Twain And Dan De Quille

lt was uearly twenty years ago when Da De Quille and Mark Twain atteuipted t start a paper in Mendocino county. Tho took the type and material of' their recentl defunot newspaper establishment in 8H Francisco, and, loading the stuff into wagon, struck out into the country to re trieve their fortunes. They packcd tliei type just as it stood in the forma, tied u the artifles with stout corda by a proces wull kiinwii to printers, and, packing then closely in boxes, vowed to establish a news paper tomewhere whieh would be the lead ing exponent of politics and hi.-tory for th Pacific ooad. Had not au unförtunat circumstance taken place, it ia quite evidon that the same newspaper wbich they uon tetnplated building would have been aliv to day. Their journey over the mountain was utterly urieventf'ul until thev roache( Riapoa't Station, a spot wcll known t old travelers on that route. Here they me a party of emigrants making for Lowe California, and the latter had with thein small mountain howit.or, wliich they ha( brought with them cross the plains. Twain took agreat fancy to this gun, am offered $50 for it, with two kegs of powde thrown in. The emigrante were glad enoug to part with it, as they concluded the tim for its upe had passcd. Dan thmight th purchase of the artillery and military su"p plies waa a reckless piece of extravagancc and said as much, but Twain replied : "When we start our paper we must fir a salute. A newspaper office with artiller has a big bulge on the business. No wel regulated oflice in California should be with out a howitzer. If a man comes in for retractiou, we can blow bita into the nex county. The howitzer goes." This silenced the argument, and tlie nex day the two journaliste took the road witl their printing outfit and artillery. On the next nigbt they caniped in mountain ravine fifieen miles f'rom Simp son's, and, af ter building the usual camp fire, feil asleep. About eleven o'clock th horses awakened them by prancing about and the two journalist were led to the con clu.-ion that nothing less than a party o Indians were making arrangements for night attack. In the clear moonlight the) could be distinguished about half a uiile away at the fooi of the ravine. The idea of encountering Indiaas had never enterei the heads of the two seekers, am they had no arms. Suddenly Twain bright ened up, remarkiDg : "The howitzer." " We'vegot nothing but a little powder,' said DaD. " WeH, powder'll scare 'cm, and we'l load her up." The piece was immediately loaded with a good big charge, and the two nico feit quit certain that the Indians, hearing the roar of the gun, would beat an uncomiitiona retreaf. The piece was hardly Inadcd aii( placed in position, when about fif'ty ot' th redskins came charging up the ravine. Twain seized a board f'rom the camp-fir and was about to lay it on the touchhole when Dan yelled, " Hold on," as he rammed something into the mouth of' the piece, and remarked : "Turn 'er loose." The roar of tue howitzer echoed through the lonely forests, and the bavages, with frantic cries of pain, reeled down the ravine in wild confusión. " Wbat in h- 1 did you put in?" asked Mark. "A column of nonpareil and a couple of sticks of young spring poetry." "Poetry did the business, Dan. Get one of your geological articles ready lor the next charge, and I guess it'll let tho red devils out for the present campaign." The savages again advanced. Mark attended to the powder, and Dan sorted the shot, so to srteak. "Jeems l'ipe's song, ' My Mountain Home.1" liooa lor tnree inaians; sock erin. " An acrostic, by John R. Itide, u long primer." " It'll paralyze 'em." " Frank Pixley on the constitutiou," li:i! a column of leaded brevier. " If it hits 'ein, the day is won." " Your leader on law and order." " Save it as a last resort." Dan pulled the type out of the boxes, and stuned column after ooluuin into the howitzer's niouth as the savages came charging on. Another round from the gun, and the redskins rolled over and over cach other like boulderB swept away by a raountain cloud burst. Marie, in an ecstasy oi delight, pulled an American flag out of hls effects, nailed it to tbc tail-board of the wagon, and was about to wake a speech, wben the dusky figures of the foe were once more scen moving to the attack. The piece was aain loaded, and this timo with a doublé charge. Mark's leader on "Law and Order," the puft' of ap aucti onhouse by Fred McCrclish ("asasickener," Dan said), Frank Uross' verses od "The Rebel Yell," an agricultural artielo by Satu Sebaugh, showing tUe chemical propertios of corn juice as an educational lever, a maiden poetical efFort of Olive Harper, and some verses by Col. Creineny and Frank Soule completcd the load. "That poetry, reaching 'em first, will throw 'em into confusión, and my editorial, coming upon the heel of the rest, will re suk in a lasting demoralization. It will hc like the last charge of the French at Uta battle of Austerlits." For the third and last time the faithful liowitzor belched its typographical coni]iliments to the advancing foe. The havoc was terrible. There was a wild yell from a pcore of savage throats, and tben the low groans of the dying floated up the ravine on the geutle wind. The two men walked over the field of slaughter and counted lil'ty fcix aboriginals lying in heaps. The bodiee were hoiribly mutilated with nonpareil, lung irimer, two line pica, bourgeois " ca," misere dashes, and unsorted pi. " My leader cooked that man's goose," aid Mark, pointing to a savage with bis owels banging over the linib of acedar. " My geológica! article did the business br him," rejoined Dan, noddii'g eareleo.ly to an Indian, who;e head was lying tweniy vards awav. ' I he pen is mightier than the sword. " You bet ! llurrah for Faust and (Juttenberg." " ís tbere aoy typc lefl?" " Not, a pound." Tendavs later the two journalistic trampa roached Virginia City, weary, discouraged, snd footsore, and sccured a place od tlio Sntarpriae, A lew days aeo Dan received tlie followng letter f rom nis former partner : Hautkokd, Cunn., Jnnuary 1, 18S0. " Dear Dan - I seud you tbe congratuations ot'tlie New Year. Do you reoollect he time wlieu we extertuinated thc unletered (?) savages in Mondocino oounty? If you can spare the time, I winh you would niake a pilgriuage to that historie spot, ather tlie ghostly relies together and plant tablet, not too expensive and at votar own xpense, for the memory of' the departed. lave a stick laying urou a long iow, with our monogram and coat of anus ntwined, and (ionio appropiiate epitaph arved in the stones; an extract froui Cari íchurz' "I'eaoe l'olioy" might do. Inelosed ¦i a dollar and a balf for your incidental expenses; yon can dcad-head traveling expéñees. Yours, Mark Twain. " 1'. 8.- Send me a thigh bone of the fallen chic f hy noxt i rpTe8. M. T." Dan will attcnd lo the matter in tbe spring. Tho ld howitzer sed on the occasion is still ia hia possession.