A man's best friends

[shaihulud]

It seems that Mel wants us to tell jokes and stories, so here goes. It's a bit long but bear with it. Here in Australia we have an expression, "land poor" which means that someone owns so much land, that even though they never stop working, it looks as if they are poor and lazy and it never looks as if anything ever gets done. A hard working farmer in the dry outback was land poor. He saddled up the horse, put some tools into the saddle bags, whistled up the dog and set off to do a job few miles from the homestead. While he was out there he heard the thunder in the hills, realised what it meant, hurriedly finished the job and rode home at the gallop, but it was too late. The big creek was in flood and he was not equipped to camp out for 3 or 4 days. He had done it before, so he put the dog across the saddle bows and carefully walked the horse into the stream. The water came up to the horse's belly and they would have made it except a big tree trunk came down in the flood and swept them all way to their deaths. The next thing he was riding up to the Pearly Gates with the dog trotting along beside them. He was thirsty so he asked the angel at the gate for a drink. He was offered one, but when he asked for drinks for his horse and dog he was refused and he was told that they could not come into heaven as they do not have souls. I disgust he turned his horse away and rode off. A while later he was riding along a familiar country road and entered a well kept farm with a welcome sign on the gate. A man was sitting under a tree and when asked what the place was he said that it was Heaven. To the farmer it was heaven as he recognised it as his farm as he had always dreamt it to be. The fences were in excellent condition, the cattle were fat and sleek, the pastures were high and lush, the house was painted, the garden was beautiful, the tennis court was finished, the swimming pool was tempting, the drive was gravelled and swept, the barns were immaculate and the old tractors had been restored. When he asked for a drink for himself, and his horse and dog the man said that he could help himself from the tank nearby. He watered the horse, brushed it down, hobbled it and set it free to graze, watered the dog and then had a dringk for himself. He then want back to the man and asked, "If this is heaven. then what is that place down the road with all the pearly gate and angels? The man said, "That's one of Hells side doors. We tolerate that. We use it as a last test of a man's loyalty to his friends."

[mel hubbard]

[QUOTE="shaihulud"]It seems that Mel wants us to tell jokes and stories[/QUOTE] Oh yes Richard,,, I love a story :hello: thanks for yours,,,,, never stop working but never looks as if anything ever gets done, is so true :help: Looks like I could end up in one of Hells side doors if my Rottweiler keeps pissing up my leg

[fubar]

There is a black and white "Twilight Zone " episode with a similar story. No horse , just a hound dog and a hillbilly.

[shaihulud]

Thank you fubar. I knew that story was familiar when I heard it. Rod Serling did great work.

[fubar]

My favorite one was when the guy (Henry) that loved to read books survives the nuclear blast when he went into the bank vault for his lunch break. Just after he finds the remainds of the library he steps on his glasses......