Mark Twain, a.k.a. Samuel Clemens. 1835-1910.
Even the measles beckoned Sam. When an epidemic hit the town, Jane made Sam stay indoors for weeks to prevent his getting the measles. Tired of waiting and sick of the suspense as to whether he would get sick or not, Sam snuck out of his home one night and into that of his ill friend, and spent the nigh in bed with the friend--until caught, that is. To his relief, Sam came down with the measles. However, he almost died and was too ill to revel in the attention lavished on him.
But he rallied, and lived to mastermind the rolling of the huge boulder from the top of Holliday's Hill down towards the town. Everyone knew that the boulder would probably fall some day, but Sam helped his friends' minds realize that the boulder had been there for long enough and that they should do something about it. The boys worked for four days to prepare the boulder for its journey, and the success was beyond their wildest imaginations. As Sam wrote many years later, "It was splendid. It went crashing down the hillside, tearing up saplings, mowing bushes down like grass, ripping and crushing and smashing everything in its path...." To the boys' relief the boulder sailed over a horse-drawn cart that appeared unexpectedly in the rock's path and chose as its new location a spot inhabited until that moment by a small barrel-making shop. When the townspeople arrived Sam and his friends were nowhere to be found, in typical Tom Saywer fashion.
Life took a turn from the carefree to the serious when Sam was twelve and his father died, leaving the family in poverty. Sam was apprenticed to a printer. Although he was two years younger than the printer wanted, his superior reading ability earned him the position. His wages were to be room and board plus two new suits of clothes each year. In actuality, he got his room, meager board, and no clothing. Instead he received knowledge, experiences, and plenty of time off in which to practice mischief and pranks.
For example, when the mesmerist came to town, night after night Sam watched the man hypnotize people and making them do the most outlandish things. Each night Sam tried unsuccessfully to be hypnotized, wishing he could do such outlandish things! Finally, Sam caused himself to be "hypnotized" and did more outlandish things than any subject had before! When
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