The Travelers and the Purse
Two buddies were traveling together on the road when one of them picked up a well-filled purse. “How lucky I am!” he said. “I have found a purse. Judging by its weight, it must be full of gold.”
“Do not say ‘I have found a purse,'” said his companion. “Say rather ‘we have found a purse’ and ‘how lucky we are.
“Travelers ought to share alike the fortunes or misfortunes of the road.”
“No, no,” replied the other angrily. “I found it, and I am going to keep it.”
Just then they heard a shout of “Stop, thief!” and looking around, saw a mob of people armed with clubs coming down the road.
The man who had found the purse fell into a panic. “We are lost if they find the purse on us,” he cried.
“No, no,” replied the other, “You would not say ‘we’ before, so now stick to your ‘I’. Say ‘I am lost.'”
Moral of the story
It’s better to share good things with friends than to keep them for ourselves.
Misfortunes can be easier to handle when we face them together.
Questions for the children
- Why do you think the man decided to keep the purse all for himself?
- How would the story have been different if the two men had shared the purse?
Post Note: This story is based on Aesop’s fable, written around 600 BC. In this retelling, we’ve used simpler words to make the story easier for young readers to understand.
