RAPID TRANSIT

One cold, wintry morning a man of tall and angular build was walking

down a steep hill at a quick pace. A treacherous piece of ice under the

snow caused him to lose control of his feet; he began to slide and was

unable to stop.



At a cross-street half-way down the decline he encountered a large,

heavy woman, with her arms full of bundles. The meeting was sudden, and

before either realized it a collision ensued and both were sliding down

hill, a grand ensemble--the thin man underneath, the fat woman and

bundles on top. When the bottom was reached and the woman was trying in

vain to recover her breath and her feet, these faint words were borne to

her ear:



"Pardon me, madam, but you will have to get off here. This is as far as

I go."