第2章

Simple?I\'llsayitis!PositivelynothingcouldbesimplerunlessitbethestarksimplicityofthemindofanauthorwhofiguresthatwhentheAtlanticOceanstartsboringitswaythroughacrackinaseawallyoucanstopitbypluggingtheholeontheinnersideoftheseawallwithasmallboy\'sarm。NedBuntlinemayneverhaveenjoyedthevogueamongparentsandteachersthatMr。

McGuffeyenjoyed,butI\'llsaythisforhim——heknewmoreaboutthelawsofhydraulicsthanMcGuffeyeverdreamed。

AndtherewasPeterHurdle,theraggedladwhoengagedinalongbuttiresomeconversationwiththephilanthropicandinquisitiveMr。Lenox,duringthecourseofwhichitdevelopedthatPeterdidn\'twantanything。Whenitcameontostormhegotunderatree。Whenhewashungryheatearawturnip。Rawturnips,itwouldappear,grewalltheyearroundinthefieldsofthefavoredlandwherePeterresided。IfthechillwindsofautumnblewinthroughoneoftheholesinPeter\'strouserstheyblewrightoutagainthroughanotherhole。Andhedidn\'tcaretoacceptthedimewhichMr。Lenoxinanexcessofgenerosityofferedhim,because,itseemed,healreadyhadadime。WhenitcametobeingplumbcontentedthereprobablyneverwasasoulonthisearththatwastheequalofMasterHurdle。HeevenwassatisfiedwithhisnamewhichIwouldregardastheultimatetest。

Likewise,therewasthecaseofHughIdleandMr。Toil。Perhapsyourecallthatmovingstory?Hughtriestododgework;whereverhegoeshefindsMr。Toilinoneguiseoranotherbutalwayswiththesameharshvoiceandthesamefrowningeyes,bossingsomejobinamannerwhichwouldcosthimhisboss-shiprightoffthereelinthesetimeswhenunionlaborissotouchy。Andwhatisthemoraltobedrawnfromthisnarrative?IknowthatallmylifeI

havebeentryingtogetawayfromwork,feelingthatIwasintendedforleisure,thoughneverfindingtimesomehowtotakeitupseriously。Butwhatwastheuseoftryingtodiscouragemefromthisagreeableideabackyonderintheformulativeperiodofmyearlieryears?

InHarper\'sFourthReader,editionof1888,IfoundanarticleentitledTheDifferenceBetweenthePlantsandAnimals。IttakesupseveralpagesandincludessomeofthefanciestlanguagetheseniorMr。HarpercoulddisinterfromtheUnabridged。Inmyowncase——andIthinkIwasnomoreobservantthantheaverageurchinofmyage——IcanscarcelyrememberatimewhenIcouldnotreadilydeterminecertainbasicdistinctionsbetweensuchplantsandsuchanimalsasachildislikelytoencounterinthetemperatepartsofNorthAmerica。

Whileemergingfrominfancysomeofmycontemporariesmayhavefallenintotheerrorofthelittleboywhocameintothehousewithahauntedlookinhiseyeandaskedhismotherifmulberrieshadsixlegsapieceandranroundinthedustoftheroad,andwhenshetoldhimthatsuchwasnotthecasewithmulberrieshesaid:\"Then,mother,IfeelthatIhavemadeamistake。”

Tothebestofmyrecollection,Inevermadethismistake,oratleastifIdidIamsureImadenoinquiryafterwardwhichmighttendfurthertoincreasemydoubts;andinanyeventIamsurethatbythetimeIwasoldenoughtostumbleoverMr。Harper\'sfavoritebigwordsIwasoldenoughtotellthedifferencebetweenanordinaryanimal——say,ahousecat——andanyoneofthecommonerformsofplantlife,suchas,forexample,thescaly-barkhickorytree,practicallyataglance。I\'lladdthistoo:NickCarterneverwastedanyofthegoldenmomentswhichheandIspenttogetherinelucidatingformetheradicalpointsofdifferencebetweentheplantsandtheanimals。

