FileTitle: Joke168.html
Category: Humor
Type: Joke
Description: Shaggy Dog
Subject: Once upon a time...

Once upon a time there was a wise and kindly king. In order to
protect his subjects, he built a large wall completely around the
palace and the town. Surrounding the wall was a deep moat with but
one gate through the wall and a single bridge over the moat. Many
years passed and the kingdom and it's people prospered.

One day, however, there came to live under the bridge, the dreaded
Yellow Fingers. This was an evil monster that would pluck unsuspecting
persons from the bridge, and pull them below the waters of the moat
never to be seen again.

A great fear came over the people, and the king ordered his knights
to slay the Yellow Fingers. One by one they attempted to rid the
kingdom of the menace, and one by one they were defeated. Soon the
fields were overgrown, the flocks were running wild, and the food
supply in the town had dwindled to almost nothing. In desperation
the king offered the hand of his daughter to the one who could rid
the town of the Yellow Fingers. More tried, and more were lost.

One day, a young page boy came to the king and said that he would
like to try. The king thought the boy foolish, and attempted to
dissuade him, but the boy persisted. Finally the king gave in, and
the boy walked out the gate. He crossed the bridge without a sign
of the monster. He crossed back and forth several more times
with the same result.

He presented himself to the king, and asked for the hand of the
king's daughter. Overjoyed, the king assented, but asked " How
were you able to do what many older and more experienced knights
were not able to do?
It was easy, the boy replied, Just let your pages do the walking
through the Yellow Fingers.