and was presently at Redpath’s office in Boston, which was a congenial place, as we have seen before.  He did not fail to return to the company of Nasby, Josh Billings, and those others of Redpath’s “attractions” as long and as often as distance would permit.  Bret Harte, who by this time had won fame, was also in Boston now, and frequently, with Howells, Aldrich, and Mark Twain, gathered in some quiet restaurant corner for a luncheon that lasted through a dim winter afternoon—­a period of anecdote, reminiscence, and mirth.  They were all young then, and laughed easily.  Howells, has written of one such luncheon given by Ralph Keeler, a young Californian—­a gathering at which James T. Fields was present “Nothing remains to me of the happy time but a sense of idle and aimless and joyful talk-play, beginning and ending nowhere, of eager laughter, of countless good stories from Fields, of a heat-lightning shimmer of wit from Aldrich, of an occasional concentration of our joint mockeries upon our host, who took it gladly.”

But a lecture circuit cannot be restricted to the radius of Boston. 
Clemens was presently writing to Redpath from Washington and points
farther west.

To James Redpath, in Boston: 

Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 1871. 
Dear red,—­I have come square out, thrown “Reminiscences” overboard, and taken “Artemus Ward, Humorist,” for my subject.  Wrote it here on Friday and Saturday, and read it from Ms last night to an enormous house.  It suits me and I’ll never deliver the nasty, nauseous “Reminiscences” any more. 
Yours,
mark.

The Artemus Ward lecture lasted eleven days, then he wrote: 

To Redpath and Fall, in Boston: 

        
                           Buffalodepot, Dec. 8, 1871. 

Redpath & fall, Boston,—­Notify all hands that from this time I shall talk nothing but selections from my forthcoming book “Roughing It.”  Tried it last night.  Suits me tip-top. 
                                   SAM’L L. Clemens.

The Roughing It chapters proved a success, and continued in high
favor through the rest of the season.

To James Redpath, in Boston: 

Logansport, Ind.  Jan. 2, 1872.  Friend Redpath,—­Had a splendid time with a splendid audience in Indianapolis last night—­a perfectly jammed house, just as I have had all the time out here.  I like the new lecture but I hate the “Artemus Ward” talk and won’t talk it any more.  No man ever approved that choice of subject in my hearing, I think.

Give me some comfort.  If I am to talk in New York am I going to have a good house?  I don’t care now to have any appointments cancelled.  I’ll even “fetch” those Dutch Pennsylvanians with this lecture.

Have paid up $4000 indebtedness.  You are the, last on my list.  Shall
begin to pay you in a few days and then I shall be a free man again. 
                              Yours,
                                        mark.