At age 17, Browne went to Boston to work on the newly founded The Carpet Bag ("For Amusement of the Reader"). During 1851-3, under the pen-name "Chub" (ironic comment on own thinness), Browne published 10 sketches and some verse. (In 1852 Browne arranged for The Carpet Bag to publish the first writing of 16-year-old Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Years later, while lecturing in Virginia City, NV, Browne met Sam Clemens ("Mark Twein") as Editor of the local newspaper. (Note: This is at the time that the TV family in Bonanza lived nearby.)

In September, 1865, Browne published his second book, Artemus Ward: His Travels. Browne had asked Sam Clemens to conribute a story to this book, but it arrived after the publication date.

However, by Browne's influence, Clemen's story was published in Atlantic Monthly: "Jim Smiley's Jumping-Frog of Calaveras County", later reworked as "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Caleveras County".

A critic later remarked of this, "As a genius, [Clemens] had been dreaming until Artemus Ward came to Washoe and aroused him to his possibiities."