The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-01-09

we're Il pair of babies. Then stnndinn
mem III the middle of the room, he
$40 WistfuliE at them. At length
bright idea struck him.
Policy" he exclaimed, "I'll bet Won n
picayune 1 can put them boots on over
my shoes"
~ go Hou!" returned his companion.
lnd sam set to work. by dint OF much
::uss ing,twistinS, perspirIng and swear
ilS ne succeeded In landing his shoes
,sauarely inside the much admired boots
l hen ne Smutted proudly about the
room. But alas! when he assnycd TO
pull Off the boo;st the ununticipatcn
consequences OF his work confronted
MN; the shoes seemed 10 have grown
solidly to the bots. Tug and pun as he
would he could not move them. .Po;ev'
came TO his assistance and together
they labored. but the boots moved not,
AZ length Sam sunk back In the corner
rant with exhaustion and despair, and
gaspcd feebly
Foley. Just take your knife and split
them down the front"
This suggestion was carried into eff
iect IN an instant and the TWO young
scaresrnces separated. vowing eternal
silence. Long did Mr. I'avcy search for
The vandal who had ruined his Sunday
boots. but the boys kept their secret
well.
at the time when Samuel Clemens
left school and entered the printing or.
lice of the Hannibal Journal he wax; a
rather thick-sat boy Of IL. with bright,
Keen eyes. n head of auburn curls ana
an exceedingly frcckleu face. Nature
seemed to have created this hoy just
Tor fun Almost every word. act or
gesture pnrtnok Of the ludlcrpus Ills
stumbling. tired gait and his drawing
speech that many fnncicd to BE assumed
for erect wcT. ns much a character
istic of the boy as they are Of the man
Ills mother used often to twit him
about talk ing long"
Mark l'wait's earliest literary produc.
TONS were published In ISL in the Han
hihal Weekly Journal. most OF them
appearing during the absence of his
brother. Ills ode To commemorate the
pieinE' of case Of type on the very
day before the paper was to be issued.
told geographically, though unpocticai-
~ Oh the CONSERVATION and WOE that
retEncd in the Journals sanctum. The
verses appeared in the next issue Of the
paper and were sung by the gamins OF
the town for many Il. day.
sam hau Il younger brother, Henry
the brightest. bcst-naturcd boy of the
town. il may bc here remarked that
had the veil Of the future been drawn
aside sufficiently To reveal to the early
inhabitants of Hannibal the fact that
one fthc Clemens family would be-
come famous, Orion or Henry would
have been chosen rather than Samuel;
however, Henry had profound respect
fur his brothers. ability and Judgment
II must unfortunately be confessed that
sam did NOT always merit the conf
dcncc rcposed i'm him.
THE EPISODE OF THE BOAT.
llenry and his two friends. George
Iiutlcr and Barnett FarthinE were the
joint owners OF II small sail boat with
which they were In the hu bit of sailing
up and down Bear creek. At first they
Il
and store il In the attic. but the noise
and especially the muddy water that
was regularly left on the front stairs
soon brought down the wrath Of Mrs.
Butler upon the trio. and they were
forced In seek other quarters for their
bark. The Farthing house was too far
away from the creek ana Mrs. Clemens
speedily ordered the boys off the place
when thay attempted to anchor their
boat alongside the chicken house.
In despair the young sailors betook
themselves to the printing Office to con,
suit Sam. The boy was NJ work in
the typcsetting room. his stick in one
hand and Il helf-caten apple in the
other. His shirt sleeves We're roilct,
above his skinny elbows. and his arIns
and frccklcd face Were bcsmrchcd with
printers ink. The three boys appea red
outside the lattice PARTITION and called
sam TO the window. Briefly they stated
pcnse for his reply. The sorrcl head
was thrust half way out of the window
and the CCmical features were twisted
and distorted with the Drcfundity OF
thought tile solution Of the problem re-
CURED. al length sam gave 81 satisfied
grunt and III his ininitabls way d.awleCi
uu;: PUT Eer under Doctor Norton $
porch floor" The boys decided that was
just The place. for no one would think
Of looking there for Il buai. However.
when next the boat was wanted. TIL
three ION 'ors fuEnu = I'll ~ fiisma Y
,hut scn'e one hni discovered it's hill
ing place ;tnd had spirited it away.
Sam q ucns. S''i - * ami John
Iiri-:;s d"plHrai IN, Is - 81. bat
rs nIu II as liz three ycunr'r l'Ns dii
ana declared their Intention OF having
ono built exactly Ike II FOR their pro
ic2ted piraiicai expedition 20 the island.
IN q VERY few days the Older boys APP
rCarcd on the river with handsome
sail boat PAINTED red aud with the name
'-uticia I'm black letters or the bow.
The beat was exactly the size and huild
Of tha missing craft, the only point Of
difference heinC the paint ant: the MANS
Of John iilicgS' ecillCart. While tho
other lCGl had hecn GnrUinted AMI
scrnwlcd with girls names in the kcr
and chalk from prov to stern. The
older boys loudly protested their limo
cCHcn Of til" theft Vet they were ali
10 awe no satisfactory account of the
origin of the luticia.