Philip,
No one is sure of the exact words or plot of the original story, but they all agree that it was a drawn out, long winded tale of a Shaggy Dog and ended with a comment about the shagginess of the dog. For my next post here, I will narrate the story version that I heard. Be prepared for a long winded tale. I also have my favorite shaggy-dog story that earned me fame at USNA as a Plebe and caused me to hurriedly leave several civilian bars.
It is called "The Tale Of The Nuetniant".
Dave,
I think Limericks are great, also. As a mtter of fact, it was the one you mentioned that started me on this slippery slope of warped humor.