........ I've heard rumor that Twain may have >ceased writing for some time after Sherburn shot. Then later, he resumed >writing with Sherburn's speech....... ****** I've just tapped into this thread, so this may have been long-since mentioned. The Sherburn incident was based on an actual incident Twain witnessed as a child. Twain's father, a lawyer, defended Sherburn, successfully, at the subsequent trial. Dale Murphy \ / /