Mark Twain - The danger of lying in bed and other stories

The man in the ticket-office said:
“Have an accident insurance ticket, also?”
“No,” I said, after studying the matter
over a little. “No, I believe not; I am going
to be traveling by rail all day today. However,

tomorrow I don’t travel. Give me one for to-
morrow.”

The man looked puzzled. He said:
“But it is for accident insurance, and if you
are going to travel by rail—”
“If I am going to travel by rail I sha’n’t
need it. Lying at home in bed is the thing I
am afraid of.”
I had been looking into this matter. Last

year I traveled twenty thousand miles, al-
most entirely by rail; the year before, I tra-
veled over twenty-five thousand miles, half

by sea and half by rail; and the year before
that I traveled in the neighborhood of ten

thousand miles, exclusively by rail. I sup-
pose if I put in all the little odd journeys here

and there, I may say I have traveled sixty
thousand miles during the three years I have
mentioned. And never an accident.