“The German Chicago” was
the last of the six McClure letters and was finished
that winter in Berlin. It is now included in
the Uniform Edition of Mark Twain’s works,
and is one of the best descriptive articles of
the German capital ever written. He made no use
of the Rhone notes further than to put them together
in literary form. They did not seem to him
to contain enough substance to warrant publication.
A letter to Hall, written toward the end of December,
we find rather gloomy in tone, though he is still
able to extract comfort and even cheerfulness
from one of Mr. Hall’s reports.
Memorandum to Fred
J. Hall, in New York:
Among the MSS I left with you are a few that have
a recent look and are written on rather stiff pale
green paper. If you will have those type-writered
and keep the originals and send me the copies (one
per mail, not two.) I’ll see if I can use them.
But tell Howells and other inquirers that my hopes
of writing anything are very slender—I
seem to be disabled for life.
Drop McClure a line and tell him the same. I
can’t dare to make an engagement now for even
a single letter.
I am glad Howells is on a magazine, but sorry he gave
up the Study. I shall have to go on a magazine
myself if this L. A. L. continues to hold my nose
down to the grind-stone much longer.
I’m going to hold my breath, now, for 30 days—then
the annual statement will arrive and I shall know
how we feel! Merry Xmas to you from us all.
Sincerely,
S.
L. C.
P. S. Just finished the above and finished raging
at the eternal German tax-gatherer, and so all the
jubilant things which I was going to say about the
past year’s business got knocked out of me.
After writing this present letter I was feeling blue
about Huck Finn, but I sat down and overhauled your
reports from now back to last April and compared them
with the splendid Oct.-Nov. business, and went to
bed feeling refreshed and fine, for certainly it has
been a handsome year. Now rush me along the
Annual Report and let’s see how we feel!
S.
L. C.
Letters, 1892, chiefly to Mr.
Hall and Mrs. Crane. In
Berlin, Mentone, bad-Nauheim,
Florence
Mark Twain was the notable literary figure in Berlin
that winter, the center of every great gathering.
He was entertained by the Kaiser, and shown many
special attentions by Germans of every rank.
His books were as well known in Berlin as in New York,
and at court assemblies and embassies he was always
a chief center of interest.
