Dear Camy,
    I think one needs to take into consideration three things:
    The times, where even in the (supposedly) enlightened Northeast
interracial marriage was extremely rare. It was illegal in some Northern
cities and
towns too, as it was throughout most of the South. I could see, however, Sam
consenting to a union with a very light-skinned man of good education and
means to
Susy, Clara or Jean.
    His, not to mention Livy's, concern for their daughter's and prospective
son-in-law's future. In the late 1950s, my dad had to walk a cousin of mine
down the aisle because she was marrying someone of Italian heritage, and his
brother-in-law, according to family lore, equated Italians with blacks.
    His own survival, financially and socially. Though he bravely and
willingly spoke out on dozens of controversial issues — especially U.S.
meddling in
the Philippines in the late 1890s; read some of his talks and other pieces
and
the parallels with Iraq now will make your hair stand on end — he wouldn't
be
able to afford the repercussions of approving such a marriage. He was so
famous it could have been life-threatening.
    Hope this helps.
    Kathy O'Connell

P.S.: Does anyone on the forum have a direct e-mail address for Debra Petke,
the new director of the Mark Twain House? I'm still searching for full-time
work, and there's no place I'd rather be in a non-journalistic capacity than
there. And for those who haven't yet visited since the opening of Robert
A.M.
Stern's addition, it's quite beautiful.
    Thanks.