EDITOR ECHOES:
DEAR SIR: -- There is nothing of continental or inter-national interest to communicate about those cats.
They had no history; they did not distinguish themselves in any way.
They died early--on account of being overweighted with their names, it was thought. SOUR MASH, APPOLLINARIS, ZOROASTER, and BLATHERSKITE, -- names given them not in an unfriendly spirit, but merely to practice the children in large and difficult styles of pronunciation.
It was a very happy idea. I mean, for the children.
MARK TWAIN
Above letter from an undated magazine story was found in photographer VanAken's personal scrapbook. It was reprinted in the Mark Twain Society Bulletin, Jan. 1989
