Mark Twain was returning from a trip to the Maine woods. Chumming up in the smoking car with a homespun New Englander* occupying the same seat, Mark said, "Stranger, it's the close season for fishing up there, but, just between you and me, I've got two hundred pounds of the finest rock bass, out there in the baggage car, that you ever laid eyes on."
"Well," drawled Mark's new acquaintance, "that's interesting, but do you know who I am?"
"No, I don't," replied Mark. "Who are you?"
"Well, I'm the State Game Warden," said the man.
"Now doesn't that beat the Dutch?" said Mark. "Say, do you know who I am, Warden? I'm the damnedest liar in the United States!"
馬克．吐溫結束緬因州叢林之行，搭火車回家，在吸煙車廂裏，跟一個儀容平平的新英格蘭人*同座，攀談起來。馬克說：「老兄，東北那兒，現在是禁漁期，但是，請不要跟別人說，我在行李車廂裏，有二百磅最鮮最美的岩鱸。」
馬克的新相識拉長聲音說：「嗯，老兄所言，我很感興趣。老兄知道我是誰嗎？」
馬克回答說：「不知道。你是誰？」
那人說：「我是緬因州漁獵區管理專員。」
馬克說：「這不是巧得很嗎？管理專員，你知道我是誰嗎？我是全美國最厲害的吹牛大王。」
*「新英格蘭」指美國東北部六個州，包括緬因州。