with another privacy！
So many wrote； that Clemens finally felt called upon to make public
confession； and as one searching letter had been mailed from Springfield；
Massachusetts； he made his reply through the Republican of that city。
After some opening comment he said：
I published a short story lately & it was in that that I put the
oesophagus。 I will say privately that I expected it to bother some
peoplein fact； that was the intentionbut the harvest has been
larger than I was calculating upon。 The oesophagus has gathered in
the guilty and the innocent alike； whereas I was only fishing for
the innocentthe innocent and confiding。
He quoted a letter from a schoolmaster in the Philippines who thought the
passage beautiful with the exception of the curious creature which 〃slept
upon motionless wings。〃 Said Clemens：
Do you notice？ Nothing in the paragraph disturbed him but that one
word。 It shows that that paragraph was most ably constructed for
the deception it was intended to put upon the reader。 It was my
intention that it should read plausibly； and it is now plain that it
does； it was my intention that it should be emotional and touching；
and you see yourself that it fetched this public instructor。 Alas！
if I had but left that one treacherous word out I should have
scored； scored everywhere； and the paragraph would have slidden
through every reader's sensibilities like oil and left not a
suspicion behind。
The other sample inquiry is from a professor in a New England
university。 It contains one naughty word （which I cannot bear to
suppress）； but he is not in the theological department； so it is no
harm：
〃DEAR MR。 CLEMENS；'Far in the empty sky a solitary oesophagus
slept upon motionless wing。'
〃It is not often I get a chance to read much periodical literature；
but I have just gone through at this belated period； with much
gratification and edification； your 'Double…Barrelled Detective
Story。'
〃But what in hell is an oesophagus？ I keep one myself； but it never
sleeps in the air or anywhere else。 My profession is to deal with
words； and oesophagus interested me the moment I lighted upon it。
But； as a companion of my youth used to say； 'I'll be eternally； co…
eternally cussed' if I can make it out。 Is it a joke or am I an
ignoramus？〃
Between you and me； I was almost ashamed of having fooled that man；
but for pride's sake I was not going to say so。 I wrote and told
him it was a jokeand that is what I am now saying to my
Springfield inquirer。 And I told him to carefully read the whole
paragraph and he would find not a vestige of sense in any detail of
it。 This also I recommend to my Springfield inquirer。
I have confessed。 I am sorrypartially。 I will not do so any
morefor the present。 Don't ask me any more questions； let the
oesophagus have a reston his same old motionless wing。
He wrote Twichell that the story had been a six…day 'tour de force'；
twenty…five thousand words； and he adds：
How long it takes a literary seed to sprout sometimes！ This seed was
planted in your house many years ago when you sent me to bed with a
book not heard of by me until thenSherlock Holmes 。 。 。 。
I've done a grist of writing here this summer； but not for
publication soon； if ever。 I did write two satisfactory articles
for early print； but I've burned one of them & have buried the other
in my large box of posthumous stuff。 I've got stacks of literary
remains piled up there。
Early in August Clemens went with H。 H。 Rogers in his yacht Kanawha on a
cruise to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia。 Rogers had made up a party；
including ex…Speaker Reed； Dr。 Rice； and Col。 A。 G。 Paine。 Young Harry
Rogers also made one of the party。 Clemens kept a log of the cruise；
certain entries of which convey something of its spirit。 On the 11th； at
Yarmouth； he wrote：
Fog…bound。 The garrison went ashore。 Officers visited the yacht in
the evening & said an anvil had been missed。 Mr。 Rogers paid for
the anvil。
August 13th。 There is a fine picture…gallery here； the sheriff
photographed the garrison； with the exception of Harry （Rogers） and
Mr。 Clemens。
August 14th。 Upon complaint of Mr。 Reed another dog was procured。
He said he had been a sailor all his life； and considered it
dangerous to trust a ship to a dog…watch with only one dog in it。
Poker； for a change。
August 15th。 To Rockland； Maine； in the afternoon； arriving about 6
P。M。 In the night Dr。 Rice baited the anchor with his winnings &
caught a whale 90 feet long。 He said so himself。 It is thought
that if there had been another witness like Dr。 Rice the whale would
have been longer。
August 16th。 We could have had a happy time in Bath but for the
interruptions caused by people who wanted Mr。 Reed to explain votes
of the olden time or give back the money。 Mr。 Rogers recouped them。
