The Colonel Mulberry Sellers here re-introduced to
the public is the same person who appeared as Eschol
Sellers in the first edition of the tale entitled
“The Gilded Age,” years ago, and as Beriah
Sellers in the subsequent editions of the same book,
and finally as Mulberry Sellers in the drama played
afterward by John T. Raymond.
The name was changed from Eschol to Beriah to accommodate
an Eschol Sellers who rose up out of the vasty deeps
of uncharted space and preferred his request—backed
by threat of a libel suit—then went his
way appeased, and came no more. In the play Beriah
had to be dropped to satisfy another member of the
race, and Mulberry was substituted in the hope that
the objectors would be tired by that time and let it
pass unchallenged. So far it has occupied the
field in peace; therefore we chance it again, feeling
reasonably safe, this time, under shelter of the statute
of limitations.
Mark Twain.
Hartford, 1891.
No weather will be found in this book. This
is an attempt to pull a book through without weather.
It being the first attempt of the kind in fictitious
literature, it may prove a failure, but it seemed worth
the while of some dare-devil person to try it, and
the author was in just the mood.
Many a reader who wanted to read a tale through was
not able to do it because of delays on account of
the weather. Nothing breaks up an author’s
progress like having to stop every few pages to fuss-up
the weather. Thus it is plain that persistent
intrusions of weather are bad for both reader and
author.
Of course weather is necessary to a narrative of human
experience. That is conceded. But it ought
to be put where it will not be in the way; where it
will not interrupt the flow of the narrative.
And it ought to be the ablest weather that can be
had, not ignorant, poor-quality, amateur weather.
Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained
hand can turn out a good article of it. The
present author can do only a few trifling ordinary
kinds of weather, and he cannot do those very good.
So it has seemed wisest to borrow such weather as is
necessary for the book from qualified and recognized
experts—giving credit, of course.
This weather will be found over in the back part of
the book, out of the way. See Appendix.
The reader is requested to turn over and help himself
from time to time as he goes along.
