Another offering from the Archer family treasury of bad jokes…

Nate the Prospector
and the End of the World

Nate was a prospector, albeit not a particularly successful one. For years he traipsed around the Sierra Nevada mountains with his faithful Native American companion, Kwanto. Unable to find gold, they lived off the land and barely survived.

One day, as they explored an isolated valley, the ground gave way beneath them. When they regained their feet, they saw an ancient shrine that had been buried in the dirt. Being something of a linguist, Kwanto was able to decipher the ancient runes on the shrine’s columns. In amazement, he cried out, “Nate, look at this! Says, ‘This lever ends the world.'” They then noticed the beautifully adorned lever protruding from the ground.

Both men were strong believers in the veracity of ancient runes and the effectiveness of strange levers buried in the dirt, so they were very careful not to touch anything. However, Nate, being a better businessman than prospector, saw his golden opportunity. Soon, he was bringing curious adventure seekers to see the lever. Over time, an entire village grew up around THE LEVER THAT ENDS THE WORLD.

Nate and Kwanto became rich beyond their wildest dreams. Kwanto was able to purchase a horseless carriage made by an Italian immigrant named Ferrari. Nate spent his time in wild living, being a regular at the local saloon.

One night, Kwanto was returning from a long drive in his Ferrari. As he came into the village, he saw Nate, in a state of insobriety, stumbling along the street. Just then, Kwanto’s brakes failed him and he realized that he was about to run over his friend. Frantically turning the wheel, Kwanto found himself headed straight for the lever! Another sharp tug of the steering wheel avoided that disaster, but failed to save poor Nate. Kwanto ran over his longtime partner, killing him instantly.

The car came to a crashing stop in front of the saloon, and all of the townspeople rushed out to see what had happened.

The sheriff pulled Kwanto out of the car and shouted, “Why, Kwanto? Why did you do it? Why did you run over poor ol’ Nate?”

Kwanto looked at him sadly and said…

“Better Nate than lever.”