In the countryside, a young boy lived a simple life, but one aspect of it drove him crazy – the outhouse. It was a place he dreaded, with its sweltering heat in the summer, freezing cold in the winter, and the putrid smell that lingered all year round.
The outhouse was situated on the banks of a creek, and the boy often fantasized about sending it tumbling into the water. One day, after a heavy spring downpour, the creek was swollen, and the boy saw his chance. With a sturdy stick in hand, he began to push the outhouse, and eventually, it toppled into the creek, floating away with the current.
That evening, the boy’s dad announced that they would be visiting the woodshed after dinner, a clear indication that a punishment was looming. The boy knew he was in trouble and asked why. His dad replied that someone had pushed the outhouse into the creek, and he suspected it was his son.
The boy confessed, and then, in a clever attempt to deflect punishment, he mentioned a story he had learned in school about George Washington chopping down a cherry tree and admitting to the deed without facing consequences. The boy hoped to appeal to his dad’s sense of fairness.
However, his dad responded with a witty remark that left the boy in stitches. “Well, son, George Washington’s father wasn’t in that cherry tree.” The boy couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation, and in that moment, he learned a valuable lesson about owning up to his actions and the importance of a good sense of humor.