IntherangeofpoetryselectedbythecompilersofthereadersformyespecialbenefitasIprogressedonwardfromtheprimaryclassintothegrammargradesIfindonexaminationoftheseearlierAmericanauthoritiesanevengreaterarrayofchuckleheadsthanappearintheprosedivisions。Ishallpassoverthecelebratedinstance——asreadbyusinclassinaloudtoneofvoiceandwithouthaltforinflectionorthetakingofbreath——oftheTurkwhoatmidnightinhisguardedtentwasdreamingofthehourwhenGreeceherkneesinsuppliancebentwouldtrembleathispower。IrememberhowvaguelyIusedtowonderwhoitwasthatwasgoingtogreaseherkneesandwhysheshouldfeelcalledupontohavethemgreasedatall。Also,IshallpassovertheinstanceofAbouBenAdhem,whosenameledalltherestinthegoldenbookinwhichtheangelwaswriting。Whyshouldn\'tithaveledalltherest?AmanwhosefrontnamebeginswithAb,whosemiddleinitialisB,andwhoselastnamebeginswithAdwillbefoundleadingalltherestinanycitydirectoryoranytelephonelistanywhere。Alphabeticallyorganizedashewas,Mr。Adhemjustnaturallyhadtolead;andyetforhoursonendmyteachesconsumedherenergiesandmineinamoreorlessunsuccessfulefforttocausemetomemorizethedetailsassetforthbyMr。LeighHunt。

Inthreeseparateschoolbooks,eachtheworkofadifferentcompilator,IdiscoverSirWalterScott\'spoeticcontributiontouchingonYoungLochinvar——YoungLochinvarwhocameoutoftheWest,thesameasthePlumbplansubsequentlycame,andtheHiramJohnsonpresidentialboomandtheinitiativeandthereferendumandtheI。W。W。EveninthoseancienttimestheWestappearstohavebeenafavoriteplaceforupsettingthingstocomefrom;soIcan\'ttakeissuewithSirWalterthere。ButIdotakeissuewithhimwherehesays:

Solighttothecroupethefairladyheswung,Solighttothesaddlebeforeherhesprung!

Eveninchildhood\'shourIamsureImusthavequestionedtheabilityofYoungLochinvartoperformthisachievement,forI

wasbornandbroughtupinahorseback-ridingcountry。NowinthelightofyetfullerexperienceIwishSirWalterwerealiveto-daysoImightarguethequestionoutwithhim。

Letusconsiderthestatementonitsphysicalmeritssolely。HerewehaveYoungLochinvarswingingtheladytothecroupe,andthenhespringstothesaddleinfrontofher。Nowtodothishemusteithertakealongrunningstartandleapfrogclearoverthelady\'sheadasshesitsthere,andlandaccuratelyinthesaddle,whichisscarcelyaproperthingtodotoanylady,asidefromthedifficultyofspringingtenorfifteenfeetintotheairandcomingdown,crotchedout,onagivenspot,orelsehemustcontributeafeatincontortionthelikeofwhichhasneverbeenduplicatedsince。

Tobebrutallyfrankaboutit,thethingjustnaturallyisnotpossible。Idon\'tcareifYoungLochinvarwasaslimberasayardoffreshtripe——andhecertainlydidshakealithesomecalfinthemeasuresofthedanceifSirWalter,inanearlierstanza,istobecreditedwithveracity。Evenso,Idenythathecouldhavedonethatcroupetrick。Thereisn\'tacroupieratMonteCarlowhocouldhavedoneit。BuffaloBillcouldn\'thavedoneit。NedBuntlinewouldn\'thavehadBuffaloBilltryingtodoit。DougFairbankscouldn\'tdoit。Icouldn\'tdoitmyself。

SkippingoverRobertSouthey\'stiresomeredundancyinspendingsomuchofhistimeandmine,whenIwasintheFifthReaderstage,intellinghowthewaterscamedownatLadorewhenitwasapetrifiedcinchthatthey,beingwaters,wouldhavetocomedown,anyhow,Iwouldnextdirectyourattentiontotwooftheforemostidiotsinalltherealmofpoesy;oneayoungidiotandoneanolderidiot,probablywithwhiskers,butbothembalmedinverse,andboth,mindyou,stuckintoeveryorthodoxreadertobeglorifiedbeforetheeyesofchildhood。Irefertothatjuvenilechampionamongidiots,theboywhostoodontheburningdeck,andtotheship\'scaptaininthepoemcalledTheTempest。Letusbrieflyconsiderthegivenfactsasregardsthelatter:Itwaswinteranditwasmidnightandastormwasonthedeep,andthepassengerswerehuddledinthecabinandnotasoulwoulddaretosleep,andtheywereshudderingthereinsilence——onegathersthesilencewassodeepyoucouldhearthemshuddering——andthestoutestheldhisbreath,whichisconsiderablefeat,asIcantestify,becausethestouterafellowgetstheharderitisforhimtoholdhisbreathforanyconsiderableperiodoftime。Verywell,then,thisistheconditionofaffairs。Ifevertherewasatimewhenthoseinauthorityshouldavoidspreadingalarmthiswasthetime。Byallthetraditionsofthemaritimeserviceitdevolvedupontheskippertoremaincalm,coolandcollected。Butwhatdoesthepoetrevealtoalotoftrustingschoolchildren?

