The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1912-02-20

Rock Rolling Feats Of Marx
Twain IN His Boyhood Days.
a BAD SCARE ENDED THE FUN

The Final Prank on Holidays Hin
Was In Fair Way Of Ending In 9
Tragedy When the Danger Was, by
Die Of Good Luck, Narrowly Avsrted.
Writing on 'Mark Twain" in Har-
per's Magazine. Albert Bigelow 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 brighten 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 a
twelve inch shell. The boys would get
a stone poised, then wait until they
saw a team approaching and, calcu-
lating the distance, would give it a
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 a few
| yards before them.
This was Homeric sport, but they
carried 1t too far Stones that had a
habit Of getting loose so numerously
rem Sundays and so rarely on other
days invited suspicion, and the pat
terollers'-river patrol, a kind OF police
of those days-were put on the watch.
So the boys found other diversions I'M
til the patterollers did not watch any
more. Then they planned a 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 a good position
to so downhil, once started. They de
cided it would be a glorious thing to
see that great bowlder go smashing
down a hundred yards or so in front
OF some unsuspecting and peaceful
minded churchgoer. Querrymen were
/ getting out rock not far away and left
their picks and shovels over Sundays
The boys borrowed these and went to
work to undermine the big stone. 1t
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 that
they would have thought they were be-
ing killed.
Finally one Sunday while they were
digging 1t suddenly got loose and start
ed down. They were not quite ready
for 1t. Nobody was coming but an old
colored man in a cart, so it was going
to be wasted. 1t was not quite vast
ed, however They had planned for a
thrilling result, and there was thrill
enough while 1t lasted. In the first
place. the stone nearly caught WIN
Bowen when it started. John Briggs
had just that moment quit digging
and handed Win the pick. win was
about to step into the excavation when
Sam Clemens, who was already there,
leaped out with a yell:
"'Look out. boys; she's comingr
"She came. The huge stone kept TO
the ground at first, then, gathering a
wild momentum, 1t went bounding into
the air. About halfway down the hill
it struck a tree several inches thick
and cut it clean off. This turned its
course a little, and the negro in the
cart, who heard the noise. saw 1t come
crashing In his direction and made a
wild effort to whip up his horse. 1t
was also headed toward a cooper shop
across the road.
The boys watched II with growing
interest. 1t made longer leaps with
every bound, and whenever it struck
the fragments and dust would fly
They were certain it would demolish
the negro and destroy the cooper shop
The shop was empty, it being Sunday
but the rest Of the catastrophe would
invite close Investigation and results
, 1t was making mighty leaps now, and
the negro had managed to get directly
! in its path. They stood holding theil
i breath, their mouths open.
1 Then suddenly-they could hardly
believe their eyes-the bowlder struck
a projection distance above the road
and, with a mighty bound, sailed clear
over the negro and his mule and land
ed In the soft dirt beyond, only frag
ment striking the shop, damaging but
not wrecking It. Half buried in tbs
! ground. that bowlder lay there fol
nearly forty years Then it was blast
ed for milling purposes, 1t was the las
rock the boys ever rolled down. They
began to suspect that the sport was no
altogether safe.
"Limelight and the center of th'
stage was passion Of sam Clemens
Noyhood, love Of the spectacular tina
never wholly died. 1t seems almost
pity that In those old farof, barefoo
days he could not have looked dow
the years to a time when, with tn
world at his feet, venerable Oxfor'
, should clothe him In a scarlet gown"
Her Resentment