There is a tale of a rainmaker who comes to a dusty dry town and offers to make it rain. The town is elated and agrees to a sizeable fee, if the rainmaker can make it rain. He does all sorts of magical things and, sure enough, it begins to rain. The town is thrilled but when the rainmaker asks for his fee, the town says "you didn't do anything. It would have rained anyway." and pays him nothing. The rainmaker leaves but the rain keeps falling, and falling, and falling.
I heard the story in a song by Harry Nilsson, but it resembles the Pied Piper of Hamlin and the true story of a flood in San Diego, Cal. It seems like too good a story not to have antecedents. Has anyone heard an earlier version of this tale?
I heard the story in a song by Harry Nilsson, but it resembles the Pied Piper of Hamlin and the true story of a flood in San Diego, Cal. It seems like too good a story not to have antecedents. Has anyone heard an earlier version of this tale?
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