The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-27
EAKEEHaLE OF
E1AKN ZH1ZA III

Sawyer, and we may prefer the "Eski-
mo Maiden's Lament" to King Leo
pold's Soliloquy." but even the profes-
sional critics are generally respectful
enough to make no noise while Homer
mods.
Twain's life has been that Of a rolling
stone He said OF himself once that he
had lived more and IN more places than
anyone else he ever knew" 1t may be
the outcome of his vivacity and efTer-
vescent spirit. "A perfect little human
kaleidoscope someone called him when
he was youngster, and He gets that
from his mother" added another by way
Of explanation. His mother was Il Ken
lucky bele-from the state Of bloodcd
horses. beautiful women and coruscatfng
corn whisky-and Mr. Twain probably
owes much to his humor and sparkle to
his matehnal Inheritance. as he Is indebt-
ed to his Roundhead Puritan ancestor
for a disposition to pay his debts In full
and call cxtortionate cabmen pirates 10
police court.
PAPER-CARRIER AND PRINTERS
DEVIL.
There ls a period IN the early life OF
every great man when s'reverses'' befsll
his family. OF course, Mark Twain IS
truly great, and so be was once obliged
to carry newspapers to swell me Clemens
income. That was in Hannibal, No, to
which place the family had moved from
Florida. and where an old playmate of
Marks recently stlu exhibited the list OF
subscribers whose papers Mark delivered
go years ago. It was In this city that
Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer played their
pranks and had their hairbreadth 'scapes.
ranging the river, the hills and the cave.
His readiness al dron repartee was
shown already at that early age. A
patronizing elder patted him on the head
one day and asked, benignly: well,
Sammie what are you going to be when
you grow up?" Dunno" said sammie.
but / s'pose I'll grow into a man"
From paper-carrier Mark became print
er's devil and typesetter, and then
tramped ais way to Philadelphia and
New York before he was II. The enete
East. however. did not hold him with its
siren spell; he soon returned to Hannibal.
After a brief career as roustabout,
sometimes guarding freight piles on the
levee all night for pocket money, he be-
came a pilot on the Father of Waters.
Several years OF this work gave him the
fund of experience he drew upon for
Life on the Mississippi" book which
did much to establish his fame after he
had attracted wide attention with THE
Celebrated Jumping Frog Of CalaEeras
County
It Is not generally known that Mark
Twain was once a soldier, for his career
of military prowess was even briefer
than Col Robert @. Ingersolrs. When
the war broke out he began running
bloekades ON the river. but presently Gu
listed In the Confederate ranks. aud
served two whole weeks. Then be con
Guided to do his best toward bringing
about peace by setting a good example
and deslsting from the work OF destruc-
ton. With an elder brother, Orion, he
went TO Nevada. tried prospecting and
silver mining. and finally drlfted Into the
office Of the Virginia City Enterprise
While on this paper he arst adopted the
pseudonym he was destined to make
famous, signing his letters from Carson
City Mark Twain
From Nevada. where he stayed only SIX
months he drifted to California. There
he fell in with Frank" Harte as he al
ways called him. Noah Brooks, Adam