Filial relationship to genius,' he says, 'will make them overawed, an' grateful to be allowed to buy of me, but you will have it harder.

You can't claim nearer kin to genius than that you helped the son of it chop wood at various and sundry times.' "'And gave him a handsome black eye one time,' I says reminiscently.
'I'll make the most of that.

The public likes anecdotes.' "'No,' says Sammy, 'you can omit to mention that black-eye business.
That kind of an anecdote would be harrowing to the minds of literary inclined gentlefolks.

You can reminisce about how you helped me carry wood while I recited passages of poem out of that book at you.' "What I would have spoke next don't matter, because I omitted to speak it.

I was gettin' a glimmer of an idea into my head, and I wanted to get it clear in and settled down to stay before I lost it.