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The Life of Bret Harte with Some Account of the California Pioneers
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THE LIFE OF BRET HARTE
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
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, 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.
CONTENTS
I. BRET HARTE'S ANCESTRY 1
II. BRET HARTE'S BOYHOOD 13
III. BRET HARTE'S WANDERINGS IN CALIFORNIA 18
IV. BRET HARTE IN SAN FRANCISCO 32
V. THE PIONEER MEN AND WOMEN 53
VI. PIONEER LIFE 85
VII. PIONEER LAW AND LAWLESSNESS 120
VIII. WOMEN AND CHILDREN AMONG THE PIONEERS 140
IX. FRIENDSHIP AMONG THE PIONEERS 157
X. GAMBLING IN PIONEER TIMES 168
XI. OTHER FORMS OF BUSINESS 181
XII. LITERATURE, JOURNALISM AND RELIGION 192
XIII. BRET HARTE'S DEPARTURE FROM CALIFORNIA 214
XIV. BRET HARTE IN THE EAST 220
XV. BRET HARTE AT CREFELD 251
XVI. BRET HARTE AT GLASGOW 266
XVII. BRET HARTE IN LONDON 274
XVIII. BRET HARTE AS A WRITER OF FICTION 293
XIX. BRET HARTE AS A POET 308
XX. BRET HARTE'S PIONEER DIALECT 321
XXI. BRET HARTE'S STYLE 330
INDEX 347