IT’S HOW YOU TELL ’EM

A NEW jail warden is being shown through the jailhouse by the old warden. After making rounds around the rest of the jail, they get to the cafeteria. In one corner, the new warden notices a group of elderly men laughing hysterically.

Interested, he watches them while the older warden gets his food. One of the men shouts out: “63!”, and the entire table bursts out laughing. The new warden is totally baffled by their behaviour. Another yells out: “74!”, and again a chorus of guffaws rings out.

The old warden comes back to the table where the new warden sits. “What are those elderly men doing?” the new warden asks him.

The old warden smirks and says: “Oh, those are the lifers. They’ve been in here so long, they’ve heard all the jokes, so now they just number them!”

Just then, another man yells out: “14!” Nobody laughs.

The new warden leans over and asks: “Why did no one laugh at that one?”

The old warden replies: “Some people just can’t tell a joke.”

Shirley Yoojest, email