The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1876-04-20
MARK TwAIN,s BOYHOOD.
How snm. Clemens and Pole Pavey Puzzled
the Omit hologist

An article recently published in the Hanniba
| (Mo.) Courier, brought up in a party of gentle
men, two of whom were Messrs. David Dean ant
William Brown. of Rails Co, a conversation il
regard to the early youth of Sam. Clemens
| Mark Twain.)
Several very amusing anecdotes were related
about Mark when he was a small boy, and anon.
| others the following:
Mark had a constant playmate and chum,
boy about his own age, named Napoleon Pavey
or, for short Pole Payey. One warm spring day
the two boys having got holiday, Mark shoul
| dered an old ilint-lOck musket, aud Pole an OLE
| squirrel rifle without any lock at all, which he
carried along, he said just for the looks of the
thing, and went hunting over in Shy Bottom.
The boys had hunted faithfully for several hours
and succeeded in killing chicken hawk and a
crow, after which they commenced their home
ward march, not very proud of their succe S. as
in this region at that day game abounded.
Finally Mark stopped suddenly, as an idea
struck him, and exclaimed:
"See here, Pole let's get up a rare-what dye
call It'll A rare geological specimen for the boss
yon see he's got great hankerin' after these
things"
whats rare geological specimen" said
Pole, as he opened wide his eyes.
why, it's rare bird what amt never been
seen in these parts before; something very I'M
cOmmOn-like," answered Mark.
where you going to git her ut, SAM We
amt got nothing but this old chicken robber and
SS-sucker, and they amt bit uncommon,
queried the skeptical Pole.
well git her mp to order, Pole" answered
Mark, as he flung himself OH the grass beneath
giant elm tree.
The two boys went to work on their rare "ge-
illogical specimen. As Mark would pluck feath-
or from the tail of the crow, Pole would hand
him corresponding 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 of the long
feathers of the hawks tail had been transferred
to the crow, and it would have required a care
ful examination to have detected the fraud.
"HOw is that for specimen, Pole :" said Mark
as he admirngly exhibited the re-tailed crow to
the gaze of his companion, Respondent in the
rich plnmage of the chicken-eater.
shes sumner, Sam, regular sumner. l
Sness they amt never seen 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
firmly fixed.
As Mark had said, Judge Clemens his father
was somewhat of a naturalist, and he had pas
sion for whatever rare and very strange in
the animal kingdom.
"Why, Sam.," said he, "where in the world
did you get that strengthening bird7"
Its 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 it belongs to
that species"
That night the bird was carefully laid away in
place where it would be safe from the devour-
ing presence of the old tom-cats, which Mark af-
forwards wrote about creating such fearful de-
struction at his sisters candy pulling The re-
port soon circulated through the town that
n strange bird, the like of which had never be-
fore 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 men of the village of Hannibal to his house
to examine and pass their opinion on the new
geological specimen. They came. The bird
was exhibited on a table around which the sa-
vans 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 under
stood, having possibly had little salt thrown
on it in the young and tender DAYS of the bird
The other faction, headed by Judge Clemens
secuted such an idea. 1t was Observation-Disclosures.
They were willing to admit that the bird very
much resembled the crow; that possibly it was
crow; but, if so, it belonged to a separate and
distinct species from any that had ever before
been discovered.
The discussion was continued and became ex-
citing. Neither faction would admit themselves
wrong and the other right. Mark and Pole oc-
cupied position near the door, and were atten-
tive aud interested, though silent, auditors.
CitineuS, now warm
ing up ''dO you tell me that it would be possible
by any external process, to turn the feathers in
the tail of that bird from black to the color they
aref These uniform rings and spots would defy
the skill of the greatest painter that ever lived
No. gentlemen continued the Judge, as he ra-
Their violently took hold of the bird by the tail,
to examine the spots more closely; ''no, gentle
men" 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. .the show is
ended" And the two boys vamoosed.
The Judge contemplated 1.-THE rare geological
specimen with CONSERVATION, aud then his eyes
wandered to the open door, and caught glimpse
of his young hopeful and his companion in mis-
chief cutting across the back yard for higher
timber
LET us adjourn for dinner, gentlemen. We
will renew the discussion after dinner" said the
Judge; but he never willingly renewed it with
any person except Mark. That night when
Mark had got into bed, after creeping through
the back window, vision of his father, standing
by his bedside, appeared TO him.
80 1t is your opinion, is it, you young rascal,
hat the rare geological specimen is a Bird of
Paradise !" said the vision, as it tickled Mark on
his naked legs with keen cherry switch.
Mark said he felt sick and didn't have any
opinion, which was probably true, as he had
dined and supped that day on green radishes
found in the garden of Poles mother.