FIFTY-SECOND ANNUAL CONVENTION 117 



things that made people's hearts glad, that there was the 

 happiest man in the world. So he went his long road to 

 Hartford, Conn., and went to the home of Mark Twain. 

 He was admitted, and later went up to his room. When 

 Mark Twain came to the door he had his hair down over 

 his eyes, very much in distress and trouble, and the man 

 told Mark Twain what he came for, on the quest for the 

 happiest man in the world. He said, *1 don't know what 

 you came here for. I have been feeding this fire for ten 

 days with my manuscripts, and I can't write anything." 

 He says, *'I am writing a love story and I can't get it to 

 end just right." And the man who was on the search of 

 this happiest man said, 'Tell me, Mr. Twain, your trouble. 

 Maybe I can help you out." 



He said, 'This is a love story of a young man who left 

 his boyhood home in early days, his sweetheart behind him, 

 and he had gone to see the world. But in his mature man- 

 hood, after he had gotten his education and money enough 

 for his needs he came back to visit the old home. Mother 

 and father were gone. Sister had gone. Brother was liv- 

 ing on the old home place, and I have this young man, now 

 in middle age, going over the old farmstead viewing the 

 boyhood places of his life and the years past. I have him 

 now in his brother's buggy riding down the lane, and he is 

 coming to the woodland, and as he comes to the woodland 

 he comes to the old creek and there is the old swimmin' 

 hole, and as all other boys know what it is when they come 

 back to the old swimmin' hole he longed to take a swim, 

 and as he used to in days gone by he hitched his horse 

 and went in, took his swim, and as he came out drying 

 himself with his hands and swimming in nature's way of 

 swimming, he was dressing. He had on his shirt, tie, he 

 had on his collar, and he heard the rattle of a wagon com- 

 ing through the bushes, and as it came nearer he saw 

 something must be done. He ran and jumped in his buggy, 

 pulled the laprobe over his lap, but as the wagon came 

 nearer he saw three parties in there: rather a healthy man 

 and woman, and behind on the old board was a middle- 

 aged lady. As they came nearer the lady looked, and as 



