A traveler was stumbling through the desert, desperate for water, when he
saw something far off in the distance.
Hoping to find water, he walked toward the image, only to find a little old
peddler sitting at a card table with a bunch of ties laid out for sale.
The parched wanderer asked, "Please, I'm dying of thirst, can I have some
water?"
The man replied "I don't have any water, but why don't you buy a tie? Here's
one that goes nicely with your clothes."
The desperate man shouted, "I don't want a tie, you idiot, I need water!"
"OK, don't buy a tie. But to show you what a nice guy I am, I'll tell you
that over that hill there, about 5 miles, is a nice restaurant. Walk that
way, they'll give you all the water you want."
The man thanked the peddler and walked away toward the hill and eventually
disappeared out of sight. Three hours later he returned. The man at the card
table asked, "I told you, about 5 miles over that hill. Couldn't you find
it?"
"I found it all right. They wouldn't let me in without a tie."
