Photo courtesy of Frank C. Grace -- any of his prints may be purchased at
"It is my heart-warming and world-embracing Christmas hope and aspiration
that all of us,
the high, the low, the rich, the poor, the despised, the admired, the loved, the hated, the civilized, the savage
(every man and brother of us all throughout the whole earth),
may eventually be gathered in a heaven of everlasting rest and peace and bliss --
except the inventor of the telephone."
- Mark Twain, Boston Daily Globe.
Journal of Captain Samuel McCord
(December 24, 1874)
Sammy Clemens looked at me and sighed,
"Captain Sam, if you live long enough,
the approach of the holiday season can stir up sad memories as well as happy ones."
His blue/grey eyes sparkled, "So I aim to make the happy ones sizzling!"
He was dressed as the most fur-layered Santa Claus I had ever seen.
He held up the telephone in his right fur-gloved hand and glared at Nikola Tesla at my side.
"I might as well make use of this danged instrument you forced me to invest in, Nikola.
Why I declare I would have made twice as much money if you had let me invest in that Paige typesetter."
Nikola huffed, "Oh, go suck on your false beard! What do you know of science? I, the far-seeing genius that I am ---"
Sammy snorted, "And humble, too!"
Nikola happily ignored him and continued,
"I saw the design flaws in that machine and saw the potential in Mr. Bell's invention -- since he stole it from me!
Besides, it was Captain McCord who forced you to invest in the telephone. Why berate me?"
"Because you can't turn me into a turnip, you jack nape, that's why."
He turned to me. "Can you do your Apache hoodoo and set me at the foot of Susy's and Clara's bed?"
"Yes, Sammy, but it's the middle of Christmas Eve night."
"That's the whole dang point! I put this fancy telephone gadget on their night stand to wake 'em up on this very night."
I smiled sadly.
On the outside, Sammy was all humbug.
But there was nothing he would not do to hear the happy squeals of delight from his daughters.
He dialed the telephone number of his daughters' phone.
It was 7.
Sammy had one of the first telephones to be installed in a home.
He literally danced in place, waiting for one of his daughters to pick up and answer.
"Dang, little heathens sleep as heavy as damp logs!"
His eyes lit up, "Hello, Susy! This is the Man in the Moon. "
(That was Sammy's nickname for Santa.)
I heard the girl's sleepy voice, "Oh, Papa, I know your voice!"
"You accuse Santa of swearing false?"
He pulled out a piece of coal from his pocket and winked at me.
"For that, I will hand-deliver a lump of coal!"
I sucked in a breath I didn't need and folded the fabric of distance as I wanted.
Sammy disappeared with a yelp and a rush of air going with him to his daughters' room.
Nikola shook his head as we heard distant screams of shock and delight from the girls' room. I counted to three. I re-folded distance again.
Sammy reeled to the wall, laughing so hard he held his pillow-fattened stomach with both gloved hands.
"Oh, Captain Sam! You should have seen their faces! No Santa-naying for them gals from this day on!"
Nikola turned to me with one raised eyebrow. "Thankfully for his daughters, I hear good things of a Dr. Freud in Vienna."
{And that's the way it was at Christmas in Hartford, 1876 -- give or take a lie or two.}
*
For more of Mark Twain, Nikola Tesla,
and Sam McCord
- This time in 1895 Egypt -
Read or Listen to
DEATH IN THE HOUSE OF LIFE
DEATH IN THE HOUSE OF LIFE
That was funny! Yeah, the phone is a blessing and a curse now.
ReplyDeleteI walk down the street, and I all I see are folks, head down, eyes blind to the world around them. I go into work, and all I see are heads down, eyes blind to everything around them. I walk the aisles of stores, and all I see are heads down, blind to those who walk right by them.
DeleteMark Twain would have a field day with the not so smart "Smart" phone! :-)
I agree with Alex, the telephone (and its siblings) is both a blessing and a curse.
ReplyDeleteThis writing is great and funny. I'm a fan!
You, Alex, Mark, and I all agree! :-)
DeleteThanks so much for liking my writing. After all these years, I have a fan! Merriest of Christmases!
Mark Twain gets blamed
ReplyDeleteFor things he didn’t do
Yet his daughters that night
He made happy those two
With that thing in their hand
across time they can talk
Now when one of those rings
They’ll run and not walk
A cute little story of
Mark Twain and his crew
Now you’re going to Egypt
To drag them in it too
How very nice of you to honor my little post with this wonderful poem.
DeleteIn fact, Twain's daughters, Susie and Clara, travel with him to 1895 Egypt in THE STARS BLEED AT MIDNIGHT. :-)
I love that picture. And I'm never a fan of the phone unless I need it.
ReplyDeleteCell phones are great for emergencies but most people cannot tear their eyes from them these days. :-(
ReplyDeleteIsn't that picture cool? It was taken inside Mark Twain's actually home restored.