The Howells story, running at this
time in the Atlantic, and so much enjoyed by
the Clemens party, was “The Lady of the Aroostook.”
The suggestions made for enlarging the part
of the “old man” are eminently characteristic.
Mark Twain’s forty-third birthday
came in Munich, and in his letter conveying this
fact to his mother we get a brief added outline of
the daily life in that old Bavarian city.
Certainly, it would seem to have been a quieter
and more profitable existence than he had known
amid the confusion of things left behind in, America.
To Mrs. Jane Clemens and
Mrs. Moffett, in America:
No.
1a Karlstrasse,
Dec.
1, Munich. 1878.
My dear mother and sister,—I
broke the back of life yesterday and started down-hill
toward old age. This fact has not produced any
effect upon me that I can detect.
I suppose we are located here for the winter.
I have a pleasant work-room a mile from here where
I do my writing. The walk to and from that place
gives me what exercise I need, and all I take.
We staid three weeks in Venice, a week in Florence,
a fortnight in Rome, and arrived here a couple of
weeks ago. Livy and Miss Spaulding are studying
drawing and German, and the children have a German
day-governess. I cannot see but that the children
speak German as well as they do English.
Susie often translates Livy’s orders to the
servants. I cannot work and study German at
the same time: so I have dropped the latter, and
do not even read the language, except in the morning
paper to get the news.
We have all pretty good health, latterly, and have
seldom had to call the doctor. The children
have been in the open air pretty constantly for months
now. In Venice they were on the water in the
gondola most of the time, and were great friends with
our gondolier; and in Rome and Florence they had long
daily tramps, for Rosa is a famous hand to smell out
the sights of a strange place. Here they wander
less extensively.
The family all join in love to you all and to Orion
and Mollie.
Affly
Your
son
Sam.
LETTERS 1879. RETURN TO AMERICA. THE GREAT GRANT REUNION
Life went on very well in Munich. Each day the
family fell more in love with Fraulein Dahlweiner
and her house.
Mark Twain, however, did not settle down to his work
readily. His “pleasant work-room”
provided exercise, but no inspiration. When he
discovered he could not find his Swiss note-book he
was ready to give up his travel-writing altogether.
In the letter that follows we find him much less
enthusiastic concerning his own performances than over
the story by Howells, which he was following in the
Atlantic.
