The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-02-23
CONSIDERED A DARN FOOL"
Joe TisdaIe, Old Friend of Famous
Humorist, Crews Reminiscent.

Joe TisdaIe, Old Friend Of Famous
Humorist, Grows Reminiscent.
From the Kansas City Star.
Going to Bermuda. Is he? Well, ! can
tell him plan thstll 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 forget he amt feeling
peart'
Thus spoke joe Tisdale the other morn
ing in Macon, Mo. when told that his old
friend and playmate, Sam Clemens Mark
Twain, had gone TO the islands for the
benefit of his health. Mr.. Tisdaie had
been out walking since T. without gloves,
enjoying the keen wintry air. he said. IL
was then II, and everybody but Mr.. Tis-
dale seemed 10 be wearing a heavy outer
coat and thick gloves. He is a small
man, a trifie bent, but active and vigor-
Gus as a schoolboy There are only few
Clemens.
Are you the man who used TO make
those long -for-a-niekel stogies for
SAM" Mr.. Tisdale was asked.
L made cigars, sir-not stogies," re-
piled the old man, with some indignation
began down where Tom Foster kept
drug store alongside the printing Office.
That was long before the war. the big
war, you know. / guess II was in 1852.
Sam come in there now and then and
bought some smokers; used 10 say they
were the best he could get He was a
bit particular about what he smoked,
even when youngster"
What did the people think Of Sam in
those days?"
They thought he was a darn fool"
The response was made with such as
tonishing promptness that no one could
doubt the old cigarmakers sincerity He
went on:
He was joke, Sam was. remember
one time he got a big watermelon-the
Lord knows how-but anyway he took it
upstairs and laid in his stool near the
window. I was coming around the cor
ner, and as I looked up | noticed Sam
/ spying up and down the street. Presently
John Meredith comes along and when
/ he was directly under the window, Sam
| drops that big melon right square on
Johns headl Gee, but il smashed him
/ think Johns first idea was that some
| building had fallen on him.
John saw me grInning, and came in
my direction like he was going TO take il
out Of ne. but when he looked around
| the street and saw everybody laughing.
guess he thought II too big job TO lick
all OF course Sam wasn't nowhere II
sight but John found who did 1t and he
never spoke 10 sam from that day I'll
they met years after az Pixies Peak.
In talking about it Sam said he stud
led long while which would be the most
fun. 10 eat his melon or drop 1t on some
body's head. and he Tipped a nickel to
| ind out which he ought TO 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
| 10 come round 10 the shop. I got up 2
box Of Old Fisherman, and when he and
John Garth came in ] made sam a pres
! ent Of the box. There were forty-six big
! cigars In II. John Garth told me that
before he and Sam went to bed that night
/ they smoked the entire contents of ths
/ box except Two which they saved for
! morning. ! don't guess there're many
| fellows who could smoke like Sam. But
that's the way he did about everything
/ he went at lit was no trouble II Their,
was fun at the end of II. We never sup
! posed he was training for a funny writer
though II he'd have stayed in Hsnniba
! and wrote all them pieces that's mad
/ him a great man the people wouldn'
have paid any attention 10 him. They,
just say. on, that's some more Of Sam
fool nonsense and let II go at that HI
| sure showed good sense by getting out o
Hannibal if he wanted to turn his mon
keyshines into dollars