"Mark Twain"
Propelled by the dreams of adventure and the hopes of making a great, Samuel Clemens left his boyhood home of Hannibal, Missouri. Making his way to St. Louis, Sam found work at the St. Louis Evening News. He stayed long enough to earn more traveling money and then left for New York City. Arriving in New York with only a few dollars in his pocket, and a ten dollar bill sewn to the inside his jacket, Sam once more found work at a newspaper. But again, after only a few months, he was on the road once more.
During the next several months, Sam traveled. He went first to Philadelphia, then to Washington, D.C. , and finally back to New York.. By the late summer, Sam was on a train bound for Muscatine, Iowa where his brother and other family members were now living. His brother offered Sam a job at his newspaper, but Sam declined and left again for St. Louis. In the meantime, his brother had moved to Keokuk, Iowa where he once again offered Sam a job at a newspaper. This time, Sam accepted. He worked for his brother as a printer for the next two years.
But Sam had by no means settled down. When not working for his brother, Sam immersed himself in books. He was particularly intrigued by the possibility of traveling to South America to make his fortune. But to do that Sam needed money. One day, as Sam was walking downtown, a bit of paper blew past him. Instinctively, Sam grabbed it and could not believe his eyes. It was a fifty dollar bill! It was as if he had been given a sign. He quickly made plans to begin his adventure and to leave Keokuk behind forever.
Making his way back to St. Louis, Sam struck a deal with a newspaper editor. The editor would buy Sam's descriptions of his journey for five dollars apiece. Sam was at last on his way. One last stop in Cincinnati enabled him to earn the last of his travel money by working at a local printing office. Finally in the spring of 1857 Sam was on his way to South America. On the journey to New Orleans where Sam would catch the ship that would carry him to South America, however, Sam began rethinking the idea. Here he was, traveling on a steam ship, just as he had dreamed of doing when a young boy in Hannibal. The only difference was that he was not piloting the boat. Sam resolved to do something about that.
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