town some distance away, the mother
said instantly: "Well, Hannibal may be all right for your business, but
Florida agrees so well with little Sam, that I shall spend every summer
here with the children, on the Quarles farm."

The children were glad she held to this plan, for Mr. Quarles laughed
and joked with them, built them high swings, let them ride in ox-teams
and go on horseback, and tumble in the hayfields all they wished. They
had so much fun and exercise that they were even willing to go to bed
without any stories. Sam grew plump.

A funny thing happened the first summer they went to nice Mr. Quarles's.
Mrs. Clemens, with the older children, the new baby, and Jennie, went on
ahead in a large wagon. Sam was asleep. Mr. Clemens was to wait until he
woke up and then was to carry him on horseback, to join the rest. Well,
as Mr. Clemens was waiting for Sam to finish his nap, he got to thinking
of his invention, or his Tennessee land, and presently he saddled and
bridled the horse and rode away without him. He never thought of Sam
again until his wife said, as he reached the Quarles's dooryard: "Where
is little Sam?"

"Why--why--" he stammered, "I must have forgotten him." Of course he was
ashamed of himself and hurried a man off to Hannibal, on a swift horse,
where Sam was found hungry and frightened, wandering through the locked
house.

Sam was sent to school when he was five. He certainly did not like to
study very well but did learn to be a fine reader and speller.

At the age of nine, Sam was a good swimmer (although he came very near
being drowned three different times, while he was learning) and loved
the river so that he was to be found on its shore almost any hour of the
day. He longed to travel by steamer. Once he ran away and hid on board
one until it was well down the river. As soon as he showed himself to
the captain, he was put ashore, his father was sent for, and he received
a whipping that he remembered a long time.

At nine he had a head rather too large for his body, and it looked even
bigger because he had such a lot of waving, sandy hair. He had fine
gray eyes, a slow, drawling voice, and said such droll things that the
boys listened to everything he said. His two best chums were Will Bowen
and John Briggs. These three friends could run like deer, and what time
they were not fishing or swimming they usually spent in a cave which
they had found.

At twelve he was just a careless, happy, ba