Manyard Begley, a wealthy patent lawyer, had a lovely summer-house in rural Maine. Each year, he invited a different friend to spend a week or two with him.
One year, he decided to invite a friend from the Czech Republic. The two friends had an amazing time together, rising early and going hiking in the great outdoors.
Early one morning, the lawyer and his Czech friend went out to pick berries for their breakfast. As they went around the berry patch, they came across two enormous bears– a male and a female.
Begley, seeing the two bears, immediately dashed for cover. His friend, though, wasn’t as fleet afoot, and the male bear reached him and swallowed him whole.
The lawyer ran back to his Mercedes and tore into town as fast as he could. He got the local sheriff, who grabbed his shotgun and dashed back to the berry patch with the lawyer.
Sure enough, the bears were still there.
“He’s in that one!” cried the lawyer, pointing to the male as visions of lawsuits from his friend’s family danced in his head. He just had to save his friend.
The sheriff looked at the two bears, and without batting an eye, took careful aim and shot the female.
“What’d ya do that for? I told you my friend was in the other!” exclaimed the Begley.
“Exactly,” replied the sheriff. “And would you believe a lawyer who told you the Czech was in the male?” |