\"Wearelost!\"thecaptainshouted,Ashestaggereddownthestair。

Hedidn\'twhisperit;hedidn\'ttellittoafriendinconfidence;

hebelloweditoutatthetopofhisvoicesoallthepassengerscouldhearhim。Theonlypossibleexcusewhichcanbeofferedforthatcaptain\'sbehavioristhathisstaggeringwasduenottothemotionoftheshipbuttoalcoholicstimulant。CouldyouimagineLittleSureShot,theTerrorofthePawnees,drunkorsober,doinganasininethinglikethat?Notintenthousandyears,youcouldn\'t。

ButthenwemustrememberthatLittleSureShot,beingamoraldime-novelhero,neverindulgedinalcoholicbeveragesunderanycircumstances。

TheboywhostoodontheburningdeckhasbeenplayedupasanexampleofyouthfulheroismforthebenefitoftheyoungofourraceeversinceMrs。FeliciaDorotheaHemanssethimdowninblackandwhite。Idenythathewasheroic。Iinsistthathemerelywasfeeble-minded。Letusgivethisyouththecarefulonce-over:

ThesceneistheBattleoftheNile。ThetimeisAugust,1798。

Whentheactionofthepiecebeginstheboystandsontheburningdeckwhenceallbuthimhadfled。Yousee,everyoneelseaboardhadhadsenseenoughtobeatit,buthestuckbecausehisfatherhadpostedhimthere。Therewasnogoodpurposehemightservebysticking,excepttofurnishaddedmaterialforthepoetess,butliketheleather-headedyoungimbecilethathewashestoodtherewithhisfeetgettingwarmerallthetime,whiletheflamethatlitthebattle\'swreckshoneroundhimo\'erthedead。Afterwhich:

Therecameaburstofthundersound;

Theboy——oh!wherewashe?

Askofthewinds,thatfararoundWithfragmentsstrewedthesea——

Askthewaves。Askthefragments。AskMrs。Hemans。Or,tosavetime,inquireofme。

Hehasbecometotallyextinct。Heisnomoreandheneverwasverymuch。Stillweneednotworry。Mentallyhemusthavebeenfromtheveryoutsetaliabilityratherthananasset。Hadhelived,undoubtedlyhewouldhavewoundupinahomeforthefeeble-minded。Itisbetterso,asitis——betterthatheshouldbespreadaboutoverthesurfaceoftheoceaninabroadgeneralway,thussavingalltheexpenseandtroubleofgatheringhimupandburyinghimandputtingatombstoneoverhim。Hewasoneoftheincurables。

Onceuponatime,writingalittlepieceonanothersubject,I

advancedtheclaimthatthechampionhalf-witofallpoeticanthologywasSweetAlice,who,asdescribedbyMr。English,weptwithdelightwhenyougaveherasmile,andtrembledinfearatyourfrown。ThisofcoursewaslongbeforeProhibitioncamein。Thesetimestherearemanyreadytoweepwithdelightwhenyouoffertogivethemasmile;butinMr。English\'stimeandAlice\'stherewereplentyofsaloonshandy。Iremarked,whatanawfulkill-joyAlicemusthavebeen,weepinginadisconcertingmannerwhensomebodysmiledinherdirectionandtremblingviolentlyshouldanybodysomuchasmerelyknithisbrow!

