Twain As A Liar

Mark Twain, in "More Tramps Abroad, " tells how he lied out of a controversy about Scottish dialect. Iu a discussion with some strange Scots he remarked tbat the peasantry prononnoed three "three, " and not "thraw. " "Therewas a moment of astonished and ominons silence; then weather ensned. It -was a bad defeat for me. It promised to remain so, bat I had a saving tbought. While the storm was still raging I made tip a Scotch couplet and then spoke up and said: 'Very well! Don't say any more. I confess defeat. I though t I knew, trat I see my mistake. I was deoeived by one of your Scotch poets.' 'A Scotch poet! Oh, come! Name him.' 'Robert Burns.' It is wonderful the power of that name. These men looked doubtful - but paralyzed, all the same. They were quite sileut for a moment, then one of them said, with the reverence in his voioe which is always present in a Scotchman's tone when he utters the name, 'Does Bobbie Burus say - what does he say?' 'This is what ha says: " "There was nae bairns but only three- One at the breast, twa at the knee. ' It ended the discussion. There was no man there profane enough to say any word against a thing which Bobert Burns had settled. There are people who think that honesty is always tho best policy. This is a superstition. "