gh 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.

From every point it is a masterpiece, this picture of boy life in a
little lazy, drowsy town, with all the irresponsibility and general
disreputability of boy character coupled with that indefinable,
formless, elusive something we call boy conscience, which is more likely
to be boy terror and a latent instinct of manliness. These things are
so truly portrayed that every boy and man reader finds th