Ferry Tale

Three men—a priest, a beggar and an economist—arrived from three directions at the riverside quay of a ferryman. The ferryman requested a penny per man, round trip. The priest and the economist paid, each receiving a wooden token good for the return voyage, but the beggar couldn’t afford passage.

After the ferryman set out with his two paying customers, the beggar stood for a moment on the shore, took off his shoes, and walked across the water.

The priest crossed himself twice and shouted upward to the heavens, “God in heaven, ‘tis a miracle!”

“Yes, father, but only a ha’penny one,” said the economist.

§