Once upon a time, there was an old Italian man whom they called Cambesa. He and his wife, Rosalee, lived in Sicily.
One day the old man was riding a donkey along a road leading to a village while his wife was walking behind him.
Soon they came upon a large group of people and one of the group said, “Old man, aren’t you ashamed of yourself. You’re riding the donkey while your wife walks.” So Cambesa climbed off the donkey while his wife, Rosalee, proceeded to ride.
They strolled along the way again until they came to another group of people. Again, one person in the group asked, “Aren’t you ashamed, lady, to be riding on the donkey while that poor old man walks?”
Accordingly, Rosalee climbed off the donkey and they laid the donkey on the ground and tied his feet together, and then tied the donkey on a very long pole. Thus, they continued on their way, carrying the donkey as they went.
Finally, they approached another group of people. One of the group asked, “Aren’t you ashamed of tying up the donkey and carrying him upside down?”
Well, Cambesa and Rosalee decided to sell the donkey. So they took him to a stable and sold him. Then they set out walking again and soon ran into another group of people. One of the group called to them, “Old man, old lady — you’re both too old to walk. Why don’t you buy yourself a donkey?”
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Never tell a bald-headed man a hair-raising story.
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Have you ever driven on the highways and wondered how a person who is unable to read or write is able to make out traveling and understanding what the road signs mean? Signs such as “Slow,” Stop,” “Detour” and other similar signs, especially speed limit signs like 45 MPH, 55 MPH, or 70 MPH.
I wonder how these people are able to drive on the roads at all. One day I was talking to a Berwick buddy of mine who couldn’t read and I asked him how he handled the situation.
He told me that all he knew was numbers. He said, “if it’s 45, or 55, or any other number, then that’s how fast I drive.” I asked him how fast he went when he was on Highway 90 and the sign on the road showed “Highway 90.” He said, “Boss, I tried to go 90 miles an hour, but my old Ford couldn’t go but 45.”
* The End *