Chapter 17 Summary

Twain says he received his education not only in the school at Hannibal, but also at the newspaper office of his eldest brother, Orion. Orion Clemens was born in Jamestown in east Tennessee. He was 10 when the family moved to Missouri and 15 when he took a printing apprenticeship in St. Louis.

From Twain's description, Orion sounds like a case of bipolar disorder. He woke up every day on fire with a new project or idea. These obsessions died down by nightfall, but the next day brought new eagerness about some other idea. During those same days, however, he would fall into despair and gloom, so that he was both the most hopeful and most miserable man that Twain ever knew.

Orion was known for being honest and sincere, but that was his only stable characteristic. He changed his religion and politics frequently, and...