I like it too. Lincoln's wry sense of humor distilled. According to Wikipedia, Orion and Sam left for Nevada from St. Joseph, MO on July 18, 1861. The trip would take 19 days, at $150. a ticket for the stagecoach, which SLC covered from his saved earnings as a pilot. Orion had the Sec. of State position appt., but no money to get there. Sam financed the trip and would become Orion's Assistant. Destined to be an uneasy situation and not to his liking, he moved on not very long after. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain_in_Nevada Roger Durrett Charlotte, NC In a message dated 11/19/2014 9:32:45 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [log in to unmask] writes: I like the anecdote. ;-) Speaking of such things, does anyone know how long it took the Clemens' boys to get from Missouri to Nevada? How many days? Thanks. Simple curiosity. DDD