“Once there were two friends who grew up together. They went to the same schools together. Their families shared holidays together, and later on they both decided to become farmers. They brought farms next to one another, on either side of a shared valley and they lived happily together with their wives and children.
But after awhile the wives died and the children moved away to pursue their own lives.
The two old men only had each other. Never in their lives had they had an argument. Never in their lives had they spoken a harsh word to one another. But one day a stray calf wandered onto their properties and the two men began to say things to each other that they had never said to each other. “It’s my calf. I know its my calf, I can tell my the markings in it. It belongs to my prime milker.” “Rubbish”, the other responded. And words far worse than “rubbish” came out of their mouths toward the other.
And, for the first time the two of them turned their backs on each other and went back to their separate farmhouses, each muttering beneath his breath.
Old Joe, one of the farmers, wondered about the words that his friend and neighbour had spoken to him. And a little later he heard the sound of a JCB – a great digger coming down the road. And he saw that his neighbour was digging a ditch, cutting a great ditch between the two of their farms, and separating them forever.
And he thought to himself; well if that’s what he wants to do, let me see what I can do in return.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. “Who could this be?” He thought.
He opened the door and standing there was a man with fair hair and he had a box of tools on his shoulder.
He said he was a carpenter and was looking for work.
“Just the man I’m looking for”, said Joe.
“Come in”. And he led the carpenter across to the kitchen window and pointed out the ditch. And he said, “You see what my neighbour has done?” Well I can do one better than that. I’d like you to build me a fence. Do you think you could do that?” And he told him about everything that had happened between him and his neighbour.
And the carpenter said, “Yes, I think I can do that if you have poles and wood and wire and everything”. “Oh yes”, said Joe. “I’ve got more than that. I’ve got barbed wire and we’ll put it on the top of the fence.” And he led the carpenter down to the shed and he showed him where everything was. And the carpenter said he would do a good job.
And then, because Joe trusted him, he set out for the local town and there he saw a few of his mates and sunk a pint or two. And in the evening, and before it was dark, he came home, looking forward to seeing the carpenters work.
He parked his truck in the farmyard, and then he walked around the side of the farmhouse to gaze upon the fence. But, what he saw made his mouth drop open, for there was not a fence, but a bridge instead. And striding across the bridge was his neighbour with his arms outstretched.
“Joe”, he said. “Joe, how could the two of us have been friends for so long possibly argue over such a stupid thing as a cow, as a calf? Who care’s about that. Look I’ve built this ditch to separate us, but you’ve built a bridge. What could ever come between us and our friendship?”
And Joe, his head bowed, said “well, to tell you the truth it wasn’t me; it was this carpenter here.” And both men turned around to the carpenter and smiled and said, “friend, you can stay here as long as you like. We’ve got plenty of work for you on our farms”.
And the carpenter said, “I’d stay if I could, but I have far to go and many other bridges to build”…”
A story I heard told by Ashley Ramsden (here).
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