B Tech I SEM : Luck by Mark Twain

                Mark Twain was an American author and humorist. His wit and satire in prose and in speech earned praise as the greatest American humorist of his age.

            Once, the author attended a banquet. It was held in honour of Scoresby, an illustrious English military officer. A clergyman, who sat beside the author, whispered that Scoresby’s glory was an accident and was just a product of incredible luck. The author was surprised.

       After some time, the clergyman revealed that, forty years ago, when he was an instructor in a military school, Scoresby was a stupid and ignorant boy. Out of compassion, the instructor drilled the boy in some stock questions. Luckily, he was asked no other questions outside the drill. The boy came out in flying colours. Throughout the course the instructor stood by the boy and he always saved himself just by miracle.

       During the Crimean war, luck again favoured him and he was made a captain. As a captain, he did nothing but blunders. Every fresh blunder was misinterpreted and increased the lustre of his reputation. Thus Scoresby ascended grade after grade.

       The war reached a crucial stage. Scoresby detached his regiment from a vital place and ordered them to charge over a neighbouring hill where there was no trace of an enemy. But again luck favoured him and the unsuspected Russian army in reserve stationed there. They suspected that the entire English regiment had come down upon them. So they turned tail and went pell-mell. In no time, Scoresby got a splendid victory. He was honoured by the Marshall on the field itself.

       He achieved a sweeping and splendid victory, merely because he mistook his right hand for his left. The decorations on his breast were the proof that the best thing in this world that can befall a man is to be born lucky.