St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-15

and in little while follow him to ascertain
his whereabouts. There was a large stump
on the way to the school house, and Sam
would take his position behind that, and as
his father went past would gradually circle
around in such a way as to keep out of sight.
Finally his father and the teacher both said
it was of no use to try to teach Sam anything,
because he was determined not to learn. But
/ never gave up. He was always
GREAT BOY FOR HISTORY
and could never get tired Of that kind Of
reading, but he hadn't any use for school
houses and text books"
cit must have been great trial to you.''
"Indeed it was" rejoined the mother,
ssand when Sans father died, which occur
red when Sam was II years of age, thought
then, if ever, was the proper time to make
an i'm preston on the boy and work change
in him, so I took him by the hand and went
with him into the room where the coffin was,
and in which the father lay, and with it be-
tween Sam and me l said to him that here in
| this presence I had some serious requests to
make of him, and knew his word
once given was never broken. For
Sam never told falsehood. He
turned his streaming eyes upon me and
cried out, ''Oh, mother, l will do anything,
anything you ask of me except to go to
school; can't do that" That was the very
request was going to make. Well, we
afterward had sober talk, and I concluded
to let him 60 into a printing office to learn
the trade, as couldn't have him running
wild. He did so, and has gradually picked
up enough education to enable him to do
about as well as those who were more studi-
Gus in early life. He was about 20 years old
when he went
ON THE MISSISSIPPI AS PILOT.
I gave him up then, for always thought
steam boating was a wicked business, and
was sure he would meet BAG associates.
asked him if be would promise me on the
Bible not to touch intoxicating liquors,
nor to swear, and he said
Yes, mother, 1 will He repeated
the words after me, with my hand and his
clasped on the holy book, and 1 believe he
always kept that promise. But Sam has a
good wife now and would soon bring him
back if he was inclined to stray away from
the right He obtained for his brother Henry
place on the same boat as clerk, and soon
after Sam left the river Henry was blown up
with the boat by an explosion and killed"
The dear old lady gave me the last remin-
iscences in trem bling voice and with eyes
filed with tears, but in a moment recovered
her wonted serenity of expression and told
many more incidents and entertaining
stories of the then embryo humorist of
which my memory is not sufficiently accu-
rate to enable me to reliably reproduce,
though the general idea will always remain
in my mind as an indelible photograph of
Mark Twain, not as the world knows him, but
as he was and is to the mother, whose idol
he evidently is, and whose
STRONG GOOD SENSE
and wise counsel in his youth undoubtedly
contributed largely to his success. Mrs.
Clemens, aside from deafness which ne
cessitates the use of an ear trumpet is well
preserved and sprghtly for her years.
''Mark Twain inherited the humor and the
talents which have made him famous from
his mother" stated the younger Mrs. Glenn
ems. she is all Hampton and resembles
her as strongly in person as in mind. Tom
Sawyer's Aunt Polly and Mrs. Hawkins in
Gilded Age are direct portraits of his
mother"
Mrs. Clemens was Miss Jane Hampton be-
fore her marriage, and was native of Ken
lucky. Mr.. Clemens was of the F. F. V's of
Virginia. They did not accumulate property
and the father left the family at his death
nothing but, in Marks own words, ga sump-
tuous stock of pride aud good old name"
which, it will be allowed, has proved in this
case at least a sufficient inheritance.