I'm reminded of a Mark Twain story: On a speaking tour in northern New England, Twain encountered an audience which did not respond with even a twitter to his witty stories. The lack of laughter was upsetting, so he included all of his best humor after the intermission, but to no avail. He left the stage to merely polite applause, convinced that this audience felt he was not at all deserving of his status as a raconteur. Dismayed, he hid himself behind a curtain in the foyer, so he could listen to comments made as people left the hall. As one crusty old Yankee escorted his wife out the door, Twain overheard these words: 'That man was so funny, it was all I could do to keep from laughing.'