The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1877-09-29
Mark Twain's Cheek-Why He and Dan
De guile Severed Their Friendship.
california rootlieht. !

| california Footheht.l
These two sagebrush wits once roomed
together during the early days of Vir-
GINA City, when everything was in its
primitive state, and before the adj
vancing hand of civilization provided
the comforts of metropolitan life. Both
were employed On the Eaterprise-Dan
ms the crock sharp" and Mark as the
"funny man." One of Marks eccen-
tricities was to shirk all kind of respon-
sibility, and he invariably left Dan to
do all the buying, rent-paying, etc, and
by dint of much perseverance and an
equal amount of forcibe persuasion,
Dan managed to make Mark pay his
quota toward the expenses-not that the
latter regretted separating himself from
a few shekels, of course not; but from
an indisposition to be bothered with
such trfles, as his mind scared to higher
things than ga dollars worth of coal, I"
four bits worth of kerosene" or " a
quarters worth of washing SOAP etc,
Mark carried his indifference to ex-
tremes; but there was really no limit to
his cheek. He possessed the pure, gen.
uine, unadulteratcd article. He would
borrow Dams comb, use it, put it in his
pocket, and blow Dan up for not pos
sessing a better one. In those days he
was never known to own u pair of
drawers or an undershirt, or even pair
of socks; but he would walk the streets
| in suit of Dams best, which he had APP
propriated from the latter's trunk, and
then swear because they happened to be
button off the shirt. He would go to
Dams trunk, examine the articles
therein, and then turn to that person
and ask him il he didn't have pair of
socks without hole in the heel.
Mark and Dan were both inveterate
smokers, and of course, we know who
bought the tobacco. II Dan should hap
pen to get hold of an inferior brand,
and fill the box with it, Mark would in
innate that when people bought tohacca
they might exercise little judgment,
and not get stuff that man couldn't
use.' These little peculiaritics of
Marks nature, though somewhat expen-
sive to Dan, were nevertheless enjoyed
by him; but one day Mark overleaped
the bounds of Dams amiability, and
that Individual got mad. Think of Dan
De guile in passion
1t seems Mark ran out of tooth
brush, and how TO replace it without
sacrificing some of his mining stock
puzzled him considerably. But a bril-.
liant idea one day thrust itself into his
troubled sconce. Heaven be praised
for the thoughtp solloquized he
"genius will be rewarded So one
morning, standing by the washstand
just after rising, he picked up the GOV
eted article, and, turning il round and
round in his hand. said to Dan. who was
still snugly ensconsced between his
blankets, but with one eye on Mark:
tSay, Dan, that looks like my brush. "
"Liar!" shouted Dan; "that brush
did an Egyptian to my mother givep
"The deucep shouted the cheeky
Mark; " and has the old woman prac
ticed on it, too?'
"Aye, verily!" quoted Dan.
'sAnd how long, my periumed
blanket-sweater, have you clcansed those
| foul snags of yours with itY'
"Nine years." family murmured Dan,
who was beginning to have suspicious
that his old dental companion was about
to leave him.
Nine years." said Mark, rubbing the
article on the soap. Bully If there
is anything that hate, it is to break il
new toothbrush" And in quarter
of a second that almost hairless piece o.
ivory was exploring the cavern undel
Marks nose. Dan could not brook thu
insult. A boot-heel instantaneously
sunk into Marks skull, and the tive
great wits of Nevada we're friends M
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