The prophecy

In 1895 Cheiro the palmist examined my hand & said that in my 68th year (1903) I would become suddenly rich.  I was a bankrupt & $94,000 in debt at the time through the failure of Charles L. Webster & Co.  Two years later—­in London—­Cheiro repeated this long-distance prediction, & added that the riches would come from a quite unexpected source.  I am superstitious.  I kept the prediction in mind & often thought of it.  When at last it came true, October 22, 1903, there was but a month & 9 days to spare.

The contract signed that day concentrates all my books in Harper’s hands & now at last they are valuable; in fact they are a fortune.  They guarantee me $25,000 a year for 5 years, and they will yield twice as much as that.—­[In earlier note-books and letters Clemens more than once refers to this prophecy and wonders if it is to be realized.  The Harper contract, which brought all of his books into the hands of one publisher (negotiated for him by Mr. Rogers), proved, in fact, a fortune.  The books yielded always more than the guarantee; sometimes twice that amount, as he had foreseen.]

During the conclusion of this contract Clemens made frequent visits to Fairhaven on the Kanawha.  Joe Goodman came from the Pacific to pay him a good-by visit during this period.  Goodman had translated the Mayan inscriptions, and his work had received official recognition and publication by the British Museum.  It was a fine achievement for a man in later life and Clemens admired it immensely.  Goodman and Clemens enjoyed each other in the old way at quiet resorts where they could talk over the old tales.  Another visitor of that summer was the son of an old friend, a Hannibal printer named Daulton.  Young Daulton came with manuscripts seeking a hearing of the magazine editors, so Clemens wrote a letter which would insure that favor:  Introducing Mr. Geo. Daulton: 

To Gilder, Alden, Harvey, McCLURE, walker, page, Bok, Collier, and such other members of the sacred guild as privilege me to call them friends-these: 

Although I have no personal knowledge of the bearer of this, I have what is better:  He comes recommended to me by his own father—­a thing not likely to happen in any of your families, I reckon.  I ask you, as a favor to me, to waive prejudice & superstition for this once & examine his work with an eye to its literary merit, instead of to the chastity of its spelling.  I wish to God you cared less for that particular.

I set (or sat) type alongside of his father, in Hannibal, more than 50 years ago, when none but the pure in heart were in that business.  A true man he was; and if I can be of any service to his son—­and to you at the same time, let me hope—­I am here heartily to try.

Yours by the sanctions of time & deserving,

Sincerely,
S. L. Clemens.