I never got the joke until now.

As I was reading on the way home ( a letter from a minister to his young son.), I discovered that I had never understood a joke that I had been repeating (and many of you may have been repeating) for a good part of my life. In keeping with the long-winded tenor of many items on this blog, instead of directly revealing the joke and the real meaning, I thought I would quote from the letter:

"I had an interesting talk this morning with Mr. Schmidt, T's father [T is the son's best friend.] It seems he overheard some inappropriate language. I'd overheard it, too, in fact, since it has been the favorite joke between the two of you for the last week. I'll admit I didn't see the need to object. We said the same thing when we were children and emerged unscathed, I believe. One of you asks, in a naive and fluting voice, AB, CD goldfish? And the other replies in the deepest voice he can muster, a voice full of worldliness and scorn, L, MNO goldfish! And then outrageous and extravagant laughter. (It is the L, need I say, that has disturbed Mr. Schmidt.) The young man was very earnest, and I had a terrible time keeping a straight face. I said gravely that, in my experience, it is better not to attempt too strict an isolation of children, that prohibition loses its force if it is invoked too generally. He finally deferred to my white hair and my vocation, though he did ask me twice if I was Unitarian. I told Boughton about this [a fellow minister], and he said 'I have ong fet that etter ought to be excuded from the aphabet.' "