Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-03-23
4 story Of |" Mark Twain's'' Boyhood.


Courier brought up In party of gentle
men, two of whom were Messrs. David
Dean and William Brown, of Rails
County, q conversation In regard to the
early youth of Sam Clemens Mark
Twain.
Several very amusing anecdotes were
related about Mark when he was small
boy, among others the following:
Mark had constant play mate and
chum. boy about his own age, named
Napoleon Pavey, or, for short, Pole Pavey.
One warm spring day, The two boys hav
ing got holiday, Mark shouldered an old
flint-lock musket, and Pole an old SOUR
rel rifle without any lock at all, which he
carried along, as he said, just for the
looks CT the thing, and went duck hunting
over in Sny Bottom. The boys hunted
faithfully for several hours and succeeded
in killing chicken-ha and crow,
after which they commenced their home
ward march, not very proud of their sue
cess, as in this region at that day game
abounded.
Finally Mark stopped suddenly, as an
idea struck him, and exclaimed:
See here, Pole, lets git up rare
what dye call it, A rare geological speci-
raen for the boss; you see he's got great
hankerin' after these things"
" What's rare geological specimen,
Mark" said Pole, as he opened wide his
eyes.
Why, it's rare bird what amt never
been seen in these parts before; some
thing very uncommon like" answered
Mark.
Where are you going to cit her at,
MarkY We Amt got nothing but this old
chicken-robber and an egg-sucker, and
they amt bit uncommon" qaeried the
skepticsl Pole.
We'll git her up to order, Pole" an
swefed Mark, as he flung himself on the
green grass beneath giant old elm tree.
The two boys went to work on their
rare geological" specimen. As Mark
would pluck feather from the tail of the
crow, Pole would hand him correspond.
ing feather that had been taken from the
tail of the hawk, which Mark would
carefully insert In the socket from which
he had just pulled the crows feather.
And thus, after two hours OF steady work,
every one OF the long feathers of the
hawks tail had been transferred to the
crow, and 1t would have required care
ful examination TO have detected the
fraud.
u L
said Mark, as he admiringly exhibited
the retailed crow to the gaze of his CON-
panion, Respondent in the rich plumagc
of the chicken-eater.
"She is a sumner, Mark; regular
sumner, guess they amt never seen d
bird like that in Hannibal before"
The hawk was thrown away and the
boys trudged homeward. BY the time
they arrived in town the blood of the
crow had CONCEALED and the false feathers
in the tail had become firmly fixed.
As Mark had said, Judge Clemens, his
father, was somewhat of a naturalist, and
had a passion for whatever was rare and
strange In the animal kingdom.
Why, Mark" he said, "where in the
world did you get that strange looking
bird ~
:" It's my opinion" replied Mark, with
an air OF greater importance than he was
accustomed to assume in the presence of
his father, "that Is the bird Of paradise;
leastwise that IL belongs TO that species"
That night the bird was carefully laid
away In q place where II would be safe
from devouring presence Of the old tom
cats, which Mark afterward wrote about
as creating such fearful destruction at his
sisters candy pullings. The report soon
circulated through the town that strange
bird, the like OF which had never before
been seen, was killed, and Mark and Pole
became the heroes OF the hour. The next
day being Sunday, Judge Clemens invit-
ed all the wise men Of the then village of
Hannibal to his house 10 examine and pass
an opinion on the new geological speci-
men" They came. The kird was ex-
hibited on a table, around which the
savars gathered. One faction was
headed by DIR. -, who maintained that
the bird was nothing more than com
mon black crow, the tail OF which had
been turned gray by some accidental
cause not understood, having possibly
had salt thrown on II In the young and
tender days of the bird. The other faction,
h eaded by Judge Clemens, secuted such
an idea. 1t was Observation-Disclosures They
were willing TO admit that the bird
very much resembled the crow but II so,
II belonged TO separate and distinct
species from any that mad ever before
been discovered,
The discussion was continued and be-
came exciting. Neither faction would
admit themselves wrong and the other
right. Mark and Pole occupied position
near the door, and were attentive and in
terested though silent auditors.
+" Whatl'' exclaimed Judge Clemens,
warming up, "do you tell me that 1t
would be possible by any external
process TO turn the feathers in the
tail of that bird from black to
the colors they arey These uni
form rings and spots would defy the skill
of the greatest painter that ever lived.
No, gentleman, continued the Judge, as
he rather violently took hold of the bird
by the TAIL TO examine the spots more
closely mo gentleman" But the
discussion was cut short by the bird
dropping back on the table, while the
Judge held the tail in his hand. ..
"Let's scoot, Pole" said Mark; "tha
shows ended And the two boys
vamoscd. ...
The Judge contemplated the rare geo.
logical specimen" with CONSERVATION, and
then his eye wandered to the open door
and caught a glimpse Of his young hope
full and his companion In misunderstanding
across the back yard for high timber.
"Let us adjourn for dinner, gentlemen;
we will renew the discussion after
dinner" said the Judge; but he never
willingly renewed II with any person ex.
cept Marx. That night, when Mark had
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