Mark Twain once approached a friend, a business man, and confided to him that he needed the assistance of a stenographer.
"I can send you one, a fine young fellow," the friend said, "He came to my office yesterday in search of a position, but I didn't have an opening."
"Has he a sense of humor?" Mark asked cautiously.
"A sense of humor? He has - in fact, he got off one or two pretty witty things himself yesterday," the friend hastened to assure him.
"Sorry, but he won't do, then," Mark said.
"Won't do? Why?"
"No," said Mark. "I had one once before with a sense of humor, and it interfered too much with the work. I cannot afford to pay a man two dollars a day for laughing."