A colleague (whose grandparents, interestingly enough, were employed by Twain as house servants during the 1901 summer at Saranac Lake) poses a question that someone on the list can perhaps answer. In his family's possession is an inscribed and signed Twain volume. The inscription goes something like this: "Signing the pledge will not make bad liquor into good, but it will improve it." He's curious whether Twain has quoted himself here or has coined an original witticism. Does the aphorism ring any bells with anyone? Thanks, Steve Jobe [log in to unmask] Steve Jobe Department of English Hanover College P.O. Box 108 Hanover, Indiana 47243-0108 Office: (812) 866-7203 E-mail: [log in to unmask]