11. The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg (1899)

Summary: A man comes up with a devious plan to ruin a town. He drops off a sack full of gold in Hadleyburg, known for its unfaltering honesty. Mr. and Mrs. Richards are the initial receivers of the sack, which came with instructions to help find its rightful owner. The husband rushed off to the newspaper to print the instructions, but when her came back, he and his wife lamented the fact that they did not keep it to themselves. The nineteen respectable couples of Hadleyburg (the Richards' included) fell into the trap of the stranger, all convincing themselves that the money is theirs.

Commentary: The man that corrupted Hadleyburg did a darn good job, if I do say so myself. THe people of the town had been raised to be honest their entire lives, but, as Mrs. Richards said, once their so-called honesty was tested, they barely lasted two seconds. Many critics call this proof of Mark Twain's pessimism during his later years, because, you know, everyone screws up and stuff. But pessimistic or not, it was true. I'm no longer surprised by stories in which no one wins. Sometimes they make me uncomfortable, but Twain presents it in a way that didn't.