A Tourist walked into a Chinese curio shop in San Francisco .
> While looking
> around at the exotic merchandise, he noticed a very
> lifelike, life-sized,
> bronze statue of a rat. It had no price tag, but was so
> incredibly striking
> the tourist decided he must have it. He took it to the old
> shop owner and
> asked, "How much for the bronze rat?"
>
> "Ahhh, you have chosen wisely! It is $12 for the rat,
> $100 for the story,"
> said the wise old Chinaman.
>
>
> The tourist quickly pulled out twelve dollars.
> "I'll just take the rat,
> you can keep the story".
>
> As he walked down the street carrying his bronze rat, the
> tourist noticed
> that a few real rats had crawled out of the alleys and
> sewers and had begun
> following him down the street. This was a bit disconcerting
> so he began
> walking faster. A couple blocks later he looked behind him
> and saw to his
> horror the herd of rats behind him had grown to hundreds,
> and they began
> squealing.
>
>
> Sweating now, the tourist began to trot toward the Bay.
> Again, after a
> couple blocks, he looked around only to discover that the
> rats now numbered
> in the MILLIONS, and were squealing and coming toward him
> faster and faster.
>
> Terrified, he ran to the edge of the Bay and threw the
> bronze rat as far
> as he could into the Bay.
>
> Amazingly, the millions of rats all jumped into the Bay
> after the bronze
> rat, and were all drowned.
>
> The man walked back to the curio shop in Chinatown .
>
> "Ahhh," said the owner, "You have come back
> for story?"
>
> "No sir," said the man, "I came back to see
> if you have a bronze
> Democrat /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
> While looking
> around at the exotic merchandise, he noticed a very
> lifelike, life-sized,
> bronze statue of a rat. It had no price tag, but was so
> incredibly striking
> the tourist decided he must have it. He took it to the old
> shop owner and
> asked, "How much for the bronze rat?"
>
> "Ahhh, you have chosen wisely! It is $12 for the rat,
> $100 for the story,"
> said the wise old Chinaman.
>
>
> The tourist quickly pulled out twelve dollars.
> "I'll just take the rat,
> you can keep the story".
>
> As he walked down the street carrying his bronze rat, the
> tourist noticed
> that a few real rats had crawled out of the alleys and
> sewers and had begun
> following him down the street. This was a bit disconcerting
> so he began
> walking faster. A couple blocks later he looked behind him
> and saw to his
> horror the herd of rats behind him had grown to hundreds,
> and they began
> squealing.
>
>
> Sweating now, the tourist began to trot toward the Bay.
> Again, after a
> couple blocks, he looked around only to discover that the
> rats now numbered
> in the MILLIONS, and were squealing and coming toward him
> faster and faster.
>
> Terrified, he ran to the edge of the Bay and threw the
> bronze rat as far
> as he could into the Bay.
>
> Amazingly, the millions of rats all jumped into the Bay
> after the bronze
> rat, and were all drowned.
>
> The man walked back to the curio shop in Chinatown .
>
> "Ahhh," said the owner, "You have come back
> for story?"
>
> "No sir," said the man, "I came back to see
> if you have a bronze
> Democrat /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif