"Suffering saddle sores, Marshal, don't ask the little bug so many questions. You got a million names in your hand. Certify them! Send them in! There's enough of us here right now. We declare that place annexed forthwith. This will make High Plains the biggest town in the whole state of Texas."
SO Marshal certified them and sent them into Washington. This gave High Plains the largest percentage increase of any city in the nation, but it was challenged. There were some soreheads in Houston who said that it wasn't possible. They said High Plains had nowhere near that many people and there must have been a miscount.
And in the days that the argument was going on, they cleaned up and fed Manuel, if it were he, and tried to get from him a cogent story.
"How do you know it was thirty-five years you were on the treadmill, Manuel?"
"Well, it seemed like thirty-five years."
"It could have only been about three days."
"Then how come I'm so old?"
"We don't know that, Manuel, we sure don't know that. How big were these people?"
"Who knows? A finger long, maybe two?"