A man was selling medicines at a fair. At first he sold bottles of a cure for
colds for just a dollar a bottle.#
Many people wanted to buy it and the man's young assistant moved quickly
through the crowd collecting money and handing out bottles of the cold cure.#
Then, when he had a big crowd, the nman held up a very small bottle.#
"And now, ladies and gentlemen," he shouted, "here is the medicine you have
been waiting for. The cure for old age. Drink just on bottle of this and you
will live forever."#
"And, ladies and gentlemen," the man continued, "I'm not going to charge you a
hundred dollars a bottle for this wonderful medicine. I'm not going to charge
you fifty dollars a bottle. I'm not going to charge you twenty-five dollars a
bottle. No, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to charge you just ten dollars a
bottle. Think, my friends, for ten dollars you can live forever."#
Most of the people in the crowd did not believe this.#
One person shouted, "If it make you live forever, why don't you drink it?"#
Then another person cried, "Yes, you look as if you're at least sixty years
old."#
"Thank you, sir, thank you," the man replied, "I'm so glad you said that. My
real age is three hundred and twenty-nine."#
the crowd laughed at this but there were still a few people who wanted to
believe the man. One of them spoke to the man's assistant as she passed by.
"Is that true," he asked, "that he's three hundred and twenty-nine?"#
"Don't ask me," the assistant said, "I've only worked for him for a hundred
and fifty years."&