The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-03-31
MARK TWAIN'S BOYHOOD.
How Sam Clemens and Pole Pavey
PuxxIed The OrnithoIogists.

the early youth of Sam Clemens, Mark
! TWAIN
Several very amusing anecdotes were
related about Mark when he was a small
boy, and among others the following:
Mark had constant playmate and 8
chum, boy about his own age, named
Napoleon Pavey, or, for short, Pole Paw.
ey. One warm spring day, the two boys
having got holiday, Mark shouldered
ard old fint.lock musket and Pole an old
squirrel rife without any lock at all
which he carried along, as he said, just
for the looks of the thing, and went duck
hunting over in Shy bottom. The boys
had hunted faithfully tor several hour.
and succeeded in killing chicken hawk
and a crow, after which they commenced
their homeward march, not very proud
of their success, as in their 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? A rare geological
specimen for the boss; yon see he's got a
great bankerin' after these things"
What's rare geological specimen
said Pole, as he opened wide his eyes.
"Why, it's rare bird what amt been
seen in these parts before; something
very uncommon-like,h answered Mark.
"Where are you going to git her at,
Mark? We amt got nothing but this
old chicken-robber and egg.sucker, and
they amt bit uncommon. qusricd the
skeptlcal Pole.
"Wel git her up to order, Pole an
swer-d Mark, as he flung himself on the
grass beneath giant 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 cor
responding 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 feath-
er. And thus, after two hours of steady
work, every one of the long feathers OF
| the hawks tail had been transferred TO
the GROW, and it would have required a
careful examination to have detected the
| fraud.
"How is that for specimen, Pole?"
laid Mark, as he admiringly exhibited
the re-taied crow to the gaze of his COM
panion, resplendent in the rich plumage
! OF the chicken-eater.
"She is sumner, Mark; regular stun
ner. | guess they ain t 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 con gealed, and the false feath-
ers in the tall had become firmly fixed
As Mark had said, Judge Clemens, hi,
father, was somewhat OF naturalist, and
he had q passion for whatever was rare
and very strange in the animal kiagdom
Why, MarkW he said, "whe'e IN the
world did you get tina. strange looking
bird?"
"lts my opinion" replied Mark, with
an air of greater importance than ne 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 IL would be safe
from the devourlng presence Of the old
tom. cats, which Mark afterwards wrote
about as creating such fearful destruction
at lis sisters candy pulling. The report
soon circulated through tho town that q
strange bird, the like of which had never
before been seen, was killed, and Mark
anG Pole had become the heroes of the
hou:. The next day being Sunday,
judge Clemens invited all the wise men
of tn, village OF Hannibal to his house to
examine and pass bis opinion on the new
geological" specimen. They came. The
bird WIS exhibited on table round which
the sav,ns gathered One faction, head.
ed by D., maintained that the bird
was nothing more than common black
crow, the tail Of which had been turned
BY som, accidental cause not understood,
having possibly had little salt thrown
on it in tie young and tender DAYS Of
the bind. The other faction, headed by
Judge Clemens, secuted such an idea. Ii
was Observation-Disclosures They were will
ing to admit that the bird very much re-
: semblei the crow; that possibly it was a
crow; but, il So, it belonged to a separate
and distinct species from any that had
ever bGore been discovered.
} The discussion was continued, and be.
came excited. Neither faction would ad
NIT themselves wrong and the other
right. Mark and Pole occupied posi-
, ton mar the door, and were attentive
and interested, though silent, auditors.
Whit exclaimed Judge Clemens
now waming up, "do yo tell me that ii
would We possible, by any eternal pro
cess, toturn the feathers in the tail OF
that Dir. from black to the colors they
! are? These uniform rings and spot:
would ie,y the skill of the greatest pain
ter that ever lived. No, gentleman
continledthe Judge, as he rather vlo
lently took hold of the bird by the tail
TO examine the spots more closely; mo
gentleman" But this discussion wa;
Gu: shor bv the bird dropping back or
.. the table,while the Judge held the tai
in his had.
! Lets SCOT, Pole" said Mark, "th'
! shows endd." And the two boys va
f n,posed.
: 3 The Judg contemplated the ''rare geo
logical specimen" with CONSERVATION, and
then his eye wandered to the open door
and caught sylimpse OF his young hope
;; full and his companion in mischief cutting
, across the back yard for higher timber.
, "Let us sdjolrn for dinner, gentlemen
> We will rentw the discussion aftel
J dinner" said tn, Judge; but he never
i, willingly renewed it with any person ex
! cept Mark. That night, when Mark haG
/ got into bed, after creeping through tn
back window, vision OF his iather
standing by his bedside, appeared to him
$50 it is your opinion is it, you youn!
rascal, that the rare geological speG
men ID Bird Of Paradise, said the yisieI