Back in the frontier days, a westbound wagon train was lost and low on food. No other humans had been seen for days, when finally they saw an "Old Jewish Man" sitting beneath a tree. The

Back in the frontier days, a westbound wagon train was lost and running dangerously low on food. For days, they had seen no other humans—just endless wilderness.

Then, finally, they spotted an old Jewish man sitting beneath a tree at the side of the trail.

The wagon leader rode up and said, “Sir, we’re lost and starving. Can you help us?”

The old man looked up, stroked his long beard, and nodded. “Yes, of course. You must go over that hill, take the path to the left, and in just a few miles, you will find fresh water, food, and shelter.”

The travelers cheered. But just as they were about to leave, the old man raised his finger and said, “But whatever you do… do not go over the right hill!”

The wagon leader frowned. “Why not the right hill?”

The old man shuddered. “Oy vey… if you go over the right hill, terrible things will happen! Just trust me!”

The leader thanked him and led the wagon train away, following the left path.

Two days later, the leader—covered in dust and looking exhausted—came stumbling back to the old Jewish man, barely able to stand.

The old man raised an eyebrow. “Ah… you went over the right hill, didn’t you?”

The wagon leader gasped, “Yes! And it was horrible! We ended up at a huge town… and in the middle of the town was the most terrifying, awful place I have ever seen!”

The old man nodded slowly. “Ah. So you found the restaurant.”

The leader collapsed onto a rock, groaning. “Yes! We went to a restaurant. The food was overpriced! The portions were tiny! And the service? Oh, don’t get me started—the waiter made us wait an hour just for a glass of water!”

The old man sighed. “I tried to warn you, my friend. Bad food, slow service… but worst of all?”

The wagon leader wiped his forehead and whispered, “What?”

The old man leaned in and said, “No refills on the coffee!”

The wagon leader gasped in horror. “It was worse than I thought.”

The old man shook his head and patted the wagon leader’s shoulder. “Next time, trust an old man with a beard.”