A friend of my significant other (which makes this tale more reliable than those which begin 'a friend of a friend said,' hopefully) heard of my interest in SLC's life and works and related the following story, told to her by either her great- grandmother or her grandmother (memory fails me, but I think the latter): When she was very young, SLC came to visit her father (I'll see if I can get this person's name, so we may compare it with known associates of Clemens'). She remembers them sitting near the hearth, talking long into the night - but what stands out strongest in her memory is her mother's dislike of Clemens. He kept spitting (chewing tobacco?) and hit everything near the fireplace except the spitoon. The informant was of the impression he was doing this intentionally, to ruffle her mother's feathers. Robert Dagnall