Church bells

Posted September 11, 200717 yr

The Bishop of a large cathedral advertised for a new bellringer. A day or so later, the applicants came filing in, and the Bishop took each of them up to the bellfry to begin the screening process. He was about to call it a day when an armless man approached him and said he was applying for the job.

The Bishop was incredulous. "But you have no arms", he said.

The man replied, "That's no problem , .. watch".

He began striking the bells with his face, producing a beautiful melody. The Bishop was convinced he'd found his man. The bellringer rang the bells again, but this time he slipped and fell headlong out of the window and plunged to his death below.

The stunned Bishop rushed down to the fallen figure, where a crowd had already gathered.

One of the onlookers said, "Bishop, ... who was he?".

The Bishop replied, "I don't know, .... but his face rang a bell".

Wait, there's more.

Although very sad, the Bishop continued the interviews the next day. 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 bellfry yesterday. I pray that you pay due homage to his life by allowing me to replace him".

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 monk asked breathlessly, "Who is this man?".

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

Rick.

:devious::devious: