Lee's Funnies

                                                          

             The bellringer - Two sad stories in one 

After Quasimodo's death, the bishop of the cathedral of 
Notre Dame sent word through the streets of Paris that a new 
bellringer was needed. The bishop decided that he would 
conduct the interviews personally and went up into the 
belfry to begin the screening process. After observing 
several applicants demonstrate their skills, he had decided 
to call it a day when a lone, armless man approached him and 
announced that he was there to apply for the bellringer's 
job. 

The bishop was incredulous. "You have no arms!" 

"No matter," said the man, "Observe!" He then began striking 
the bells with his face, producing a beautiful melody on the 
carillon. The bishop listened in astonishment, convinced 
that he had finally found a suitable replacement for 
Quasimodo. Suddenly, rushing forward to strike a bell, the 
armless man tripped, and plunged headlong out of the belfry 
window to his death in the street below. The stunned bishop 
rushed to his side. When he reached the street, a crowd had 
gathered around the fallen figure, drawn by the beautiful 
music they had heard only moments before. As they silently 
parted to let the bishop through, one of them asked, 
"Bishop, who was this man?'' 

"I don't know his name," the bishop sadly replied, "but his 
face rings a bell." 

(Wait, there's more...) 

The following day, despite the sadness that weighed heavily 
on his heart due to the unfortunate death of the armless 
campanologist (now there's a trivia question), the bishop 
continued his interviews for the bellringer of Notre Dame. 
The first man to approach him said, "Your excellency, I am 
the brother of the poor, armless wretch who fell to his 
death from this very belfry yesterday. I pray that you honor 
his life by allowing me to replace him in this duty." 

The bishop agreed to give the man an audition, and as the 
armless man's brother stooped to pick up a mallet to strike 
the first bell, he groaned, clutched at his chest and died 
on the spot. 

Two monks, hearing the bishop's cries of grief at this 
second tragedy, rushed up the stairs to his side. "What has 
happened?", the first breathlessly asked, "Who is this man?" 

"I don't know his name," sighed the distraught bishop, "but 
he's a dead ringer for his brother."


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