ButwhenIgaveAlicefirstplaceinthelistIactedtoohastily。

SecondthoughtshouldhaveinformedmethatundeniablythepostofhonorbelongedtothecentralfigureofMr。HenryW。Longfellow\'spoem,Excelsior。Iranacrossit——Excelsior,Imean——inthreedifferentreaderstheotherdaywhenIwascompilingsomeofthedataforthistreatise。Naturallyitwouldbefeaturedinallthree。Itwouldn\'tdotoleaveMr。Longfellow\'sherooutofavolumeinwhichspacewasgiventosuchlesservillageidiotsasCasabiancaandtheSpartanyouth。Letustakeupthissadcaseversebyverse:

Theshadesofnightwerefallingfast,AsthroughanAlpinevillagepassedAyouth,whobore,\'midsnowandice,Abannerwiththestrangedevice,Excelsior!

Therewegetanaccuratepenpictureofhisyoungman\'sdeplorablestate。Heisclimbingamountaininthedeadofwinter。Itismadeplainlateronthatheisastrangerintheneighborhood,consequentlyitisfairtoassumethatthemountaininquestionisonehehasneverclimbedbefore。Nobodyhiredhimtoclimbanymountain;heisn\'tclimbingitonabetorbecausesomebodydaredhimtoclimbone。Heisnotdressedformountainclimbing。

Apparentlyheiswearingthecostumeinwhichheescapedfromtheinstitutionwherehehadbeenaninmate——acostumeconsistingsimplyoflowstockings,sandalsandakindofflowingwoolennightshirt,cutshorttobeginwithandbadlyshrunkeninthewash。

Hehasonnorubberboots,nosweater,notevenapairofearmuffs。Healsoisbare-headed。Well,anytimethewearingofhatswentoutoffashionhecouldhavehadnouseforhishead,anyhow。

IgrantyouthatinthepoemMr。Longfellowdoesnotgointodetailsregardingthepatient\'sgarb。Iamgoingbytheillustrationinthereader。TheoriginalMr。McGuffeywasverystrongforillustrations。Hestuckthemineverywhereinhisreaders,whethertheymatchedthethemesornot。Beingasfondofpicturesasheundoubtedlywas,itseemsalmostapityhedidnotmarrythetattooedladyinacircusandthenwhenhegottiredofstudyingherpictoriallyononesidehecouldaskhertoturnaroundandlethimseewhatshehadtosayontheotherside。Perhapshedid。InevergleanedmuchregardingthefamilyhistoryoftheMcGuffeys。

Bethatasitmay,thewardrobeisentirelyunsuitedfortherigorsoftheclimateinSwitzerlandinwintertime。Symptomaticallyitmarksthewearerasapersonwhoismentallylacking。Heneedsakeeperalmostasbadlyasheneedssomeheavyunderwear。Butthisisn\'ttheworstofit。Takethebanner。Itbearsthesingleword\"Excelsior。”Theyouthisgoingthroughastrangetownlateintheeveninginhisnightie,anditwintertime,carryingabanneradvertisingashreddedwood-fibercommoditywhichwon\'tbeinventeduntilahundredandfiftyyearsafterheisdead!

Canyoubeatit?Youcan\'teventieit。

Letuslookfurtherintothematter:

Hisbrowwassad;hiseyesbeneathFlashedlikeafalchionfromitssheath,AndlikeasilverclarionrungTheaccentsofthatunknowntongue,Excelsior!

Getit,don\'tyou?Evenhisfeaturesfailtojibe。Hisbrowiscorrugatedwithgrief,buttheflashingoftheeyedenotesalackofintellectualcoherencewhichanyalienistwoulddiagnoseataglanceasevidenceoftotaldementia,evenwerenotconfirmatoryproofofferedbyhisactioninhucksteringforaproductwhichdoesn\'texist,inalanguagewhichnoonepresentcanunderstand。

Themostdelirioustyphoidfeverpatientyoueversawwouldknowbetterthanthat。

Tocontinue:

InhappyhomeshesawthelightOfhouseholdfiresgleamwarmandbright;

Above,thespectralglaciersshone,Andfromhislipsescapedagroan,Excelsior!

Thelastlinegiveshimawaystillmorecompletely。Heisgroaningnow,whereamomentbeforehewasclarioning。Abitlater,withoneofthoseshiftscharacteristicofthementallyunbalanced,hismoodchangesandagainheisshouting。He\'sworsethanacuckooclock,thatboy。

\"TrynotthePass,\"theoldmansaid;

\"Darklowersthetempestoverhead,Theroaringtorrentisdeepandwide!\"

Andloudthatclarionvoicereplied,Excelsior!

