Hard fisted. Mark Twain

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Hard fisted. Mark Twain

Mark Twain, a famous American writer, had quite a sharp tongue and he never failed to use his witty and caustic remarks in conversations with his acquaintances. He didn’t spare even his best friend and close relatives. His wife and children called him “grey angry kitten”, because when he got furious he managed to sniff and bristle just like an angry cat.

Once Mark Twain was invited into a house of a famous lawyer for the meeting. The host who put his hands deep in pockets, greeted him in the hall and then announced about the writer’s arrival in the following way: “A very rare case! He’s really a funny humourist!”

Mark Twain’s reaction was quick. “Well, you are an even more rare case – you are holding your hand in your own pockets. That’s quite untypical for a lawyer!”

And there were hundreds of such cases. For instance, one of the landowners who had gone rich deceiving Indians, was careless enough to tell everyone while boasting about his expensive clothes such words: “Look here! I’ve got a tie that cost twenty six dollars!”.

Mark Twain looked at the boaster with contempt and said loudly: “It seems to me that in our country it’s a tradition. The most expensive ties are left for those who need to wear hemp ones.

Thus, it was dangerous to get in touch with the writer – he could make fun of any opponent. His friend Noy Bruks once said that it was OK to have anyone among your enemy – anyone except Mark Twain.