had known him first at Marienbad in '91, and in Vienna
in '98, in daily intercourse, when they had lived at the same hotel. His
tribute ran:

To HIS EXCELLENCY THE BRITISH PREMIER,--Congratulations, not
condolences. Before seventy we are merely respected, at best, and we
have to behave all the time, or we lose that asset; but after seventy
we are respected, esteemed, admired, revered, and don't have to behave
unless we want to. When I first knew you, Honored Sir, one of us was
hardly even respected. MARK TWAIN.

He had some misgivings concerning the telegram after it had gone, but he
did not recall it.

Clemens became the victim of a very clever hoax that summer. One day a
friend gave him two examples of the most deliciously illiterate letters,
supposed to have been written by a woman who had contributed certain
articles of clothing to the San Francisco sufferers, and later wished
to recall them because of the protests of her household. He was so sure
that the letters were genuine that he included them in his dictations,
after reading them aloud with great effect. To tell the truth, they did
seem the least bit too well done, too literary in their illiteracy; but
his natural optimism refused to admit of any suspicion, and a little
later he incorporated one of the Jennie Allen letters in a speech which
he made at a Press Club dinner in New York on the subject of simplified
spelling--offering it as an example of language with phonetic brevity
exercising its supreme function, the direct conveyance of ideas.
The letters, in the end, proved to be the clever work of Miss Grace
Donworth, who has since published them serially and in book form.
Clemens was not at all offended or disturbed by the exposure. He even
agreed to aid the young author in securing a publisher, and wrote to
Miss Stockbridge, through whom he had originally received the documents:

DEAR MISS STOCKBRIDGE (if she really exists),

257 Benefit Street (if there is any such place):

Yes, I should like a copy of that other letter. This whole fake is
delightful; & I tremble with fear that you are a fake yourself &
that I am your guileless prey. (But never mind, it isn't any
matter.)

Now as to publication----

He set forth his views and promised his assistance when enough of the
letters should be completed.

Clemens allowed his name to be included with the list of spelling
reformers, but he ne