Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 6 (1907-1910)Twain, Mark
General
Mark Twain's Letters — Volume 6 (1907-1910)
Twain, Mark
Authors, American -- 19th century -- Correspondence; Twain, Mark, 1835-1910 -- Correspondence
The autumn splendors passed you by? What a pity. I wish you had been
here. It was beyond words! It was heaven and hell and sunset and
rainbows and the aurora all fused into one divine harmony, and you
couldn't look at it and keep the tears back. All the hosannahing strong
gorgeousnesses have gone back to heaven and hell and the pole, now, but
no matter; if you could look out of my bedroom window at this moment,
you would choke up; and when you got your voice you would say: This
is not real, this is a dream. Such a singing together, and such a
whispering together, and such a snuggling together of cosy soft colors,
and such kissing and caressing, and such pretty blushing when the sun
breaks out and catches those dainty weeds at it--you remember that
weed-garden of mine?--and then--then the far hills sleeping in a dim
blue trance--oh, hearing about it is nothing, you should be here to see
it.
Good! I wish I could go on the platform and read. And I could, if it
could be kept out of the papers. There's a charity-school of 400 young
girls in Boston that I would give my ears to talk to, if I had some
more; but--oh, well, I can't go, and it's no use to grieve about it.
This morning Jean went to town; also Paine; also the butler; also
Katy; also the laundress. The cook and the maid, and the boy and
the roustabout and Jean's coachman are left--just enough to make it
lonesome, because they are around yet never visible. However, the
Harpers are sending Leigh up to play billiards; therefore I shall
survive.
Affectionately,
S. L. CLEMENS.
Early in June that year, Clemens had developed unmistakable symptoms
of heart trouble of a very serious nature. It was angina pectoris,
and while to all appearances he was as well as ever and usually felt
so, he was periodically visited by severe attacks of acute “breast
pains” which, as the months passed, increased in frequency and
severity. He was alarmed and distressed--not on his own account,
but because of his daughter Jean--a handsome girl, who had long been
subject to epileptic seizures. In case of his death he feared that
Jean would be without permanent anchorage, his other daughter,
Clara--following her marriage to Ossip Gabrilowitsch in October
--having taken up residence abroad.
This anxiety was soon ended. On the morning of December 24th, Jean
Clemens was found dead in her apartment. She was not drowned in her
bath, as was reported, but died from heart exhaustion, the result of
her malady and the shock of cold water.
[Questionable diagnosis! D.W. M.D.]
The blow to her father was terrible, but heavy as it was, one may
perhaps understand that her passing in that swift, painless way must
have afforded him a measure of relief.
*****
To Mrs. Gabrilowitsch, in Europe:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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