More like: of the 19th Century (Clemens died in 1910, and was not very productive in his waning years).
And some argue that the 20th Century - the "Short Century" - began properly in 1914, and ended in 1989.
Regards,
***I restored it to the farmer, and — made him give me a ripe one instead.***
This reminds me of an old poem I first heard fifty years ago, from an old woman who could repeat every line of it. I’ve never heard it since.
It was called KENTUCKEY LARNIN’.
Basically the poem is a little colored boy steals a watermelon and takes it home. His momma is horrified and begins to upbraid him line after line of the poem, “...and disgrace your good Christian mammy!”
Then she says to him, “Because YOU stole it, YOU don’t get none!”
Then she cuts it, and proclaims “...WY IT’S GREEN!”
Then she goes into a rant on how he should thump a melon to tell if it is ripe or green before he steals one.