The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-04-06
Mark Twain's Bird Of Paradise.
Hannibal (Mo.) Courier.

IWaln). Several very amusing anecdotes
were related about Mark when he was
a small boy, among others the fol-
lowing:
Mark had a constant playmate and
chum, ii boy about his own age, named
Napoleon Pavey, or, for short Pole Payey.
One warm spring day, the two boys hav-
ing got a holiday, Mark shouldered an
old fint-lock musket, and Pole an old
squirrel rifle without any lock at all,
which he carried along, as he said, just
for the looks of the thing, and went duck
hunting wei in shy Bottom. The boys
hunted faithfully for several hours and
succeeded in killing a chicken-hawk and
a crow, after which they commenced
their homeward march, not very proud
of their success. as this region at that day
aboundedin game. Finally Mark stopped
suddenly, as an idea struck him, and ex-
claimed:
"See here, Pole, let's git up a rare
what dye call it? A rare geological
specimen for the boss; you see he's got a
great hankerin' after these things."
whats a rare geological specimen,
Markf" said Pole, as he opened wide his
eyes.
Why, lisa rare bird what amt never
been seen in these parts before some
thing very uncemmonlike," answered
Mark.
Where are you going to git her at,
Mark3 We amt got nothing but this
old chicken-robber and ~egg-sucker, and
they amt a bit uncommon" queried the
skeptical Pole.
Well git her up to order, Pole,n an
swered Mark, as he flung himself on
the green grass beneath a giant old elm
tree.
The two boys went to work on their
rare geological specimen. As Mark
would pluck a feather from the tail of
the crow, Pole would band him a 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
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 a careful examination to
have detected the fraud.
Chow is that for a specimen, Pole 2"
said Mark, as he admiriDgly exhibited
the recalled crow to the gaze of his COM
panion, respondent in the rich plumage
of the chicken-eater.
"She is a sumner, Mark; a regular
sumner. / guess they amt never seen a
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
r had CONCEALED, and the false teath-
ers in the tail had become firmly
fixed.
As Mark bad 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, MarkF" he said, where in
the world did you get that strange look
ing bird
"It'smy 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 niobt the bird woa coraf,llv Jo;d
ow.y in n,oca wharo - wonld h sasa
f,on, the davnur;mr ns.ssnoa &c Az Ga
tom cats which MAJ aftsrwsrds wrote
obont % creot;no snoh . fsarrni dostruc,
ton at his sisters candy pullings. The
report Don circulated through the town
that a strange bird, the like of which had
never before been seen, was killed, and
bonr The neyt day ho;nr Snndav
Iudaa rianoans 80 III LIZ - ms.
Of 1be =y;iia@a of Hann;hal AZ W. ba,sa
tn examine and mass an on;n;on On III
new . geological specimen.6 Thew came
The bird was erb;h;ted on : table
aropnd which the sayans oathared Ona
faction headed hv Dr - ma;nta;ned
tbo+ 10 hid uas mora than :
common black crow. the tail of which
had been turned oray bv some accidents
canse not understood having noss;hly
had salt thrown an If in the yonng an1
tandor dovsof H. III III C.
ton. headed nv .Iudge Clemens sconts5
sncb an idea II was Observation-Disclosures
I'VE mara m;u;n - - .hat H. ~,
49, mnnh rasa1 NJ ths .Ia,
noss;hIv IL w .us J crow hut :; H.o " Una la
innged IN a senarate and distinct sneo;e,
from any that had ever before been dis
covered.
The discussion was continued and ba
came exciting, Neither faction wonlf
admit Themselves wrong and the 9TH
right, MARI and Pole occun;ed th1
nos;t;on naar ths dnor nd ~ az
tentsye and interested though s;,en,
auditors
aWbatp, excla;med .Judos clsms..
warming nm do Won tell me tbat !,
would he npss;ble NV anv external nro
cess IN tnrn the fssibers in tba tail ~
that h;rJ frow bioaI 70 a. aaIors Az,
arcs Thesa nn;torn U;nns anS anot
would defv the skill, Of the greapest
PAINTER that aver lived No gentlemen
continued the .Jndge &c he rather viz.
lentlv took hold of t5e bird hv the tail n
.~am;ne The snots 80 oiosaIn. IT,
oentIemenW0I Rnt The d;Scnss;on wa.
eut shnrt hv ,ha Nd dsonn;nn hoct nn
ths taSia yh; In' +ha 1u ulUp haIa tha teiI
in nI b;s hend nn inc 'uuse neiu 'n' la'i
aTets scoot pole so;d Mark oh.