Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-08-08
MARK TWAIN AS A BOWL FER.
3Bewilderipg Results He Achieved In
His First Came.

His First Ganae.
B More than forty years ago in San
Francisco the Office staff adjourned up
on conclusion Of Its work at 2 O'clock
In the morning to a great bowling es-
adjustment where there We're twelve
alleys was invited, rather perfume
torily and as a matter of etiquet by
which mean that / was invited po-
iitely, but not urgently But when I
diffidently declined with thanks and
explained that / knew nothing about
the game those lively young fellows
became at once eager and anxious and
urgent to have my society. This fat
tered me, for | perceived no trap, and
innocently and gratefully accepted
their invitation. i was given an alley
all to myself. The boys explained the
game to me, and they also explained to
me that there would be an hours play
and that the player who scored the
fewest ten strikes In the hour would
have to provide oysters and beer for
the combination. This disturbed me.
very seriously since 1t promised me
bankruptcy, and I was sorry that this
detail had been overlooked in the be-
4 ginning. But my pride would not nj
i low me to back out now. so I stayed
i In and did what could to look salts
i fed and glad I had come. 1t is not
i likely that looked as contented MS i
wanted to, but the others looked glad
enough to make up for d 1t, for they
Il Joy They showed me how to stand
and how to stoop and how to aim the
4 ball and how to let fly, and then the
d game began.
4 The results were astonishing. In
my ignorance I delivered the balls in
apparently every way except the right
one, but no matter during half an
hour / never started ball down the
D alley, that didn't score d ten strike
4 every time at the other end. The 9th
.ers lost their grip early and their JOY
J along with it. Now and then one OF
them got ten strike, but the occur
4 renee was SO rare that 1t made nc
show alongside Of my giant score. The
boys surrendered at the end Of the
!. half hour and put on their coats and
gathered around me and In courteous
but sufficiently definite Language ex
pressed their opinion Of an experience
worn and seasoned expert who woullt
!, stoop to lying and deception In ordel
!. to rob kind and well meaning friends
J who had put their trust in him nndel
!, the de1usion that he was honest ant
honorable. was not able to conyinc,
them that had not Lied, for now m.
7 character was gone, and they refused
{ to attach any value to anything said
t The proprietor of the place stood b.
) for awhile saying nothing: then b
! came to my defense. He said: 1t look
like a mystery, gentlemen, but it ism
q mystery after it's explained. Tha
Ia q grooyed alley; you've only to star
e a ball down it any way You pleas
3 and the groove will do the rest; it vii
5 slam the ball against the northeas
s curve of the head pin every time, an
nothing can save the ten from goin
down =
: 1t was true. The boys made the e2
( pertinent, and they found that ther
was no art that could send a bal
$ down that alley and fail to score
i ten strike with 1T. When I had toll,
those boys that ] knew nothing abou
I that game ! was speaking only th
truth. But it was ever thus all throug
my iife-whenever I have diyerget
Z from custom and principle and uttere
$ truth the rule has been that. th
t nearer hadn't strength Of mind enoug
to believe ite-From Mark Twain
Autobiography In North American Re