“What Kind Of People Live Here?”

The train pulls into the small town, and a man gets off. He approaches the old fellow sitting at the station, and says to him, “I’m thinking of moving to this town. Can you tell me: what kind of people live here?” The old fel­low thinks for a moment, and then asks, “What kind of people lived in the town you came from?” The man, without hesitation, says, “Oh! They were a wretched lot — they were liars, and hypocrites, and wicked, wicked people. I was so happy to get away from them.” The old man replies, “You’d better get right back on the train then, because that’s the sort of people you’ll find around here too.”

The next day another train pulls into town, and another man gets off. Approaching the same old fellow, he says, “I’m thinking of staying in this town. Can you tell me what kind of people live here?” To which comes the response: “What kind of people lived in the town you came from?” This man says, “They were fine people — kind and generous, and neighborly… I was very sorry that circumstances forced me to leave.” The old man smiles and replies, “In that case, welcome to our fair town… that’s just the kind of people you’ll find here!”