Howells was writing a campaign biography of Hayes, which he hoped would have a large sale, and Clemens urged him to get it out quickly and save the country.  Howells, working like a beaver, in turn urged Clemens to take the field in the cause.  Returning to Hartford, Clemens presided at a political rally and made a speech, the most widely quoted of the campaign.  All papers, without distinction as to party, quoted it, and all readers, regardless of politics, read it with joy.

Yet conditions did not improve.  When Howells’s book had been out a reasonable length of time he wrote that it had sold only two thousand copies.

“There’s success for you,” he said.  “It makes me despair of the Republic, I can tell you.”

Clemens, however, did not lose faith, and went on shouting for Hayes and damning Tilden till the final vote was cast.  In later life he changed his mind about Tilden (as did many others) through sympathy.  Sympathy could make—­Mark Twain change his mind any time.  He stood for the right, but, above all, for justice.  He stood for the wronged, regardless of all other things.

CIX

The public appearance of “Tom Sawyer”

Clemens gave a few readings in Boston and Philadelphia, but when urged to go elsewhere made the excuse that he was having his portrait painted and could not leave home.

As a matter of fact, he was enjoying himself with Frank Millet, who had been invited to the house to do the portrait and had captured the fervent admiration of the whole family.  Millet was young, handsome, and lively; Clemens couldn’t see enough of him, the children adored him and added his name to the prayer which included each member of the household—­the “Holy Family,” Clemens called it.

Millet had brought with him but one piece of canvas for the portrait, and when the first sketch was finished Mrs. Clemens was so delighted with it that she did not wish him to touch it again.  She was afraid of losing some particular feeling in it which she valued.  Millet went to the city. for another canvas and Clemens accompanied him.  While Millet was doing his shopping it happened to occur to Clemens that it would be well to fill in the time by having his hair cut.  He left word with a clerk to tell Millet that he had gone across the street.  By and by the artist came over, and nearly wept with despair when he saw his subject sheared of the auburn, gray-sprinkled aureola that had made his first sketch a success.  He tried it again, and the result was an excellent likeness, but it never satisfied Millet.

The ‘Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ appeared late in December (1876), and immediately took its place as foremost of American stories of boy life, a place which it unquestionably holds to this day.  We have already considered the personal details of this story, for they were essentially nothing more than the various aspects of Mark Twain’s own boyhood.  It is only necessary to add a word concerning the elaboration of this period in literary form.