The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1921-12-23


Y fstfc humor Sam
uel l. q h ornc
@ Clemens indicated
MI vtcissffudes of his early days. He
|FHs born I'm Floridn, $40, Nov. 30, 1885.
%&e common schools gave him all the
Email education he get.
$NRoughing IT., tsrhe GiIded AReo Tin
A junction with Charles Dudley War
I'D, "Tom Sawyer" "A Tramp Abroad
We Prince and the Pauper," "HuckIe-
Fry Finn taThe Tragedy of Pudd'n-
NC wilson, were some of the va
lzz1sss books which kept Americans and
E2ropeans laughing for many years.
ATark Twain died April Fl, 1910.
~ AWSON'S LANDING, on the
Missouri side of the Missis-
sippi, in 1880, was a modest
age with few claims to distinction.
hspicuous among her first citizens
Ma York Leicester Driscoll, forty
rs Of age, judge of the county court,
unblemished Virginia stock, unhap-
|g childless, and esteemed by every
WV that knew him. Another citizen
repute was Col Cecil Burleigh Es-
4 who, except for one important
ticular, later disclosed, has nothing
do with this story. Resident here
10 was certain Percy Northumber-
m Driscoll, brother of the judge,
fried, and a prosperous owner OF
yes, among whom was a likely
kHnch of twenty, Roxana by name.
MO the Driscoll home on the first of
@|bruary, 1880, two boy babies were
IN. One of these, christened Tom
wa the son of Percy Northumberland
ma other, tagged with the name OF
Q8fet de Chambre, or Chambers" for
lhnrt, was the son of the slave-gir,
SpEana, by father at first unknown
Hi later reyelaed to be Colonel Essex.
thin week of the birth of Dris,
seEs son the mother died. and in the
AsfEural course of events both boys
Here entrusted to the maternal care
the slave-mother.
about the same time into this quiet
'1anmunity came one David Wilson.
itzpefully anticipating a successful
al career, a hope blasted in the
since gift Of irony, one of
2avid's most tangible assets, fell upon
'ars SO literal as to be unapprecia-
I've. and suspicious of humor.
II wish I owned half Of that dog,
It'd David one morning when a snari.
ng yellow cur disturbed him.
WhyT asked somebody.
Because then Iwould kill my half"
oiled David.
Ills hearers fell away from him in
arm. How could man kill half of
VT without killing the other half also?
rely this man must be out of his
md.
A lummox," said one.
IA perfect jackass," said another.
He's a pudd'nhead, that's what he
sF' said third.
And from that day forward "Pudd'n
cad Wilson" he was.
Now Pudd'nhead had two fads-
and finger-prints. The first
d occasionally practiced, lacking eli
bits to practice law upon, and the
econd he collected with great assidu-
IL. No man, woman or child, ever
ntered the circle of Pudd'nhead's ac-
uaintance without leaving finger
rInt, or his thumb-mark, behind. and
II of these were carefully named, re-
orded, dated and filed. Thus it hap
ened that one day came Roxana and
eli two charges, Tom, the son of Dris-
sll and Chambers, the son of her
I'LL and another. As like as two peas.
ere the babies, in color, size and
neaments so like that save to
Others eyes they were indistingufsh-
bic, and the finger-prints Of all were
lken, labeled, dated, and added tc
IL collection Of Pudd'nhead Wilson.
What more natural than that the
keness of the two Toms
ssn father could not tell him from
~ siave-babysho suggest to
'ofhers heart an Interchange of the
hildren by which the slave should be-
Dme the master and the master the
ave. Especially when the heart was
instantly oppressed by the fear that
hen her babe grew to manhood Ii ]
fight be "sold down the river tha
ser-present tormenting dread of the
ave of the upper waters2 What
lore natural that, there being nc
rance of detection, Roxana for loy,
her son should yield to that tempta-
nn ana forthwith turn Chambers into
on and Tom into Chambers by
ngle Interchange of garments, these
eIng the only outward and visible
ssas BY which the boys We're differ
1tiafed anyhow? 1t was in this man.
II that It came TO be the proud on
bsing OF the house of Drlscoll grew
stp tl4e slaye-hoy Chambers, abused