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July 21, 2009
On Becoming A Criminal
Peter Salwen pointed out his 2005 piece on a few letters from Mark Twain's daughter, Jean Clemens, and his sister-in-law, Susan Crane, to Millard Sewall and his daughter Grace.
First Samuel and then his whole family had rented rooms in York Harbor, Maine, from the Sewall's during the summer of 1902. Until Livy's heart attack, Samuel and the family stayed at The Pines, a cottage across the road from the Sewall's. Samuel rented a room at the Sewall's as kind of study where he could work undisturbed. After Livy's heart attack the family moved to the Sewell's where they remained for ten weeks.
One letter from Jean Clemens to Grace Sewall "complains" about being undercharged for their rooms and for various assistances provided by Millard Sewall. Mark Twain wrote the following at the end of Jean's letter.
Miss Sewall, you are not bringing your father up properly. He will go on robbing himself until he will become an abandoned & incurable criminal. Let him beware!—SLC
Perhaps the world would be better if we all had a little more of this particularly kind of criminality.
This was a difficult time for the Clemens family and it heartening to see that Sam and Jean maintained their sense of humor through it all.
If you like Mark Twain, you'll enjoy Salwen's piece.
Via Mark Twain Forum
Posted by Duane Smith at July 21, 2009 1:53 PM | Read more on Mark Twain |
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