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From the Bible to Mark Twain, Notes On: “Well done, [thou] good and faithful servant”
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Mathew 25: 21 [King James Version]

His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

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The Chicago Republican, May 19, 1868

[Courtesy of LOC & Twainquotes.com]

Once in Washington, during the winter, Riley a fellow-correspondent, who stayed in the same house with me, rushed into my room — it was past midnight — and said, “Great God, what can the matter be! What makes that awful smell?”

I said, “Calm yourself, Mr. Riley. There is no occasion for alarm. You smell about as usual.”

But he said there was no joke about this matter — the house was full of smoke — he had heard dreadful screams — he recognized the odor of burning human flesh. We soon found out that he was right. A poor old negro woman, a servant in the next house, had fallen on the stove and burned herself so badly that she soon died. It was a sad case, and at breakfast all spoke gloomily of the disaster, and felt low-spirited. The landlady even cried, and that depressed us still more. She said:

“Oh, to think of such a fate! She was so good, and so kind and so faithful. She had worked hard and honestly in that family for twenty-eight long years, and now she is roasted to death — yes, roasted to crisp, like 80 much beef.”

In a grave voice and without even the shadow of a smile, Riley said:

“Well done, good and faithful servant !”

It sounded like a benediction, and the landlady never perceived the joke, but I never came so near choking in my life.

– End –