a commonplace
remark that his peculiar drawl made amusing. Whatever it was, they
considered it worth while. His mother always referred to his slow
fashion of speaking as "Sammy's long talk." Her own speech was still
more deliberate, but she seemed not to notice it. Henry--a much
handsomer lad and regarded as far more promising--did not have it. He
was a lovable, obedient little fellow whom the mischievous Sam took
delight in teasing. For this and other reasons the latter's punishments
were frequent enough, perhaps not always deserved. Sometimes he charged
his mother with partiality. He would say:

"Yes, no matter what it is, I am always the one to get punished"; and
his mother would answer:

"Well, Sam, if you didn't deserve it for that, you did for something
else."

Henry Clemens became the Sid of Tom Sawyer, though Henry was in every
way a finer character than Sid. His brother Sam always loved him, and
fought for him oftener than with him.

With the death of Benjamin Clemens, Henry and Sam were naturally drawn
much closer together, though Sam could seldom resist the temptation
of tormenting Henry. A schoolmate, George Butler (he was a nephew of
General Butler and afterward fought bravely in the Civil War), had a
little blue suit with a leather belt to match, and was the envy of all.
Mrs. Clemens finally made Sam and Henry suits of blue cotton velvet,
and the next Sunday, after various services were over, the two sauntered
about, shedding glory for a time, finally going for a stroll in the
woods. They walked along properly enough, at first, then just ahead Sam
spied the stump of a newly cut tree, and with a wild whooping impulse
took a running leap over it. There were splinters on the stump where the
tree had broken away, but he cleared them neatly. Henry wanted to match
the performance, but was afraid to try, so Sam dared him. He kept daring
him until Henry was goaded to the attempt. He cleared the stump, but the
highest splinters caught the slack of his little blue trousers, and
the cloth gave way. He escaped injury, but the precious trousers were
damaged almost beyond repair. Sam, with a boy's heartlessness, was
fairly rolling on the ground with laughter at Henry's appearance.

"Cotton-tail rabbit!" he shouted. "Cotton-tail rabbit!" while Henry,
weeping, set out for home by a circuitous and unfrequented road. Let
us hope, if there was punishment for this mishap, that it fell in the
proper locality.

These t