query from a colleague -- does this ring a bell? is it TRAMP ABROAD? I’ve heard that Twain tells as story somewhere of being in a hot room, being unable to sleep, throwing his boot at the window to break it and let cool air in. He hears the glass break, feels the cool air on his face, and sleeps peacefully. In the morning, he wakes and finds that his boot had struck a mirror in his room—so that the cool air he felt (which allowed him to sleep) was all in his imagination. It’s a neat illustration of the placebo effect, is why I’m interested in it—but I’ve just heard about it and don’t know where it is. -- Harold K. Bush, Ph.D Professor of English Saint Louis University St. Louis, MO 63108 314-977-3616 (w); 314-771-6795 (h) <www.slu.edu/x23809.xml>