The Stolen White Elephant and Other Detective StoriesThree detective stories by Mark Twain with an introduction by Walter Mosely, the modern master of mystery writing, and an afterword by noted scholar Lillian S. Robinson. "The Stolen White Elephant" is a broad farce mocking the self-proclaimed omniscience of many fictional detectives, toldentirely in the form of a series of ridiculous telegraphs. Revolving around the theft of a literal white elephant, the gift of the King of Siam, this manifestly absurd story is nevertheless modeled after the real life efforts of a blundering New York Police Department to recover the corpse of oneAlexander T. Stewart, stolen from his family vault in 1878. "A Double-Barreled Detective Story" is another delightful spoof of the mystery genre, then in its infancy, this time introducing the reader to Sherlock Holmes as he has never been seen before or since. Far from his usual elegant Londonhaunts, the great detective is caught up in a melodramatic murder mystery of love, betrayal, and vengeance in a rough California mining town. Finally, in "Tom Sawyer, Detective," Twain gives us a lively adventure featuring Tom Sawyer as the great detective and Huck Finn as his Watson, investigatingdiamond thefts and murders back in Hannibal. Three delightful stories, all with Twain's trademark wit and sense of fun. |
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Page xxi
... head rolled about this way and that , like his neck was broke , and there was a little white skin over his eyes , and one little drop of blood on the side of his head ; and laws ! I could n't see nothing more for the tears ; and I hain ...
... head rolled about this way and that , like his neck was broke , and there was a little white skin over his eyes , and one little drop of blood on the side of his head ; and laws ! I could n't see nothing more for the tears ; and I hain ...
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... head I ever see , and always at himself and ready for anything you might spring on him . By this time his aunt Polly ... head a thump with her thimble as we dodged by , and he let on to be whimpering as we struck for the stairs . Up in ...
... head I ever see , and always at himself and ready for anything you might spring on him . By this time his aunt Polly ... head a thump with her thimble as we dodged by , and he let on to be whimpering as we struck for the stairs . Up in ...
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... head - don't you see ? " " Well , what of it ? " " Why , this . What's the sense of it scratching its head ? There ain't anything there to itch ; its head is made out of fog or something like that , and can't itch . A fog can't itch ...
... head - don't you see ? " " Well , what of it ? " " Why , this . What's the sense of it scratching its head ? There ain't anything there to itch ; its head is made out of fog or something like that , and can't itch . A fog can't itch ...
Contents
THE STOLEN WHITE ELEPHANT | 7 |
SOME RAMBLING NOTES OF AN IDLE EXCURSION | 36 |
THE FACTS CONCERNING THE RECENT CARNIVAL | 106 |
Copyright | |
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Afterword ain't Alonzo American answer asked began Bermuda called Captain clews clothes conscience dead dear DETECTIVE STORY di'monds dollars door Dunlap echo England Ethelton eyes face feet give gone hand head heard heart Holmes hour Huck Huckleberry Finn hundred illustrations inspector Jim Lane Jubiter keep kill knew look Mark Twain Mark Twain House matter miles mind minutes morning Mortimer never night once passenjare Pitcairn's Island poor pretty Punch reckon Rosannah Sawyer seemed Shelley Fisher Fishkin Sherlock Sherlock Holmes ship sort stood talk telegraph tell there's thing thought tion told Tom and Huck Tom Sawyer Abroad took tramp Tramp Abroad trip slip trouble turned Uncle Silas voice waiting warn't weather White Elephant Wicklow words young