Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1912-03-02
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 a
Bit Of Good Luck. Narrowly Averted.

Ct OF 1000 LucN, Narrowly HNeFteu'
Writing on MARK Twain" in lIar-
perS Magazine. Albert l.igelow Paine
rccounts some of the scrapcs OF the
youthful Sam Clemens. sam was n
recognized ringlcader among his play
mates. and one Of the prankS they
played nearly had fatal termination.
One OF their sunday pastimes was
20 climb Holidays hill and roll down
big stones to brighten the people who
were driving 10 church Holiday :
Hill above the road WAS steep. \ stone.
once started. would 90 plunging an'l
lcapng down and bound across the
road with the deadly swiftncss OF n
twelve inch shell. The boys would get
stone poised. then wait until they
saw Il team approaching and. calcu-
hitting the distance. would give II a
start Dropping down behind the bush
es. they would watch the dramatic cf-
missile shot across the road II few
yards before them.
This WAS Homeric sport. but they
carried II too far. Stones that had "a
habit OF getting loose So numcrousy
on Sundays and 81 rarely on other
days invited suspicion. and the pat.
tcrollers' river patrol. kind of police
Of those days were put on the watch.
SO the boys found other diversions I'M
Ill the patterollcrs 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 nm omnibus
was lying up there in u good position
to 20 downhill once started They de-
cidcd il would bc a glorious thing To
see that great bowldcr 20 smashing
down n hundred yards ar so IN front
OF some unSuspcciing and peaceful
minded churchgocr ,guarrymen We're
getting out rock not far away and left
their picks and shovciS over sundays.
The boys borrowed these and went TO
work to undcr.linc the big stone. II
WIS Il heavier job than they had count
ed on. but they worked faithfully sun
day after sunday II their parents
had wanted them Ia wcgS like that
they would have thought they were be-
ing killed.
FINALLY one Sunday while they were
digging II suddenly got loose and start
ed down. They were not quite ready
for IL, Nobody WAS coming hut an old
colored man in Il cart. 50 It was going
10 he wasted II was not quite vast
ell. however. They had planned for n
thrilling result. and there WIS thrill
enough while II lasted. In the first
place. the stone nearly caught Will
Bowen when il started John Briggs
had Just that moment quit digging
aud handed VIII the pick VIII WAS
about TO step into the excavation when
sam Clemens. who was arcady there.
lcapcd out with yell:
Look out. boys. she's coming.
"She came The huge stone kept IN
the ground ut first. then. gathering n
wild momentum. II went bounding into
the air About halfway down the hill
il struck tree several Inches thick
and cut IL clean of. This turned its
course n little. and the negro IN the
cart. who heard the noise. saw ii'c"mc
crushing In his direction aud made u
wild effort TO whip M his horse II
wa, also headed toward = cooper shop
ACROSS the road
"'rhe boys watched II with grow in2
interest. II made longer leaps with
every bound. and whenever II struck
the fragments and dust would Ey
They were certain II would dcmoli>h
the negro aud destroy the cooper shop
The shop was empty. IL bciag sunday.
hut the rest OF the catastrophe would
invite close investigation and results.
II WAS making mighty leaps now. ANA
The negro had managed 1" get directly
in It's path They stood holding their
breath. their mouths open.
Then suddenly they could hardly
believe their eyes he hnwldcr struck
projection u distance above the road
and. with a mighty hound sailed clear
over the negro and his mule aud land
cd in the soft dirt beyond. only n frag
Imeni striking the shop. damaging hut
not wrcclsing H. HALF buried In the
ground. that bowldcr lay there foi
nearly forty years Then il WIS blast.
eel for milling purposes. Il WAS the last
rock the boys ever rolled down. They
began to suspect that the sport WIS not
altogether safe.
"I.imclighl and The center ~ the
stage was q passion # sam Cicm-p~'
boyhood. u loyc Of the spectacular hat
never wholly died II seems almost a
pity that IN those old faroiI. barefoot
DAYS hc could not have looked down
the wears To- a time when. with the
world at his feet. venerable oxford
should clothe him IN u scarlet gown"