The Grip

[Newton Hunt]

The local bar was so sure that its bartender was the
strongest man around that they offered a standing $1000
bet. The bartender would squeeze a lemon until all the
juice ran into a glass, and hand the lemon to a patron.
Anyone who could squeeze one more drop of juice out
would win the money. Many people had tried over time
(weightlifters, longshoremen, etc.)  but nobody could do it.
One day this scrawny little man came in, wearing thick
glasses and a polyester suit, and said in a tiny, squeaky
voice, 'I'd like to try the bet.' After the laughter had died
down, the bartender said OK, grabbed a lemon, and
squeezed away. Then he handed the wrinkled remains of
the rind to the little man. But the crowd's laughter turned
to total silence as the man clenched his fist around the
lemon and six drops fell into the glass. As the crowd
cheered, the bartender paid the $1000, and asked the
little man,' What do you do for a living? Are you a
lumberjack, a weightlifter, or what?' The man replied, 'I
work for the IRS.'