from Pearl.....

It's late fall and

the Indians on a remote reservation

in Oklahoma asked their new chief if the coming

winter was going to be cold or mild.

Since he was a chief in a modern society, he had

never been taught the old secrets. When he looked

at the sky, he couldn't tell what the winter was going

to be like.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his

tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold

and that the members of the village should collect

firewood to be prepared.

But, being a practical leader, after several days, he

got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the

National Weather Service and asked, 'Is the coming

winter going to be cold?'

'It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold,' the

meteorologist at the weather service responded.

So the chief went back to his people and told them

to collect even more firewood in order to be prepared.

A week later, he called the National Weather Service

again. 'Does it still look like it is going to be a

very cold winter?'

'Yes,' the man at National Weather Service again

replied, 'it's going to be a very cold winter.'

The chief again went back to his people and ordered

them to collect every scrap of firewood they

could find.

Two weeks later, the chief called the National

Weather Service again. 'Are you absolutely sure

that the winter is going to be very cold?'

'Absolutely,' the man replied. 'It's looking more and

more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters

we've ever seen.'

'How can you be so sure?' the chief asked.

The weatherman replied, 'The Indians are collecting

a shitload of firewood'