Two tired tourists were tramping in Switzerland. They were on
the way to Interlaken, where they proposed to dine and pass the
night. Late in the afternoon, when hunger and fatigue began to
make walking unpleasant, they accosted a farmer.
“How far is it,” they asked, “to Interlaken?”
“Two miles,” was the reply.
They walked hopefully on. A half hour passed. Interlaken was not
yet in sight. So, seeing another farmer in a field, they shouted
to him:
“Are we near Interlaken?”
“Keep straight forward,” the farmer shouted back; “it’s just two
miles.”
The tired, hungry tourists trudged on again. Another half-hour
passed, and still no sign of Interlaken.
“Is Interlaken very far from here?” they asked a third farmer.
“No, gentlemen,” said the farmer, “it is only two miles.”
Then the tourists looked at one another, and the younger sighed
and exclaimed:
“Well, thank goodness, we’re holding our own,
anyhow.”--Cleveland _Leader_.
(1413)
=Holystoning=--See DRUDGERY.