& I was young because she lived in my heart & preserved its youth from
decay。
He often busied himself working out more extensively some of the ideas
that came to himmoral ideas； he called them。 One fancy which he
followed in several forms （some of them not within the privilege of
print） was that of an inquisitive little girl； Bessie； who pursues her
mother with difficult questionings。＇Under Appendix w； at the end of
this volume； the reader will find one of the 〃Bessie〃 dialogues。＇ He
read these aloud as he finished them； and it is certain that they lacked
neither logic nor humor。
Sometimes he went to a big drawer in his dresser； where he kept his
finished manuscripts； and took them out and looked over them； and read
parts of them aloud； and talked of the plans he had had for them； and how
one idea after another had been followed for a time and had failed to
satisfy him in the end。
Two fiction schemes that had always possessed him he had been unable to
bring to any conclusion。 Both of these have been mentioned in former
chapters； one being the notion of a long period of dream…existence during
a brief moment of sleep； and the other being the story of a mysterious
visitant from another realm。 He had experimented with each of these
ideas in no less than three forms； and there was fine writing and
dramatic narrative in all； but his literary architecture had somehow
fallen short of his conception。 〃The Mysterious Stranger〃 in one of its
forms I thought might be satisfactorily concluded； and he admitted that
he could probably end it without much labor。 He discussed something of
his plans； and later I found the notes for its conclusion。 But I suppose
he was beyond the place where he could take up those old threads； though
he contemplated； fondly enough； the possibility； and recalled how he had
read at least one form of the dream tale to Howells； who had urged him to
complete it。
CCLXXXIII
ASTRONOMY AND DREAMS
August 5； 1909。 This morning I noticed on a chair a copy of Flaubert's
Salammbo which I recently lent him。 I asked if he liked it。
〃No；〃 he said； 〃I didn't like any of it。〃
〃But you read it？〃
〃Yes； I read every line of it。〃
〃You admitted its literary art？〃
〃Well； it's like this： If I should go to the Chicago stockyards and they
should kill a beef and cut it up and the blood should splash all over
everything； and then they should take me to another pen and kill another
beef and the blood should splash over everything again； and so on to pen
after pen； I should care for it about as much as I do for that book。〃
〃But those were bloody days； and you care very much for that period in
history。〃
〃Yes； that is so。 But when I read Tacitus and know that I am reading
history I can accept it as such and supply the imaginary details and
enjoy it； but this thing is such a continuous procession of blood and
slaughter and stench it worries me。 It has great artI can see that。
That scene of the crucified lions and the death canon and the tent scene
are marvelous； but I wouldn't read that book again without a salary。〃
August 16。 He is reading Suetonius； which he already knows by heartso
full of the cruelties and licentiousness of imperial Rome。
This afternoon he began talking about Claudius。
〃They called Claudius a lunatic；〃 he said； 〃but just see what nice
fancies he had。 He would go to the arena between times and have captives
and wild beasts brought out and turned in together for his special
enjoyment。 Sometimes when there were no captives on hand he would say；
'Well； never mind； bring out a carpenter。' Carpentering around the arena
wasn't a popular job in those days。 He went visiting once to a province
and thought it would be pleasant to see how they disposed of criminals
and captives in their crude； old…fashioned way； but there was no
executioner on hand。 No matter； the Emperor of Rome was in no hurryhe
would wait。 So he sat down and stayed there until an executioner came。〃
I said； 〃How do you account for the changed attitude toward these things？
We are filled with pity to…day at the thought of torture and suffering。〃
〃Ah！ but that is because we have drifted that way and exercised the
quality of compassion。 Relax a muscle and it soon loses its vigor； relax
that quality and in two generationsin one generationwe should be
gloating over the spectacle of blood and torture just the same。 Why； I
read somewhere a letter written just before the Lisbon catastrophe in
1755 about a scene on the public square of Lisbon： A lot of stakes with
the fagots piled for burning and heretics chained for burning。 The
square was crowded with men and women and children； and when those fires
were lighted； and the heretics began to shriek and writhe； those men and
women and children laughed so they were fairly beside themselves with the
enjoyment of the scene。 The Greeks don't seem to have done these things。
I suppose that indicates earlier advancement in compassion。〃
Colonel Harvey and Mr。 Duneka came up to spend the night。 Mr。 Clemens
had one of his seizures during the evening。 They come oftener and last
longer。 One last night continued for an hour and a half。 I slept there。
September 7。 To…day news of the North Pole discovered by Peary。 Five
days ago the same discovery was reported by Cook。 Clemens's comment：
〃It's the greatest joke of the ages。〃 But a moment later he referred to
the stupendous fact of Arcturus being fifty thousand times as big as the
sun。
September 21。 This morning he told me； with great glee； the dream he had
had just before wakening。 He said：
〃I was in an automobile going slowly； with 'a little girl beside me；
and some uniformed person walking along by us。 I said； 'I'll get
out and walk； too'； but the officer replied； 'This is only one of
the smallest of our fleet。'
〃Then I noticed that the automobile had no front； and there were two
cannons mounted where the front should be。 I noticed； too； that we
were traveling very low； almost down on the ground。 Presently we
got to the bottom of a hill and started up another； and I found
myself walking ahead of the 'mobile。 I turned around to look for
the little girl； and instead of her I found a kitten capering beside
me； and when we reached the top of the hill we were looking out over
a most barren and desolate waste of sand…heaps without a speck of
vegetation anywhere； and the kitten said； 'This view beggars all
admiration。' Then all at once we were in a great group of people
and I undertook to repeat to them the kitten's remark； but when I
tried to do it the words were so touching that I broke down and
cried； and all the group cried； too； over the kitten's moving
remark。〃
The joy with which he told this absurd sleep fancy made it supremely
ridiculous and we laughed until tears really came。
One morning he said： 〃I was awake a good deal in the night； and I tried
to think of interesting things。 I got to working out geological periods；
trying to think of some way to comprehend them； and then astronomical
periods。 Of course it's impossible； but I thought of a plan that seemed
to mean something to me。 I remembered that Neptune is two billion eight
hundred million miles away。 That； of course； is incomprehensible； but
then there is the nearest fixed star with its twenty…five trillion miles…
…twenty…five trillionor nearly a thousand times as far； and then I took
this book and counted the lines on a page and I found that there was an
average of thirty…two lines to the page and two hundred and forty pages；
and I figured out that； counting the distance to Neptune as one line；
there were still not enough lines in the book by nearly two thousand to
reach the nearest fixed star； and somehow that gave me a sort of dim idea
of the vastness of the distance and kind of a journey into space。〃
Later I figured out another method of comprehending a little of that
great distance by estimating the existence of the human race at thirty
thousand years （Lord Kelvin's figures） and the average generation to have
been thirty…three years with a world population of 1；500；000；000 souls。
I assumed the nearest fixed star to be the first station in Paradise and
the first soul to have started thirty thousand years ago。 Traveling at
the rate of about thirty miles a second； it would just now be arriving in
Alpha Centauri with all the rest of that buried multitude stringing out
behind at an average distance of twenty miles apart。
Few things gave him more pleasure than the contemplation of such figures
as these。 We made occasional business trips to New York； and during one
of them visited the Museum of Natural History to look at the brontosaur
and the meteorites and the astronomical model in the entrance hall。 To
him these were the most fascinating things in the world。 He contemplated
the meteorites and the brontosaur； and lost himself in strange and
marvelous imaginings concerning the far reaches of time and space whence
they had come down to us。
Mark Twain lived curiously apart from the actualities of life。 D