Another "Sorry in Advance"

[silverback]

Quasimodo had died, so the priest needed another bell ringer. He sent the word round and the following day, a man turned up, asking for the priest.
"What can I do for you, my son" said the priest.
"I've come about the bell ringing job" said the man.
"Well" said the priest, "I can't help noticing that you don't have any arms - and it is a bell ringing job"
"Are you going to discriminate against me without hearing what I can do?" said the man.
"No", said the priest, somewhat warily. "I'd be happy to hear what you can do".

So off they went to the belfry, where the man took off his coat. Suddenly, he launched himself across the belfry and started to hit the bells with his face. The sound was wonderful - the man was a master, and soon a crowd gathered below. Then, tragedy. As he raced once more across the floor, the man tripped over a raised floorboard, flew straight through a window opening, and crashed, dead, on the ground. The priest was horrified, and rushed to the terrible accident. The crowd parted, silently, and the priest looked at the mangled remains of the man.

"Father", said one of the crowd, "who was that man?"
"I never found out his name" said the priest, "but his face rang a bell"

The following day, another man arrived to ask about the job. The priest, still shaken by the previous day's events, said "We had a terrible accident here yesterday and a man died."
"I know" said the man, "that poor soul was my brother".

So the priest asked the man to ring some bells, and he started. Once more, wonderful music rang out and, again, a crowd soon gathered. Then, a look of pain crossed the man's face and, clutching his chest, he fell dead from a heart attack.

The verger, hearing the priest's anguished cry, came rushing in and, seeing the dead man said

"Father, who was that man?"
"I never found out his name", said the priest, "but he was a dead ringer for his brother".

[HansV]

Aaargh!

[StuartR]

I'm really not convinced that the "sorry in advance" was sufficient to make up for this one.

[ChrisGreaves]

"but he was a dead ringer for his brother".

At last!
Quoted Text that has an appropriate smiley