2 February 1879 • Munich, Germany (MS: MH-H, UCCL 01626)
I thought I would call your attention to the following incident, while the dinner table is getting ready for the soup.
There are several families & several little children in this pension. One of these little children, Marie Haŭff, has an ailment which requires a peculiar treatment—therefore she is the envy & admiration of the rest of the little tribe.
Scene, Our Nursery Parlor—Time, This Afternoon.—Enter a male friend from up town & introduces his little daughter, aged 6 or 7. I introduce the little maid into our nursery & tell our children who she is. My friend & I close the nursery door, but leave a crack to peep through. Little Miss Minnie stands bold upright in the centre of the nursery, in her white silk head-gear, her hands still in her little muff, & stares at Susie & Bay, who stand before her and stare back. Presently—
Minnie—I’ve got a cat at home—a live one.
Our children can’t “call this hand,” so they are silent. After a pause,—
Minnie—And I’ve got a dog, too,—a live dog.
Our children can’t “size this pile” either. Silence, & a pause. Then—
Minnie—I’ve seen the Queen!—I’ve seen her ever so many times!
Bay (with triumph)—But you’ve never seen Marie Haŭff. I have. And I know her, too. She has an injection every day! So there, now!
That let Miss Minnie out, you see.
And now the soup has arrived.
References
- Harvard University, Houghton Library, Cambridge, Mass.
- Machlis, Paul, ed. Union Catalog of Clemens Letters. Edited by Paul Machlis. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California Press. [In some cases, UCCL catalog numbers cited in this volume supersede those assigned in 1986 and reflect corrections or additions to the catalog since publication. An updated version of the catalog can be consulted via the Letters Search page at MTPO.] 1986
- MTHL. Mark Twain–Howells Letters. Edited by Henry Nash Smith and William M. Gibson, with the assistance of Frederick Anderson. 2 vols. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. 1960
MS, MH-H, shelf mark bMS Am 1784 (98).
MTHL , 1:251–52.
See Howells Letters in Description of Provenanceclick to open link.