The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-03-23
A Story of =" Mark TMain's'' Boyhood.


Dean and William Brown, of Rails
County, a conversation in regard to the
early youth of Sam Clemens MARK
Twain).
Several very amusing anecdotes were
boy, among others the following:
Mark had a constant playmat and
chum, a 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
t1int-lock musket, and Pole an old squir-
carried along, as he said, just for the
over in Sny Bottom. The boys hunted
in killing a chicken-hawk and crow,
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:
what d we call it? A rare geological speci-
men for the boss; you see he's got a great
hankerin' after these things"
" AAG q ANAO SCOAOSACAl olCCAAACH,
Mark" said Pole, as he opened wide his
eyes.
Why, it's rare bird what amt never
thing very uncommon like" answered
Mark.
"Where are you going to git her at,
chicken-robber and an egg-sucker, and
f1,o1r sr,< id In
skeptical Pole.
We'll git her up to order, Pole" an
swered 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 it would have required care.
full examination to have detected the
fraud.
"How is that for specimen, Pole?''
said Mark, as he admiringly exhibited
the retailed crow to the gaze Of his com.
panion, respondent in the rich plumags
of the chicken-eater.
"She is sumner, Mark; regular
sumner. guess they amt never seen q
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
oro1, !, mn ov1 thu %o1.o Eoo+horc
in the tail had become firmly fixed.
father, was somewhat of naturalist, and
had passion for whatever was rare and
strange in the animal kingdom.
Why, Mark!" he said, "where in the
world did you get that strange-lookine
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 it belongs to that species:
That night the bird was carefully laid
away in place where it 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
ClICul6tcu tuAOuSu tAC VWA suoe o III duSC
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 to examine andpass
an opinion on the new " geological speci-
men," They came. The bird was ex-
hibited on q table, around which the
Swans gathered. One faction was
headed by DR.. -, 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 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; but If 50,
it belonged to q separate an6 distinct
species from any that had evy before
been discOyehad.