For all my friends afar! :) At 08:56 PM 4/2/98 -0500, you wrote: >Found on some far-flung region of the Net -- rjm -- : ) >------------------------------------------------------------ >The Prodigal Son (In the Key of F) > >Francis the Foolish felt a filial fondness for his flawless, fastidious >father, Ferdinand the Fourth. > >Following one February fortnight, Francis, feeling footloose and frisky, >forced his fond father to fork over five hundred forty five farthings, >then fled his fathers fertile fief. > >Fleeing to foreign fields, Francis finally frittered away his fortune on >fickle females, firkins of foaming ale, freeloading friends, and feasting. > >Fleeced by those fiendish fellows of the fleshpots, and facing fateful >failure and famine, Francis finally found himself flinging foul feed to >the swine in a filthy farmyard as a forlorn farmhand. > >Footsore and famished, he fain would have filled his flaccid frame with >filched food but found it fit for only a footman. > >"Fie!" flared Francis, "My Father's flunkies fare far finer." Fortunately >the frazzled fugitive finally faced the facts. Frustrated from failure and >fulfilled foreboding, he fled forthwith to his faraway family. > >Falling fatigued at his father's feet, Francis feebly phrased his >feelings: "Father," he fumbled, "I've flunked - and fruitlessly forfeited >family favor....forgive me." The far-sighted father, forestalling future >family fissures flagged his flunkies. "Fetch a fatling from the flock and >fix a feast for Francis. Forthwith. Fall to! Faster!" > >Frederic the Feculent, Francis' feisty, fault-finding brother, frowned >upon his father's forgiveness of Francis' former philandering. "Flog the >Flounder!" he fumed. But the faithful felt that Francis' former >foibles should be freely forgiven. "Filial fidelity is what fathers are >for, Frederick," said Ferdinand with feelings flowing. "Forsooth, the >fugitive is found, so what forbids festivity? Fly the flags freely, >amid fifes, fiddles and fanfares...FLING A FEAST!" > >Francis, face flushed, foreswore frippery forever more by forcing his >frame into a friar's frock. > >