An Honest Man's Reward

19 An Honest Man’s Reward There is a saying that " honesty is the best policy" . Tell the truth and good things will happen. This is just the way it is. Long ago, a homeless man was walking in a busy market. On the ground in front of him, he spied a leather purse. Upon opening it, he found 100 shiny gold coins inside. The beggar was hungry. He had no home. He had nothing in the world but the clothes on his back. He was tempted to conceal the money purse under his shirt and not to tell a soul about his find. Suddenly, he heard the cry of a rich man, running through the market. “ I have lost my money bag! " he shouted. " I offer a generous reward to anyone who finds it and rcturns it to me. " The homeless man approached the rich man and gave him back his money. Then, he asked if he might have the reward for finding it.

However, the rich man had other plans. He opened the bag, looked inside, and said, " There are only 100 gold coins inside. The purse I lost had 200 gold coins. You must have stolen the rest. You will have no reward from me. " The beggar demanded that they go to court to settle the matter. A wise judge heard both men tell what had happened. Then he said, “ This is good. I have come to my decision. I think you are both telling the truth. Rich man, you say you lost a purse containing200 gold coins. However, the beggar found a purse containing only 100 gold coins. I conclude that this purse cannot be the one you lost, for you say it had 200 coins inside. " As was the custom in those days, the judge gave the money purse to the person who had found it, as no rightful owner had come forward to prove it was his. And that is why, in the end, honesty truly is the best policy.