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The Alamo Kid, a most enlightened gentleman from the Lone Star State sent this
one about a San Francisco curio shop...

A Tourist walked into a Chinese curio shop in San Francisco . While looking around
at the exotic merchandise, he noticed a very lifelike, life-sized, bronze statue of a
rat. It had no price tag, but was so incredibly striking the tourist decided he must
have it.

He took it to the old shop owner and asked, "How much for the bronze rat ?"

"Ahhh, you have chosen wisely! It is $12 for the rat and $100 for the story," said
the wise old Chinese gentleman.

The tourist quickly pulled out twelve dollars. "I'll just take the rat, you can keep
the story."

As he walked down the street carrying his bronze rat, the tourist noticed that a
few real rats had crawled out of the alleys and sewers and had begun following
him down the street. This was a bit disconcerting so he began walking faster.

A couple blocks later he looked behind him and saw to his horror the herd of rats
behind him had grown to hundreds, and they began squealing.

Sweating now, the tourist began to trot toward San Francisco Bay.

Again, after a couple blocks, he looked around only to discover that the rats now
numbered in the MILLIONS, and were squealing and coming toward him faster
and faster.

Terrified, he ran to the edge of the Bay and threw the bronze rat as far as he could
into the Bay.

Amazingly, the millions of rats all jumped into the Bay after the bronze rat and
were all drowned.

The man walked back to the curio shop in Chinatown.

"Ahhh," said the owner, "You come back for story?"

"No sir," said the man, "I came back to see if you have a bronze Democrat."
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