马克·吐温短篇小说集（英文版）

美国的短篇圣手马克·吐温最初便以写作幽默小品登上文坛，尽管此后也写作了《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》、《汤姆·索亚历险记》等几部长篇作品，而他的短篇创作却持续了一生，举凡《百万英镑》、《竞选州长》、《亚当夏娃日记》等篇均脍炙人口，一直为世界各国的读者所喜爱。作为美国黄金时代的代表作家，马克·吐温素以笔锋犀利、语言幽默诙谐著称，而他的这些特点尤其表现在他的短篇创作中。《马克·吐温短篇小说集（英文版）》遴选马克·吐温的中短篇小说30余篇，分量适中，兼顾了作家各时期的创作。
马克·吐温还是以美国本土英语写作的大师，后来的海明威等一大批作家均从这位前辈的作品中汲取营养。因而，马克·吐温的小说还是学习地道的美国英语的极好教材。

MARK TWAIN（1835—1910）grew up in Hannibal， after toiling as a printer in various cities， he became a master riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River， before heading west to join Orion. While as a reporter， he wrote a humorous story， The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County， which became very popular and brought nationwide attention. Twain had found his calling. He achieved great success as a writer and public speaker. His wit and satire earned praise from critics and peers， and he was a friend to presidents， artists， industrialists， and European royalty. Twain is considered the greatest humorist of 19th Century American literature.

Ⅰ THE CELEBRATED JUMPING FROG OF CALAVERAS COUNTY
Ⅱ RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR
Ⅲ THE & 1,000,000 BANK NOTE
Ⅳ THE $30,000 BEQUEST
Ⅴ A DOG'S TALE
Ⅵ WAS IT HEAVEN? OR HELL？
Ⅶ A CURE FOR THE BLUES
Ⅷ THE ENEMY CONQUERED; OR, LOVE TRIUMPHANT
Ⅸ THE CALIFORNIAN'S TALE
Ⅹ A HELPLESS SITUATION
Ⅺ A TELEPHONIC CONVERSATION
Ⅻ EDWARD MILLS AND GEORGE BENTON: A TALE
ⅩⅢ THE FIVE BOONS OF LIFE
ⅩⅣ THE FIRST WRITING-MACHINES
ⅩⅤ ITALIAN WITH GRAMMAR
ⅩⅥ A BURLESQUE BIOGRAPHY
ⅩⅦ HOW TO TELL A STORY
ⅩⅧ THE GOLDEN ARM
ⅩⅨ GENERAL WASHINGTON'S NEGRO BODY-SERVANT
ⅩⅩ WIT INSPIRATIONS OF THE"TWO-YEAR-OLDS"
ⅩⅪ AN ENTERTAINING ARTICLE
ⅩⅫ A LETTER TO THE SECRETARY
ⅩⅩⅢ AMENDED OBITUARIES
ⅩⅩⅣ A MONUMENT TO ADAM
ⅩⅩⅤ A HUMANE WORD FROM SATAN
ⅩⅩⅥ INTRODUCTION TO "THE NEW GUIDE OF THE CONVERSATION IN PORTUGUESE AND ENGLISH"
ⅩⅩⅦ ADVICE TO LITTLE GIRLS
ⅩⅩⅧ POST-MORTEM POETRY
ⅩⅩⅨ THE DANGER OF LYING IN BED
ⅩⅩⅩ DOES THE RACE OF MAN LOVE A LORD?
ⅩⅩⅪ EXTRACTS FROM ADAM'S DIARY
ⅩⅩⅫ EVE'S DIARY

I waited till he was done with what he was at， then he took me into a back room， and overhauled a pile of rejected suits， and selected the rattiest one for me. I put it on. It didn't fit， and wasn't in any way attractive， but it was new， and I was anxious to have it; so I didn't find any fault， but said， with some diffidence：
"It would be an accommodation to me if you could wait some days for the money. I haven't any small change about me."
The fellow worked up a most sarcastic expression of countenance， and said： "Oh， you haven't？ Well， of course， I didn't expect it. I'd only expect gentlemen like you to carry large change."
I was nettled， and said： "My friend， you shouldn't judge a stranger always by the clothes he wears. I am quite able to pay for this suit; I simply didn't wish to put you to the trouble of changing a large note." He modified his style a little at that， and said， though still with something of an air：
"I didn't mean any particular harm， but as long as rebukes are going， I might say it wasn't quite your affair to jump to the conclusion that we couldn't change any note that you might happen to be carrying around. On the contrary， we can."
I handed the note to him， and said：
"Oh， very well; I apologize."
He received it with a smile， one of those large smiles which goes all around over， and has folds in it， and wrinkles， and spirals， and looks like the place where you have thrown a brick in a pond; and then in the act of his taking a glimpse of the bill this smile froze solid， and turned yellow， and looked like those wavy， wormy spreads of lava which you find hardened on little levels on the side of Vesuvius. I never before saw a smile caught like that， and perpetuated. The man stood there holding the bill， and looking like that， and the proprietor hustled up to see what was the matter， and said， briskly：
"Well， what's up？What's the trouble？ What's wanting？"
I said： "There isn't any trouble. I'm waiting for my change." "Come， come， get him his change， Tod; get him his change."
Tod retorted： "Get him his change！ It's easy to say， sir; but look at the bill yourself."
The proprietor took a look， gave a low， eloquent whistle， then made a dive for the pile of rejected clothing， and began to snatch it this way and that， talking all the time excitedly， and as if to himself：
"Sell an eccentric millionaire such an unspeakable suit as that！ Tod's a fool-a born fool. Always doing something like this. Drives every millionaire away from this place， because he can't tell a millionaire from a tramp， and never could. Ah， here's the thing I am after. Please get those things off， sir， and throw them in the fire. Do me the favor to put on this shirt and this suit; it's just the thing， the very thing-plain， rich， modest， and just ducally nobby; made to order for a foreign prince-you may know him， sir， his Serene Highness the Hospodar of Halifax; had to leave it with us and take a mourning-suit because his mother was going to die- which she didn't. But that's all right; we can't always have things the way we-that is， the way they-there！ Trousers all right， they fit you to a charm， sir， now the waistcoat; aha， right again！ Now the coat-lord！ Look at that， now！ Perfect-the whole thing！ I never saw such a triumph in all my experience."
……