Bell Ringer
Bell Ringer
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1999 12:58:47 -0500
The bishop decided that he would conduct the interviews personally and
went up into the belfry to begin the screening process. After
observing several applicants demonstrate their skills, he had just
about decided to call it a day. But just then, an armless man
approached him and announced that he was there to apply for the bell
ringer`s job.
Incredulously, the bishop blurted out, "But. . .you have no arms!"
"No matter," said the man: "Observe!"
And he began striking the bells with his face, producing a beautiful
melody on the carillon. The bishop listened in astonishment, convinced
he had finally found a suitable replacement for Quasimodo.
But suddenly, rushing forward to strike a bell, the armless man
tripped and plunged headlong out of the belfry window, falling to his
death in the street below. The stunned bishop rushed to his side. When
he reached the street, a crowd had gathered around the fallen figure,
drawn by the beautiful music they had heard only moments before.
As they silently parted to let the bishop through, one of them asked,
"Bishop, who was this man?" "I don`t know his name," the bishop sadly
replied, "but his face rings a bell."
{WAIT! WAIT! Not through yet}
The following day, despite the sadness that weighed heavily on his
heart due to the unfortunate death of the armless campanologist (now
there`s a word-of-the-day...), the bishop continued his interviews for
a new bell ringer of Notre Dame.
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 belfry
yesterday. I pray that you honor his life by allowing me to replace
him in this duty."
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? Who is this man?" the first monk asked
breathlessly.
"I don`t know his name," sighed the distraught bishop...
"....but he`s a dead ringer for his brother."
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