I'm reasonably sure I recently read on the Forum a short quotation
attributed to Twain about using "its" and "it's" properly.  Maybe it was
in a letter or note to a reader or admirer.  I don't think it was in one
of Scott Holmes' recent postings about his "The Innocents Abroad" work,
including the most recent one of May 7, 2013.
	Can anyone give me this Twain quotation and/or its source, if they
exist?	  Thank you.

Best regards,

Bill Cosgrove
Professor Emeritus of English
North Dakota State University
6104 Tracy Ave. So.
Edina, MN 55436
952-929-1393
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On 5/7/13 8:39 PM, "Scott Holmes" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:


>There seems to be a problem with The Innocents Abroad. A day seems to be
>missing between chapter 41 and chapter 42. According to the Quaker City
>Itinerary [QCI], as well as all the other sources I've found, Sam and
>the pilgrims departed Beirut by horseback on September 11 at 3:00 pm.
>They didn't travel very far that first day, only 10 or 12 miles.
>
>
>³We came to a halt here on the breezy summit of a shapely mountain
>overlooking the sea, and the handsome valley where dwelt some of those
>enterprising Phoenicians of ancient times we read so much about²
>
>
>It's my guess that they camped on the top of Mt. Lebanon. The end of
>chapter 41 has Twain describing a sumptuous meal and a form of camping
>out he was unfamiliar with but accepting of. The beginning of chapter 42
>has him indulging in a sumptuous breakfast as the camp is packed up and
>ready to go by 6:30 am. He calls this place Jacksonville and gives it's
>location near Temnin-el-Foka. Looking at maps of the region
>Temnin-el-Foka is about 30 miles from Beirut, located near Zahlah. His
>description, however, is still that of Mt. Lebanon and it's view of the
>sea.
>
>
>Ian Strathcarron has provided me with a spreadsheet of data points he
>used when writing his book Innocence and War. It notes that Twain's
>party stopped for lunch on September 12 at Mekseh, near the junction of
>the Lebanon Mountains and Jebel el Kuneyiseh, then later camped at a
>point between Mekseh and Baalbek. Zahlah is approximately one quarter of
>the way between Mekseh and Baalbek. The QCI notes that this camping spot
>is about two-thirds of the way between Beirut and Baalbek, also
>descriptive of Zahlah.
>
>
>My guess is that Twain and the pilgrims enjoyed equally sumptuous
>breakfasts at both locations, Mt Lebanon and near Zahlah. At both
>locations they broke camp at 6:30 am.
>
>
>There is another point in the journey that I'm interested in locating
>and that is the tomb of Noah, ³of Deluge notoriety². I'm guessing that
>landmark is found in Mekseh but I haven't seen anything to corroborate
>this.
>
>
>All sources agree that on September 13 Twain and the pilgrims traveled
>to Baalbek and then camped at Sirghaya. They arrived in Damascus at
>sunset of September 14.
>