Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-03-12
!is DUTlEs WERE VARIED

f1i0 OOJte0 WenR vAnteO
The Habits Of His First Employer
Were Very Erratie-Humorist's
Career az Printers
Apprentice.
Chicago Chronicles: It was In the Of
fee of the Courier, small paper print
ed in Hannibal. Mo-, that Samuel L.
Clemens mark Twain) began to earn
years ago. 1t may be that young Sam.
even at that early stage Of what was
destined to be a remarkable career,
dreamed of fame and fortune yet to
come, but II he did It was while he
was busily engaged In something more
practical. For the duties OF the future
noted humorist in those days were
milking the editors COW. cutting his
wood, building fires, sweeping out the
office and all the various small and
dirty Jobs that fall to the lot Of the
devil in O country print shop. In tho
same office at that time was a cons,
positor named Van De Lashmutt. "just
out Of his time" and still in his teens.
Mr.. Lashmutt is now well to do min
Ing operator OF Spokane. Wash. ThiE
early life Of the humorist and some Of
his strange adventures as reporter
on the Enterprise Of Virginia City,
New, during the early days of the min
Ing excitement, are thus entertaining
ly told for the first time by Mr.. Dc
Lashmutt:
During his apprenticeship on the
Courier Clemens had to board in the
family Of the editor and proprietor,
who lived well out in the suburbs Of
the town. and In the morning was sup
posed to milk the cow and cut enough
stove wood for the day while waiting
for his breakfast, which must on week
days be served In time for the men to
get to their work by z o'clock. He
had to get to the office little earlier
to sweep out, build the fire, bring in q
bucket or two Of water. and later on
to cut and bring in sufficient frewood
to last over the following day. The
arrival of the stage was Samuers OPP
portunity. 1t was the only bright spot
In his monotonous routine work, for 1t
6. We him an opportunity to go to the
/ postoffice and frequently wait for two
or three hours until Its arrival. In the
J meantime he had to tell every other
man he met about what time to come
around in order to catch the editor in
his office. When not thus engaged he
Or a game or two Of marbles with his
| chummies.
Duties 40 Printers Devil.
1 After o'clock in the morning, when
the actual work Of the day began, he
was kept alternating between his case
In the office, where he was undergoing
the rudimentary lessons Of learning
whittier he went at intervals in quest
Of the editor, In order to get more copy.
Or at the request Of some subscriber;
Or more likely some one with q bill to
collect, who would always sit down in
the EDITORS sanctum and look over the
exchanges while he was bringing him.
This latter task was no easy matter
for the editor was sure to be in the
midst Of q game Of pool or cards. or
standing up at the bar with party
IF friends endeavoring to show them
why 1t was that Thomas Jefferson was
entitled to the honor of being called the
Jackson was justified In annulling the
bank act.
I'm the meantime he had to stand de-
murely by and await his opportunity to
aim had to catch hYat h e%s d dlia4tbu a
IF a game or after round Of drinks
Dr. at the end Of sentence, and it fire.
auently took him an hour or two to
get his man. 1t was thus that his l,1
ties caused him to be regarded In the
community as sort of private secre-
tary to the editor, and people would
aand aim their correspondence and say
10 him: Now. sonny, If you will get
the old man to publish this I will buy
you new Barlow knife with horn
handle, etc. Advertisements were
most generally handed to him for the
reason that they were more certain to
reach the hands Of the printer. The
Did man was not to be relied upon in
carried them around in his pockets for
week or two before handing them to
The printer.
| From Printer to Pilot.
THE office employees all got tickets to
Ill the balls and shows and public en-
:ertainments and frequently some old
farmer would invite him to spend Sun
lay with him or come out any time
and help himself to all the fruit he
wanted. This latter invitation a boy
If his keen appreciation never over
ooked, and. along with other boys, he
frequently dropped into the orchard at
y or o'clock at night and accepted 1t.
The following morning the farmer was
Usually unable to detect the difference
twixt his footprints and those Of Tom
Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn.
After leaving the printing Office he
served for time as pilot on the Mis-
sissippi river, and from heaving the
lead in taking the soundings he is said
to have obtained the idea Of his future
| cognomen-'Mark Twain In 1851 his
brother Grin was appointed secretary
Of the territory Of Nevada, and in that
year Sam went thither with him. He
naturally drifted into journalism and
I for a number Of years was local re-
porter on the Virginia City Enterprise.
| While thus engaged also worked on
the same paper.
There were two other reporters on
the paper at the time, one OF whom, Dan
DE guile, enjoyed quite reputation
as clever writer, but the public did
not detect in Sam any evidence of his
| then unknown genius. He was a droll
and hail-fellow-w ell-met with every
body, but somehow one got the impress
! sion that he was little inclined to be
lazy. Virginia City was then in the
very zenith of its brilliant existence.
| Sam had to be rather swift to maintain
his standing as a live reporter Of live
| newspaper in live city, but do not
| remember that any charges were ever
preferred against him for falling to keep
up with the procession"
May Be the Reason.
Chicago Post: He was talking to the
pessimistic, sharp-tongued damsel.
Have you noticed he asked. that as
= general thing, bachelors are Weather
than married men?'
II have" she replied.
How do you account for it?" he in
HTha Moor man rnorr;. 80 ~,