THE LIFE OF BRET HARTE

The Gale Library of Lives and Letters
American Writers Series

THE LIFE OF
BRET HARTE

WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE
CALIFORNIA PIONEERS

BY

HENRY CHILDS MERWIN

WITH PORTRAITS
AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS

BOSTON AND NEW YORK
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
The Riverside Press Cambridge
1911

REPUBLISHED BY GALE RESEARCH COMPANY, BOOK TOWER, DETROIT, 1967

COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY HENRY CHILDS MERWIN

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Published September 1911

Library of Congress Card Number: 67-23887

TO
Anne Amory Merwin
THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED

[Pg vii]

PREFACE

It is a pleasure for the Author of this book to record his indebtedness toothers in preparing it. Mrs. T. Edgar Pemberton, and Messrs. C. ArthurPearson, Limited, the publishers of Pemberton’s Life of Bret Harte, havekindly consented to the quotation from that interesting book of severalletters by Mr. Harte that throw much light upon his character. Similarpermission was given by Mr. Howells and his publishers, the Messrs. Harperand Brothers, to make use of Mr. Howells’ account of Bret Harte’s visit tohim at Cambridge; and of this permission the Author has availed himselfwith a freedom which the Reader at least will not regret.

Professor Raymond Weeks, President of the American Dialect Society,Professor C. Alphonso Smith, Mr. Albert Matthews, and others whose namesare mentioned on page 326, have lent their aid in regard to the Pioneerlanguage, and Ernest Knaufft, Bret Harte’s nephew, has not only furnishedthe Author with some information about his uncle’s early life, but he hasalso read the proofs, and has made more than one valuable suggestion whichthe Author was glad to adopt. It is only fair to add that Mr. Knaufft doesnot in all respects agree with the Author’s estimate of Bret Harte’scharacter. Another critic, Prescott Hartford Belknap, has put his fineliterary taste at the service of the book, and has saved its writer fromsome mistakes which he now shudders to contemplate.

Most of all, however, the Author is indebted to his accomplished friend,Edwin Munroe Bacon, who, though much engaged with important literary workof his own,[Pg viii] has read the book twice, once in MS. and once in print,—asignal, not to say painful proof of friendship which the Authoracknowledges with gratitude, and almost with shame.

H. C. M.

[Pg ix]

CONTENTS