THE MISER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 189, 12 August 1933, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE MISER.

(By Margaret J. Bowmnr, Ainslie Road, Paeroa, age 13.) There oitcc lived a man who was a terrible miser. Whenever he got any money he never thought of th- pleasant and good things he could do with it, but only of the best way to hide it, so that nobody couW steal it from him. He put it in tins place and that, thinking firtst one and then the other the safer. At last he hid all of. it in a big hole in the cellar, and placed a heavy stone on the top. By this time he was so afraid of being robbed that he seldom gave himself even the pleaerre of lifting the stono and peeping at the gold below. But one day. when he had not seen his money for several months, he thought he would give himself the treat of counting it over. . He crept down to the cellar in the dark, 'with a candle to light the way. Very cautiously he lifted the stone and set it aside. Then he gave «, great cry of horror and dismay. There was not so much as a penny piece lying in the hole —some thief who luul found out about the gold had come long ago and stolen it. , . The miser moaned ilis loss so loudly that the neighbours came running to see what was the matter. Pointing to the stone and to the hole, he poured out his story in tones of despair. But one of the neighbours told him he need not be in the least unhappy "about what had happened. "See," said the wis© man, "I will put the stone back again over the hole —so! As, for months gone by, you have never done anything but come and look at the stone, you can go on doing the same for months to come! Whether the money is there or not can make no more difference to you in the future than it lias made in the past. Just go on staring at tlie stone and live your life as usual." ' • With this good advice all the other neighbours agreed. So tliey went away quite, cheerfully and left the miser sitting alone in the cellar with, tlio candle and the stone—From Aesop.