\"Ohstay,\"themaidensaid,andrestThywearyheaduponthisbreast!\"

Atearstoodinhisbrightblueeye,Butstillheanswered,withasigh,Excelsior!

\"Bewarethepine-tree\'switheredbranch!

Bewaretheawfulavalanche!\"

Thiswasthepeasant\'slastGoodnight;

Avoicereplied,faruptheheight,Excelsior!

Thesethreeversesroundoutthepicture。ThevenerablecitizenwarnshimagainstthePass;passprivilegesupthatmountainhaveallbeensuspended。Akind-heartedmaidentendershospitalitiesofamostgenerousnature,consideringthatsheneversawtheyoungmanbefore。Somepeoplemightevengosofarastosaythatsheshouldhavebeenashamedofherself;others,thatMr。

Longfellow,ingivingheraway,wasguiltyofanindelicacy,tosaytheleastofit。PossiblyshewaspracticinguptoqualifyformembershiponthereceptioncommitteethenexttimethevisitingfiremencametohertownorwhentherewasgoingtobeanElks\'

reunion;soIforoneshallnotquestionhermotives。Shewashospitable——letitgoatthat。Thepeasantcoupleswithhisgood-nightmessageareferencetothedangeroffallingpinewoodandalsoavalanches,whichhaveneverbeenpleasantthingstomeetupwithwhenoneistravelingonamountaininanoppositedirection。

Allabouthimfirelightsaregleaming,happyfamiliesaregatheredbeforethehearthstone,andthroughthewindowstheeveningyodelmaybeheardpercolatingpleasantly。Thereiseveryinducementfortheyouthtodropinandresthispoor,tired,foolishfaceandhandsandthawouthiskneejointsandgivethemaidenachancetomakegoodonthatpropositionofhers。Butno,highupabovetimberlinehehasanengagementwithhimselfandMr。

Longfellowtobefrozenasstiffasadriedherring;andso,nowgroaning,nowwithhiseyeflashing,nowwithatear——undoubtedlyafrozentear——standingintheeye,nowclarioning,nowsighing,onwardandupwardhegoes:

Atbreakofday,asheavenwardThepiousmonksofSaintBernardUtteredtheoft-repeatedprayer,Avoicecriedthroughthestartledair,Excelsior!

I\'llsaythismuchforhim:Hecertainlyishardtokill。Hecanstayoutallnightinthoseclothes,withthethermometerbelowzero,andatdawnstillbeabletochirptheonlywordthatisleftinhisvocabulary。Hecan\'tlastforeverthough。Therehastobeafinishtothislamentablefiascosometime。Wegetit:

Atraveler,bythefaithfulhound,Halfburiedinthesnowwasfound,StillgraspinginhishandoficeThatbannerwiththestrangedevice,Excelsior!

Thereinthetwilightcoldandgray,Lifeless,butbeautiful,helay,Andfromtheskysereneandfar,Avoicefell,likeafallingstar,Excelsior!

Themeteoricvoicesaid\"Excelsior!\"Itshouldhavesaid\"Bonehead!\"

Itwouldhavesaidit,too,ifNedBuntlinehadbeenhandlingthesubject,forhehadasenseofverities,hadNed。Probablythatwasoneofthereasonswhytheybarredhisworksoutofalltheschoolbooks。

WiththepassageofyearsIratherimaginethatLieutenantG——,oftheUnitedStatesNavy,whowenttosomuchtroubleandtooksomanyneedlesspainsinordertobecomeacorpsemayhavevanishedfromtheschoolreaders。IadmitIfailedtofindhiminanyofthemoderneditionsthroughwhichIglanced,butIamabletoreport,asaresultofmyresearches,thatthewell-knowncroupespecialist,YoungLochinvar,isstillthereandsolikewiseisCasabianca,thetotalloss;andasIsaidbefore,IranacrossExcelsiorthreetimes。

Justheretheotherday,whenIwaspreparingthematerialforthislittlebook,IhappeneduponanadvertisementinaNewYorkpaperofanauctionsaleofacollectionofso-calleddimenovels,datingbacktotheoldBeadle\'sBoy\'sLibraryintheearlyeightiesandcomingondownthroughtheyearsintothegenerationwhenNickandOldCapweresucceedingsomeoftheearlierfavorites。I

readoffafewoftheleadingtitlesuponthelist:

