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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!piety
From: piety@hplabs.UUCP (Bob Piety)
Newsgroups: net.jokes
Subject: Better not read this one....
Message-ID: <2782@hplabs.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 26-Mar-84 16:55:32 EST
Article-I.D.: hplabs.2782
Posted: Mon Mar 26 16:55:32 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 28-Mar-84 00:43:53 EST
Organization: Hewlett Packard Labs, Palo Alto CA
Lines: 41

Once upon a time there was a elderly king who wanted to bequeath his kingdom
to his sons, Merge and Serge.  He was equally fond of both so he wanted to
be sure that both would reign equally.  He spent much time thinking the
matter over before finally arriving at what he believed to be a reasonable
solution:  As long as Both Merge and Serge both lived in the kingdom, they
would both rule equally.  However, if either were to leave the kingdom, they
both would lose the throne.
Well, all seemed well with his decision since his sons got along with each
other quite well and both loved the kingdom where they had grown up.  On
day, the king became ill.  He was in his late eighties and had become frail
over the years.  He lacked the strength to recover and died in his sleep one
night.
As he had wished, the two brothers took the throne and ruled the kingdom
together.  One day, however, Merge expressed that he wanted to see the
world. After all, he had never been away from the kingdom before.  "But",
exclaimed Serge, "We will lose our reign if either leaves the kingdom." 
The thought of that troubled Merge but yet he wanted very much to travel.
This worried Serge quite a bit  until one day, he returned to the castle
after a tour of the kingdom, and found it had been barred.  A note read:






                                 / \
                               /     \
                             /         \
                           /             \
                         /   REIGN ENDS    \
                         \                 /
                           \ MERGE LEFT  /
                             \         /
                               \     /
                                 \ /

No Flames, Please

(The trip back from skiing was a long one...)

Bob