Page 6 - 2008 DT 12 issues

January Mark Twain, cont’d from p. 1 ness ventures were not so success-
ful, nor was the early response to his
D e s k S c h e d u l e book form under the title, Innocents works of fiction, The Prince and the
Abroad. It was an immediate success, Pauper and A Connecticut Yankee in
Tues/1 New Year’s Day - Closed selling over 70,000 copies in the first King Arthur’s Court. Investments in
Wed/2 G. Fazio T./N. Hughes year, 1869, and remained popular inventions intrigued Twain, and he put
P. Herman throughout his life. Just a year after money into a variety of ventures. They
Thur/3 G. Wojciechowski J. Barrett his adventure abroad, Twain married failed, and so did his publishing com-
R. Rossnagel F. Davis Olivia Langdon. After a brief resi- pany. Cynicism crept into his work. It
Fri/4 P. Oleson K. Jackson dence in New York, Twain moved to was not a good time.
Sat/5 W. Barbuck W. Barbuck Hartford, Connecticut, where Olivia When Mark Twain met Henry
Sun/6 K. Nelson OPEN gave birth to three daughters. Their Huttleston Rogers in 1893, it was a
Mon/7 S./S. Stenzel C. McLaughlin first child, a son, died of diphtheria at godsend for the hard-pressed writer
Tues/8 V. Sperry M. Goessmann only 19 months. from Missouri. Rogers was a rich fi-
Wed/9 G. Fazio D. Powers In 1874-75, Mark Twain wrote nancier and a principal of Standard
P. Herman R. Porche the novel that is more associated with Oil. He liked Twain, and shrewdly
Thur/10 G. Wojciechowski J. Barrett him than any other, The Adventures of had him transfer copyright of his
R. Rossnagel F. Davis works to his wife, Oliv-
Fri/11 P. Williams R. Erickson ia, to put them out of the
R. Boghossian reach of creditors. Rogers
Sat/12 P. VanDooremaal R. Linsmeier took over all manage-
Sun/13 D. Langdon E. Meeks ment of Twain’s finances
Mon/14 S./S. Stenzel C. McLaughlin and had him file for bank-
J. Geier ruptcy. Regardless, Mark
Tues/15 M. Slagle J. Geier Twain went on a world
V. Sperry P. Kepner lecture tour and paid off
Wed/16 G. Fazio R. Porche his creditors. Rogers
P. Herman
Thur/17 G. Wojciechowski J. Barrett and his family became
Twain’s “family” after
R. Rossnagel F. Davis
Fri/18 P. Oleson D. Kavula Mark’s wife, Olivia, died
Sat/19 R. Linsmeier R. Erickson in 1904. He had also lost
Sun/20 K. Nelson L./M/ Utah three of his four children,
Mon/21 T./N. Hughes D. Schoengold Tom Sawyer. It drew heavily upon his leaving an emotional vacuum in his
Tues/22 V. Sperry M. Goessmann own boyhood on the Mississippi and, life. A melancholy entered much of his
J. McManus indeed, Twain remarked that Tom was writing. The friendship with Rogers en-
Wed/23 G. Fazio R. Porche “. . . all the boy I ever knew.” Pub- dured, and Twain became a frequent guest
P. Herman lished in 1876, the story introduced at the Rogers’ homes and aboard their
Thur/24 G. Wojciechowski J. Barrett a friend of Tom’s, Huckleberry Finn. yacht, Kanawha. For Rogers, the writer
R. Rossnagel F. Davis And there was the girl Tom courted, opened doors to meeting fascinating
Fri/25 P. Oleson R. Erickson Becky Thatcher. Tom also had plans people from outside the financial world.
P. Williams for a pirate gang. There was all the Mark Twain began to regain his sense
Sat/26 D. Langdon R. Conductor adventure a boy could want, and even of humor and wit. His fame was also in
Sun/27 T./N. Hughes L./M. Utah murder. It inspired a second novel of a new ascendancy. When he helped to
Mon/28 J. Frank D. Schoengold life on the Mississippi, The Adven- host ceremonies celebrating the 100th
Tues/29 M. Slagle D. Powers tures of Huckleberry Finn. Decades anniversary of Fulton’s invention of the
P. Boghossian later, Ernest Hemingway enthused, steamboat, a crowd in Virginia gave
Wed/30 G. Fazio R. Porche “There has been nothing as good him an overwhelming ovation. He was
P. Herman since.” Twain made both boys into very touched.
Thur/31 G. Wojciechowski J. Barrett real people; they weren’t all good or When Rogers died in 1909, Mark
R. Rossnagel F. Davis bad. You could believe them and their Twain was utterly grief stricken, “. . . I
escapades. Huck’s story was a huge cannot talk about it.” Just under a year
Changes? Call Kate at 515-5353 success. Unfortunately, Twain’s busi- later, it was Twain’s turn. He died of
Page 6 FORRC/January/2008