Just Lookin’

[Anonymous]

An old blacksmith was giving a public demonstration of his trade, in the crowd was a curious young lad. He was forging a horseshoe and set it aside momentarily to work the bellows. The boy had inched right up to the rope barrier and his hand was wavering like he was thinkng about reaching out to touch the red hot metal. “Now sonny!” the smith admonished, “You don’t want to be touchin’ that shoe! The bright red color means its really hot. It’d burn your little fingers right off.” He finished working the shoe, dunked it quickly in the quenching barrel, and once more set it aside. Again the boy started to hover towards the shoe. Seeing that same look in the boy’s eyes, he again warned him. “That shoe may not be red anymore, but it’s still way too hot to touch. See how fast the water on it turned to steam? Look with your eyes, not your hands. When it’s cooled off I’ll let you handle it.” As he continued with his demonstration the boy’s curiosity eventually got the better of him and he reached across and grabbed it. He gave out a little yelp of surprise and quickly dropped the shoe. Exasperated, the smith said “Why don’t you young folks ever listen… I bet you gone and burned your little hand!” “No”, said the suddenly wiser young man, “It just don’t take me long to look at a horseshoe.

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