A Yankee lawyer went duck hunting in eastern North Carolina.
He shot and dropped a bird, but it fell into a farmer's field on the
other side of a fence. As the lawyer climbed over the fence, an
elderly gentleman asked him what he was doing. The lawyer
responded, "I shot a duck and it fell in this field, I'm going into
retrieve it."
The old farmer replied. "This is my property, and you are not coming over here."
The indignant lawyer said, "I am one of the best trial attorneys
in the U.S. and, if you don't let me get that duck, I'll sue you
and take everything!
The old farmer smiled and said, "Apparently, you don't know
how we do things here in North Carolina. We settle small
disagreements like this with the NC Three-Kick Rule."
The lawyer asked, "What is the NC three-Kick Rule?"
The Farmer replied. "Well, first I kick you three times and then
you kick me three times, and so on, back and forth, until
someone gives up."
The Yankee attorney quickly thought about the proposed
contest and decided that he could easily take the old southerner.
He agreed to abide by the local custom.
The old farmer slowly climbed down from the tractor and
walked up to the city feller. His first kick planted the toe of
his heavy work boot into the Yankee lawyer's groin and
dropped him to his knees. His second kick nearly wiped
the man's nose off his face. The barrister was flat on his belly
when the farmer's third kick to a kidney nearly caused him to
give up.
The Yankee lawyer summoned every bit of his will and
managed to get to his feet and said, "Okay, you old redneck
southerner, now it's my turn."
The old North Carolina farmer smiled and said, "Naw, I give up.
You can have the duck."