The Dwarf And The Church Bell

[Neddy]

A dwarf had a lifelong ambition to ring the church bell, but unfortunately he was too short to reach the rope. He begged and pleaded with the Priest to let him ring the bell. The Father asked the dwarf how he proposed to ring the bell if he couldn't reach the rope. The dwarf told him that he would get a running start, jump as high as he could and ring the bell with his forehead. Seeing how important it was to the dwarf, the Priest reluctantly agreed.

So the dwarf got a running start, jumped and unfortunately missed the bell entirely. He sailed out of the bell tower and landed "SPLAT" on the courtyard below. Two slightly inebriated fellows happened to be walking by when the dwarf landed. They rushed over to where he was laying on the cobblestones and turned him face up. One of the drunks asked the other one, "Who is he? Do you recognize him?" "Not sure", said the other, "But his face rings a bell".

As it happened the dwarf had a twin dwarf brother. When he learned the terrible news of his brother's demise, he too approached the Priest. "The least I can do to honor my dead brother is to fulfill his lifelong ambition to ring the church bell", he told the Priest. I"I can jump higher than my brother, and I will ring the bell", he stated with conviction. The Priest felt that under the circumstances, he had no choice but to allow the dwarf to try. The second dwarf backed up as far as possible, churned his short legs as fast as he could and leaped. Unfortunately he misjudged the height of the bell and he too went sailing our of the bell tower. As fate would have it, the same two drunks were walking by. They rushed over to where the dwarf lay crumpled on the cobblestone and turned him face up. The first drunk said to his friend, Who is it? Do you know him?" "I think so", said the other drunk. "He's a dead ringer for his brother.