124. Excellent Skills

After friends of mine landed at busy Newwark Airport, they were unable to attract the attention of any porters to help with their luggage. In desperation, the husband took out a five-dollar bill and w

57.A Prospective Horse Buyer

Then there was the preacher who decided to sell his horse. A prospective buyer was impressed with the animal, but the preacher said,

56. This Hole in the Ground

There was once a farmer who lived near a road. It was not a busy road, but from time to time, cars passed the farm. Near the farm gate, there was a large hole in the road. This hole was always full of

55.The Mistaken Father

The morning following the birth of our first child, my husband was mistakenly directed to the room of another new mother on the maternity floor. As he walked into the room, he bent over the nap- ping

54. That's What They All Say

While sitting on the bleachers during my youngest son's baseball game, I overheard another mother talking about her three-year-old daughter, who was playing with a neighbor's boy. The little girl kept

53.A Midshipman

One of my fellow midshipmen at the U. S. Naval Academy was performing poorly in class and reported to his company officer for counseling.,

52. Not Here

Kathy and Polly were friends but they liked playing tricks on each other One day Kathy met Polly in the street. She said,

49. Do Me a Favor

The mechanic was very busy when I took my car in for repairs, so I settled down in the waiting room with a book I'd brought along. The mechanic was in and out answering calls, and at one point he stop

48.Good Thing He Has You

While I was talking to a parent of one of my third-grade students, another teacher walked by. The mother, remarking how beautiful the woman was, said,

47.The Very Last Birthday

When I was approaching 50, I announced to my three grown children that I no longer wanted to celebrate my birthday and that they could phone me instead of sending a gift. At first they protested, but

46.Wouldn't You Know

I accompanied my eight-month-pregnant wife to her monthly checkup . We boarded the hospital's elevator to go to the appropriate floor. The only other passenger was an elderly man who studied intently

45.A Call from a Frog

A frog telephones the Psychic Hotline and is told,

44.The Judge's Pistol

One day Mel Martin stopped by the chambers of a judge with whom he had lunch appointment. As his friend changed from robe jacket, Martin noticed a shiny black pistol bolstered to the judge's shoulder.

43. The Shepherd and the Bureaucrat

A bureaucrat was hiking when he came upon a shepherd tending a large flock. The bureaucrat took a fancy to the sheep and asked the shepherd,

50. Point of No Return

My husband ordered home delivery of our local newspaper. Because we live in rural area where no street numbers are used, I was concerned that the carrier would have trouble finding us. Sure enough, we

8. Where Do You Want These Blinds

A drill sergeant ordered two young female recruits to paint a room in the barracks, stressing that they not get any paint on their uniforms. Doubtful they could avoid ruining their clothes, the women

3. The Attraction of the Map

Mr. Smith taught English at a school .At the beginning of his lesson, he liked to have one of his students give a report on any subject. When it was Jack's turn, he told his audience about his elder b

4. What Grade

Kristin,, my 17-year-old niece, had just gotten her driver's license and offered to take her mom's car to the gas station. She pulled up to the full-service pumps, and the attendant asked,

5. An Adult Decision

The year before my son turned 18, he constantly pleaded to be allowed to a tattoo, but I refused to sign permission for one. He argued that soon he would be a man and he should be able to make adult d

6. We're on That Mountain Over There

My son and I became lost while hiking high in the southern Rockies. I immediately went to work with my map and compass to determine where we had gone off course. My son, an electronics engineer, produ