His act was rather that of a harmless lunatic than an enemy. We were not so new to the country as not to know that the solitary life of many a plainsman had a tendency to develop eccentricities of conduct and character not always easily distinguishable from mental aberration. A man is like a tree: in a forest of his fellows he will grow as straight as his generic and individual nature permits; alone, in the open, he yields to the deforming stresses and tortions that environ him.

His vehemence as a critic his motto "Nothing matters" and the sardonic view of human nature that informed his work all earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce". His style often embraces an abrupt beginning dark imagery vague. Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (born June 24 1842; assumed to have died sometime after December 26 1913) was an American editorialist journalist short story writer fabulist and satirist.

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (born June 24 1842; assumed to have died sometime after December 26 1913) was an American editorialist journalist short story writer fabulist and satirist. Despite his reputation as a searing critic Bierce was known to encourage younger writers including poet George Sterling and fiction writer W. Bierce employed a distinctive style of writing especially in his stories.