Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1886-12-24
"INNoceNTs ABROAD"
Anecdotes OF Mark Twain by His ROOF
Mate.

Anecdotes OF Mark Twain by His Room
| Mate.
Mr.. Steve Gillis, printer and Journalist,
| was the friend and room mate of Mark Twain
In the old days when the latter was a reporter
on The Call, of this city. They had likewise
suffered and triumphed together in the sage
brush, the dusty green foliage of which they
| frequently succeeded in turning to bright
| rcd. Mark was, and is, a very nervous man
Small annoyances robbed his life of sweetness
and light. Stephen had no nerves, and it
gave him malignant pleasure to experiment
upon those of Mr.. Clemens
tSteve," cried Mark, in All agonized voice
shaking his bedfellow out of an apparently
profound slumber, "do you hear that mouse
that internal, gnawing mousef It's driving
me wild"
"Oh, hang the mouse" growled ellis, turn
ing over and snoring ostentatiously.
1t wasn't a mouse, but a little machine
which Stephen was privately working with a
string for the benevolent purpose of terroriz-
ing his friend.
Mark lay and writhed, and cursed, and
CRASHED his teeth. He cried so, and beat
upon the headboard. He got up and threw
things under the bed, and walked around the
room and wrung his hands and moistened his
profanity with tears of impotent rage The
mouse still gnawed, and Twain put on his
clothes and went forth and paced the streets
till morning, leaving his tormenter to revel in
bed
Hello, Sam; what in Gods name have you
been doing" asked ellis another night,
startled out of real sleep this time, and sitting
up in bed. And no wonder he was startled.
Mark undressed, had just entered the room.
In his hand he held Japanese sword as sharp
as razor, priced gift from Bayard Taylor.
This weapon was dripping with blood. The
clock struck midnight.
BLANK him, he'll never crow again. ex
ultcd the assassin, but even as he crawled into
bed the offending rooster sent forth cock-a-
doodle-do that caused Mark to give a howl of
foied vengeance and bury his head under the
blankets. In the morning it was discovered
that his one furious stroke in the chicken
house had bereft eight hens of their heads.
but the rooster had escaped He owed his
life to the fortunate circumstance that he
slept-or, rather, crowed-at the end of the
perch farthest from the door of the coop
'Steve! Steve, | say! Curse YOU, wake
up" came in hoarse and furious whisper at
II. m.
Mr.. ellis awoke and beheld Mr.. Clemens,
clad only in his shirt standing by the open
window. The night was cold, and Mr.. Glenn
ems was shivering violently. In his shak-
ing hand was revolver
Steve" he pleaded, YOU'RE warm and
your nerve is good. For Gods sake, get up
ana shoot this cat for me. I've been out in
the yard for an hour, trying TO get bead on
the brute, and now that he's there on the
fence can't kill him-oh, know that can't
XII him, blank him! Get up, Steve, do"
"Oh let the cat alone"
"What' You won't get up! Then, by the
creator That made me, Steve ellis, I'll shoot
you. I'm shaky, but can do that, if | can't
hit the catl"
And Mr. Gillis arose and slew the cat i'm
and Mark Twain went out and
brought in a bottle and sat up till sunrise
to celebrate the execution. San Francisco
Post