The sun., 1910-02-06
MARK TwAIN'S WATERMELON.
PHipped q Nickel to Decide whether 10 Hat
Ht'er Drop lt on John's Head.

HANNIBAL. Mo-, Feb. s.---Going to
Bermuda, is he? Well. can tell him q
plan that'n beat that. Let him come over
here and climb up and down the old hills,
chop holes to fish in Bear Creek and smoke
some Old Fisherman cigars and he'll for
get he amt feeling peart.'
Thus spoke Joe Tisdale Sunday morning
when told that his old friend and play
southern islands for the benefit Of his
health. Mr.. Tisdaie had been out walking
since 7. without gloves. enjoying the
keen wintry air. he said. Il was then II,
and everybody but Mr.. Tisdals seemed
to be wearing a heavy outer coat and
thick gloves.
He In a small man. trife bent but
active and vigorous as a schoolboy.
There h only q few years difference
between his age and Mr.. Clemens's.
Are you the man who used to make
those long three for nickel stogies for
Saml- Mr.. Tisdale was asked.
Il made cigars. sir; not stogies. replied
the Old gentleman with some indignation.
Began down there where Tom Foster
kept drug store alongside the printing
office. That was long before the war
the big war. you know. guess it was in
1862. Sam came in there now and then
and bought smokers; used to say they
were the best he could get. He was a bit
particular about what he smoked. even
when a youngster,"
what did the people think Of Sam in
those days?"
They thought he was q darn fool
The response was made with such
promptness that no one could doubt the
old cigarmaker's sincerity.
He was joke. Sam was. remember
one time he got a big watermelon. the
Lord knows now. but anyway he took il
upstairs and laid 1t on his stool near the
window. was coming around the cor
ner and as looked up noticed Sam spy
ing up and down the street.
APnesently John Meredith comes along
and when he was directly under the
square on Johns head. Gee, but IL
smashed him. / think Johns first idea
was that some building had fallen.
John saw me Jgrinning and came in
my direction like he was going to take it
ont Of me, but when he looked around the
street and saw everybody was laughing
guess he thought It too big q job to lick
all OF course Sam wasn't nowhere IN
sight, but John found who did it and he
never spoke to Sam from that day till
they met years after at Pixies Peak.
I'm talking about it Sam said he studied
q long while which would be the most
fun, TO eat the melon or drop Il ON some
body's head, and he tipped q nickel to
find out which he ought 70 do. The head
won.
About twenty years after Sam had
left US he came back. met him and told
him when he wanted an old time smoke
70 come around to my shop. I got up q box
OF the Old Fisherman and when he and
John Garth came in made Sam a present
Of the box.
-There were forty-sixNbig cigars IN IL.
John Garth told me before he and Sam
went to bed that night they Smoked the
entire contents Of the boz except two.
which they saved for morning. / don't
guess there are many fellows who could
smoke like Sam.
That's the way he did about every
thing he went at. Il was no trouble if
there was fun at the end OF It. We never
supposed he was training for a funny
writer though. II he'd have stayed n,
Hannibal and wrote all them pieces that's
made him great man the people wouIdn't
have paid any attention TO him. They'd
Just say. oh, that's some more OF SANS
Tool ponsense.' and let IL 90 at that. He
.ure showed good sense by getting out OF
aAnnibal IL he wanted TO turn his mon kew
Rhtneg Into dollars