Another anvil missed。 The descendant of Captain Kidd is the only
person who does not blush for these incidents。 Harry and Mr。
Clemens blush continually。 It is believed that if the rest of the
garrison were like these two the yacht would be welcome everywhere
instead of being quarantined by the police in all the ports。 Mr。
Clemens & Harry have attracted a great deal of attention； & men have
expressed a resolve to turn over a new leaf & copy after them from
this out。
Evening。 Judge Cohen came over from another yacht to pay his
respects to Harry and Mr。 Clemens； he having heard of their
reputation from the clergy of these coasts。 He was invited by the
gang to play poker apparently as a courtesy & in a spirit of seeming
hospitality； he not knowing them & taking it all at par。 Mr。 Rogers
lent him clothes to go home in。
August 17th。 The Reformed Statesman growling and complaining again
not in a frank； straightforward way； but talking at the Commodore；
while letting on to be talking to himself。 This time he was
dissatisfied about the anchor watch； said it was out of date；
untrustworthy； & for real efficiency didn't begin with the
Waterbury； & was going on to reiterate； as usual； that he had been a
pilot all his life & blamed if he ever saw； etc。； etc。； etc。
But he was not allowed to finish。 We put him ashore at Portland。
That is to say； Reed landed at Portland； the rest of the party returning
with the yacht。
〃We had a noble good time in the yacht；〃 Clemens wrote Twichell on their
return。 〃We caught a Chinee missionary and drowned him。〃
Twichell had been invited to make one of the party； and this letter was
to make him feel sorry he had not accepted。
CCXVI
RIVERDALEA YALE DEGREE
The Clemens household did not return to 14 West Tenth Street。 They spent
a week in Elmira at the end of September； and after a brief stop in New
York took up their residence on the northern metropolitan boundary； at
Riverdale…on…the…Hudson； in the old Appleton home。 They had permanently
concluded not to return to Hartford。 They had put the property there
into an agent's hands for sale。 Mrs。 Clemens never felt that she had the
strength to enter the house again。
They had selected the Riverdale place with due consideration。 They
decided that they must have easy access to the New York center； but they
wished also to have the advantage of space and spreading lawn and trees；
large rooms； and light。 The Appleton homestead provided these things。
It was a house built in the first third of the last century by one of the
Morris family； so long prominent in New York history。 On passing into
the Appleton ownership it had been enlarged and beautified and named
〃Holbrook Hall。〃 It overlooked the Hudson and the Palisades。 It had
associations： the Roosevelt family had once lived there； Huxley； Darwin；
Tyndall； and others of their intellectual rank had been entertained there
during its occupation by the first Appleton； the founder of the
publishing firm。 The great hall of the added wing was its chief feature。
Clemens once remembered：
〃We drifted from room to room on our tour of inspection； always with a
growing doubt as to whether we wanted that house or not； but at last；
when we arrived in a dining…room that was 60 feet long； 30 feet wide； and
had two great fireplaces in it； that settled it。〃
There were pleasant neighbors at Riverdale； and had it not been for the
illnesses that seemed always ready to seize upon that household the home
there might have been ideal。 They loved the place presently； so much so
that they contemplated buying it； but decided that it was too costly。
They began to prospect for other places along the Hudson shore。 They
were anxious to have a home againone that they could call their own。
Among the many pleasant neighbors at Riverdale were the Dodges； the
Quincy Adamses； and the Rev。 Mr。 Carstensen； a liberal…minded minister
with whom Clemens easily affiliated。 Clemens and Carstensen visited back
and forth and exchanged views。 Once Mr。 Carstensen told him that he was
going to town to dine with a party which included the Reverend Gottheil；
a Catholic bishop； an Indian Buddhist； and a Chinese scholar of the
Confucian faith； after which they were all going to a Yiddish theater。
Clemens said：
〃Well； there's only one more thing you need to make the party complete
that is； either Satan or me。〃
Howells often came to Riverdale。 He was living in a New York apartment；
and it was handy and made an easy and pleasant outing for him。 He says：
〃I began to see them again on something like the sweet old terms。 They
lived far more unpretentiously than they used； and I think with a notion
of economy； which they had never very successfully practised。 I recall
that at the end of a certain year in Hartford； when they had been saving
and paying cash for everything； Clemens w