Believe it or not, some people are obsessively curious about what I carry in my briefcase. And they seem embarrassed about their curiosity because they never come out and ask directly, they just pry indirectly, often so indirectly that I can hardly guess what they want to know.

One morning when I went in to work one of my associates threw a (clean, fortunately) plastic trash bag over my head, another pinned my arms to my sides, and a third grabbed the briefcase and ran. Then the first two released me and stood by, looking more than a bit foolish. I looked them over pityingly and said, "When you finish with the briefcase I'd like it in my office." About ten minutes later it did appear in my office and there was no further mention of the incident, but the three did seem a bit crestfallen. How can anyone get so worked up about a pocket calculator, a quart thermos of coffee, and the morning newspaper?

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