BronzeJack,theCaliforniaThoroughbred;or,TheLostCityoftheBasalticButtes。Astrangestoryofadesperateadventureafterfortuneintheweird,wildApacheland。ByAlbertW。Aiken。

TombstoneDick,theTrainPilot;or,TheTraitor\'sTrail。AstoryoftheArizonaWilds。ByNedBuntline。

TheTarantulaofTaos;or,GiantGeorge\'sRevenge。AtaleofSardine-boxCity,Arizona。ByMajorSamS。(BuckskinSam)Hall。

RedtopRube,theVigilantePrince;or,TheBlackRegulatorsofArizona。ByMajorE。L。St。Vrain。

OldGrizzlyAdams,theBearTamer;or,TheMonarchoftheMountains。

DeadlyEyeandthePrairieRover。

ArizonaJoe,theBoyPardofTexasJack。

PacificPete,thePrinceoftheRevolver。

KitCarson,KingoftheGuides。

LeadvilleNick,theBoySport;or,TheMadMiner\'sRevenge。

LighthouseLige;or,TheFirebrandoftheEverglades。

TheDesperateDozen;or,TheFairFiend。

NighthawkKit;or,TheDaughteroftheRanch。

Joaquin,theSaddleKing。

MustangSam,theWildRiderofthePlains。

AdventuresofWildBill,thePistolPrince,fromYouthtohisDeathbyAssassination。DeedsofDaring,AdventureandThrillingIncidentsintheLifeofJ。B。Hickok,knowntotheWorldasWildBill。

ThesetitlesandmanyanotherdidIread,andreadingthemmymindslidbackalongagrooveinmybraintoacertainstableloftinacertainKentuckytown,andIsaidtomyselfthatifIhadaboy——say,abouttwelveorfourteenyearsold——IwouldgotothisauctionandbidinthesebooksandIwouldbackthemupandreenforcethemwithsomeofthebestofthecollectedworksofNickCarterandCapCollierandNickCarter,Jr。,andFrankReade,andIwouldbuy,ifIcouldfinditanywhere,acertainpaper-backedvolumedealingwiththelifeoftheJamesboys——notHenryandWilliam,butJesseandFrank——whichIreadeversolongago;andIwouldconferthewholelotofthemuponthatoffspringofmineandI

wouldsaytohim:

\"Here,myson,issomethingforyou;arareandpreciousgift。

Readthesevolumesopenly。Nevermindthecrudestyleinwhichmostofthemarewritten。Itcan\'tbeanyworsethanthestiltedandartificialstyleinwhichyourschoolreaderiswritten;and,anyhow,ifyouareevergoingtobeawriter,styleisathingwhichyoulaboriouslymustlearn,andthenhavingacquiredaddedwisdomyouwillforgetpartofitandchucktherestofitoutofthewindowandacquireastyleofyourown,whichmerelyisanotherwayofsayingthatifyouhavegoodtastetostartwithyouwillhavewhatiscalledstyleinwriting,andifyouhaven\'tthatsenseofgoodtasteyouwon\'thaveastyleandnothingcangiveittoyou。

\"Readthemforthethrillsthatareinthem。Readthem,rememberingthatifthiscountryhadnothadapioneerbreedofBuckskinSamsandDeadwoodDicksweshouldhavehadnonativeschoolofdimenovelists。Readthemfortheirbriskandstirringmovement;forthespiritofoutdooradventureandlifewhichcrowdsthem;fortheirswiftbutlogicalprocessionsofsequences;forthephasesofpioneerAmericanismtheyrawlybutgraphicallyportray,andfortheirmoralvalues。ReadthemalongwithyourCoopersandyourIvanhoeandyourMayneReids。Readthemthrough,andperhapssomeday,iffortuneiskindertoyouthaneveritwastoyourfather,withabackgroundbehindyouandavisionbeforeyou,youmaybeinspiredtositdownandwriteadimenovelofyourownalmostgoodenoughtobeworthyofmentioninthesamebreathwiththetwogreatestadventurestories——dollar-sizeddimenovelsiswhattheyreallyare——thateverwerewritten;written,bothofthem,bysure-enoughwritingmen,who,I\'msure,musthavebasedtheirmoodsandtheirmodesuponthememoriesofthedimenovelswhichthey,theyintheirturn,readwhentheywereboysofyourage。

\"Irefer,myson,toabookcalledHuckleberryFinn,andtoabookcalledTreasureIsland。”