The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-04-29
RECKLESS SPORT,
Rock Rolling Feats Of Mark
Twain In His Boyhood Days.
A BAD SCARE ENDED THE FUN

The Final Prank on Holidays Hill
Was In Fair Way Of Ending In .
Tragedy When the Danger Was, by
Bit Of Good Luck, Narrowly AVerted.
Writing on mark Twain" In Har-
pers Magazine. Albert Blgelow Paine
recounts some of the scrapes of the
youthful Sam Clemens. Sam was
recognized ringleader among his play
mates, and one Of the pranks they
played nearly had fatal termination.
zone of their Sunday pastimes was
to climb Holidays hill and roll down
big stones to frighten the people who
were driving to church. Holidays
hill above the road was steep. A stone,
once started. would go plunging and
leaping down and bound across the
road with the deadly swiftness OF u
twelve inch shell. The boys would get
stone poised, then wait until they
saw team approaching and, calcu-
lating the distance, would give 1t Il
start Dropping down behind the bush
es, they would watch the dramatic eff
feet upon the churchgoers as the great
missile shot across the road few
yards before them.
"rhis was Homerlc sport, but they
carried II too far. Stones that had Il
habit of getting loose so numerously
on Sundays and so rarely on other
days invited suspicion, and the pat
terollers river patrol, kind OF police
Of those days-were put OH the watch.
So the boys found other diversions I'M
I'll the patterollers did not watch any
more. Then they planned grand
coup that should eclipse anything be
fore attempted in the stone rolling
line.
"A rock about the size OF an omnibus
was lying up there in good position
to 90 downhill. once started They de
cided 1t would be glorious thing to
see that great bOwlder go smashing
down a hundred yards or so in front
OF some unsuspecting and peaceful
minded churchgoer Quarrymen were
getting out rock not far away and left
their picks and shovels over Sundays
The boys borrowed these and went Il
work to undermine the big stone. II
was heavier job than they had count
ed on, but they worked faithfully Sun
day after Sunday. II their parents
had wanted them to work like thai
they would have thought they were be
Ing killed.
FINALLY one Sunday while they were
digging It suddenly got loose and start
| cd down. They were not quite ready
for it. Nobody was coming but an OLE
colored man in cart, so It was golnl
to be wasted. IL was not quite vast
ed. however. They had planned for |
thrilling result. and there was thrill
enough while It lasted,> In the frs
place, the stone nearly caught VII
Bowen when II started. John Brigg
had Just that moment quit dlgginl
and handed VIII the pick. VIII wa
about to step into the excavation wheI
Sam Clemens. who was already there
leaped out with a yell:
"Look out, boys; she's comingv
"She came. The huge stone kept T.
the ground mt first, then. gathering
wild momentum. IL went bounding Int
the air About halfway down the hi
il struck n tree several inches THO
and cut II clean OFF This turned II
course little. and the negro In tn
cart, who heard the noise. saw II com
crashing I'm his direction and made
wild effort to whip up his horse.
was also headed toward cooper sho
across the road.
1.-THE boys watched II with CROWN
interest. IL made longer leaps wit
; every bound. and whenever It struc
the fragments and dust would Il!
They were certain II would demolis
i the negro and destroy the cooper shol
$ The shop was empty, II being Sunda.
but the rest Of the catastrophe woul
= invite close investigation and result
5 II was making mighty leaps now, an
the negro had managed TO get direct
Il In its path. They stood holding the
: breath. their mouths open.
!, Then suddenly-they could hard
believe their eyes-the bowlder struC
a projection distance above the roa
: and. with a mighty bound, sailed cle'
! over the negro and his mule and Ian
cd in the soft dirt beyond, only fra
t ment striking the shop, damaging b.
I: not wrecking IT, Half buried In Il
: ground. that bowlder lay there 4
:. nearly forty years. Then II was bias
le ed FOR milling purposes. II was the Ia
t. rock the boys ever rolled down, Tit
began to suspect that the sport was n
altogether safe.
"I.lmcllght and the center OF q
stage was n passion OF sam Clemer
~ boyhood. a love OF the spectacular tn
never wholly died. II seems almost
= pity that IN those old faroff, barefo
days he could not have looked doy
the years to "a time when. with I
se world ut his feet venerable Oxfo
should clothe him In scarlet gown.
y. Her Resentment.
" Alice-It's mean OF YOU 10 tell peOI