Authors, American -- 19th century -- Biography; Humorists, American -- 19th century -- Biography; Twain, Mark, 1835-1910
That was a great many years ago. And to-day is the first time that I
have told that dream since Dr. Burton scared me into fatal doubts about
it. No, I don't believe I can say that. I don't believe that I ever
really had any doubts whatever concerning the salient points of the
dream, for those points are of such a nature that they are _pictures_,
and pictures can be remembered, when they are vivid, much better than
one can remember remarks and unconcreted facts. Although it has been so
many years since I have told that dream, I can see those pictures now
just as clearly defined as if they were before me in this room. I have
not told the entire dream. There was a good deal more of it. I mean I
have not told all that happened in the dream's fulfilment. After the
incident in the death-room I may mention one detail, and that is this.
When I arrived in St. Louis with the casket it was about eight o'clock
in the morning, and I ran to my brother-in-law's place of business,
hoping to find him there, but I missed him, for while I was on the way
to his office he was on his way from the house to the boat. When I got
back to the boat the casket was gone. He had conveyed it out to his
house. I hastened thither, and when I arrived the men were just removing
the casket from the vehicle to carry it up-stairs. I stopped that
procedure, for I did not want my mother to see the dead face, because
one side of it was drawn and distorted by the effects of the opium. When
I went up-stairs, there stood the two chairs--placed to receive the
coffin--just as I had seen them in my dream; and if I had arrived two or
three minutes later, the casket would have been resting upon them,
precisely as in my dream of several weeks before.
MARK TWAIN.
(_To be Continued._)
FOOTNOTE:
[8] See "Old Times on the Mississippi."
NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW
No. DCXIV.
MAY 3, 1907.
CHAPTERS FROM MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY.--XVII.
BY MARK TWAIN.
_From Susy's Biography of Me._
_Sept. 9, '85._--Mamma is teaching Jean a little natural history
and is making a little collection of insects for her. But mamma
does not allow Jean to kill any insects she only collects those
insects that are found dead. Mamma has told us all, perticularly
Jean, to bring her all the little dead insects that she finds. The
other day as we were all sitting at supper Jean broke into the room
and ran triumfantly up to Mamma and presented her with a plate full
of dead flies. Mamma thanked Jean vary enthusiastically although
she with difficulty concealed her amusement. Just then Soar Mash
entered the room and Jean believing her hungry asked Mamma for
permission to give her the flies. Mamma laughingly consented and
the flies almost immediately dissapeared.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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