A couple was celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. Their peaceful and happy marriage had been the talk of the town for years.

A local newspaper reporter visited them to uncover the secret of their long-lasting relationship.

“Well,” said the husband, “it all goes back to our honeymoon at the Grand Canyon.”

“We decided to take a mule ride down to the bottom of the canyon.”

“Not far into the trip, my wife’s mule stumbled.

She calmly said, ‘That’s once.’”

“We continued a little further, and the mule stumbled again.

My wife again said, just as calmly, ‘That’s twice.’”

“Then, halfway down, the mule stumbled for a third time.

My wife quietly pulled out a revolver and shot the mule.”

“I was shocked and started to yell at her for what she did, but she just turned to me and said, ‘That’s once.’”

“And ever since then,” he added with a grin, “we’ve lived in perfect harmony.”