The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-03-15
Ghe1ntelIiganeer
MARK TWAIN,S BOYHOOO.
INV Sam Clemens and Pole
Pavey Puzzled the OrniihoIo-

c,,'ri,y Brought up in a party OF gentle.
lo an ,wo of whom we're Messrs. David
Dc,p and William Brown, Of Rails county,
A conversation in regard TO the early
ronth Of Sam Clemens, Mark Twain.
several very amusing anecdotes were
,sI,ted about Mark when he. was a small
Sy among others the following;
Mark had constant playmate and a
cbnm. bow about his own age, named
Napoleon Pavcy,or, for short, Pole Pavey.
one warm, spring day, the two boys haV-
inc got holiday, Mark shouldered an
oII fint.lock muBket, and Pole an OLD
sauirrcl rifle without any lock at all,
which be carried along, Us he said, JUST
for the looks Of the thing, and went G9ck
hunting over in Shy bottom. Inc Ooys
hunted faithfully for several hours hours anu "
succeeded in killing q cticken'liaW,I i, nn w:
n crow, after which they commenced theiF
homeward march, not very proud oil Their
success, ms in thisregion at that DAY game
"" FinSIIv' Mark stopped suddenly, as an
;Ja, strnck him, and exclaimed:
SSec here, Pole, let's get up rare
what dive call It? Arare geological spe.
cimcn Tor the boss; you sec he's got a
yreat hankerin' after these things"
'@What's u rare geological specimen,
Mark said Pole, as he opened wide his
ewes.
f6Why, it's rare bird what amt never
been seen in these parts before; some
hing very uncommonAike," answered
Mark.
Mark? We amt got nothing but this old
chicken.robber and egg.sucker, and they
amt bit uncommon Queried the skep.
,ical Pole. =,
"We'll git her up to order, Polc,' an
swered Mark, rs he flung himself on the
green grass beneath giant old elm tree.
The Two boys went to work OH their
rare geological" specimen. AS Mark
would pluck n feather from the tail Of
the crow, Pole would hand him CORES.
bonding feather that had been taken from
Inc 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 it would have required care
full examination to have detected the
fraud.
"How is that for a specimen, Pole?"
said Mark, as he admiringly exhibited
the retailed crow 10 the gaze Of his COM
panion, resplendent in the rich plumage.
Of the chicken eater.
"She is a sumner, Mark; regular
sumner. Iguess they ain't, never seen a
bird like that in Hannibal before"
The hawk was thrown away, and tho
boys trudgcd homeward. BY the time
they arrived in town the blood Of the
crow had CONCEALED, and the false feath-
ers in the tail had become firmly fixed.
As Mark had said, Judge Clemens, his
father, was somewhat Of u 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 look
ing bird"
ats my opinion" replied Mark, with
An air Of greater Importance than he
was accustomed to assume in the presence
Of his father, "lhat is the Bird OF Par
adise; leastwisc that it belongs TO that
species"
That night the bird was carefully laid
sway. in place where it would be safe
from the devouring presence Of tho old
lom.cals, which Mark afterwards wrote
about as creating such fearful destruc-
lion at his sisters canay pullings. The
report soon circulated through tho town
thata 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 invited all the wise pen Of the
village OF Hannibal to his house to OK
anime and pass his opinion on the new
geological specimen" They came. The
bird was exhibited on a table around
which the sayans gathered. One faction,
headed by DR.. =, maintained that the
bird was nothing more than common
black crow, the tail Of which had been
turned gray by some accidental cause
not understood, having possibly had salt
thrown on It in the young and tender
days Of the bird. The other faction,
headed by Judge Clemens secuted such IN
idea. 1t was Observation-Disclosures. They
were willing to admit that the bird very
much resemblcd the crow; that possibly
it was crow; but, il SO, it belonged to
separate and distinct species from any
that had 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 posi-.
ton near the door, and were attentive
and interested, though silent, auditors.
"Whatp exclaimed Judge Clemens,
warming up, "do you tell me that it
would be possible by any eternal process
to turn the feathers in the tail OF that
bird from black to the colors they are
These uniform rings. and spots would
defy the skill OF the greatest painter that
ever lived. No, gentlemen" continued
the Judge, a. no rather violently took
hold OF the bird by the tail, to examine
the spots more closely; "no gentlemen"
But tho discussion was cut short by the
bird dropping back on tho table, while
the Judge held the tail in his hand.
Lets scoot, Pole" said Mark, "the
shows ended" And the two boys va
mOoSed.
The Judge contemplated the "rare
geological specimen" with CONSERVATION,
and then his eye wandered to the open
door and caught glimpse OF his young
hopeful and his companion id mischief
cutting across the back yard for high
timber.
Let US adjourn for dinner, gentlemen;
NO will renew the discussion after din:
uer," said the Judge; but he never will
ingly renewed it with any person except
Mark. That night, when Mark had got
into bed, after creeping through the back
window, a vision Of his father, standing
hy his bedside, appeared to him.
80 it is your opinion is it, you young
rascal, that the rare geological specimen
l'Abird Of paradise, said tho vision as
ttuckled Mark on his naked legs with q
keen, cherry switch.
Mark said he felt sick, and didn't have
any opinion, which was probably true, al
de had dincd and suPPsd that day OF
green rNdishes found in the garden o.
Poles mother.