An Honest Farmer
How to Study
Read the Model Story that is best for you, or use the Writing Outline to write your own story.
Short Version
Once there was a poor but honest farmer. He had a little land and worked hard to support his family.
One day, while walking through a field, he found a purse full of gold. He took it home and showed it to his wife. His wife was very happy and wanted to keep the gold.
But the farmer said, “This money is not ours. We must find the owner.”
He looked for the owner and at last found him. The owner came and took back his purse. He thanked the farmer but gave him no reward.
The farmer’s wife became angry. She said that her husband was foolish to return the gold.
But the farmer remained calm and said, “I did the right thing.”
Moral: Honesty is the best policy.
Expanded Version
Once there was a poor but honest farmer. He owned only a little land and worked hard every day to support his family.
One day, while walking through a field, he noticed a purse lying on the ground. He picked it up and opened it. To his surprise, it was full of gold.
The farmer had never owned so much wealth. He took the purse home and showed it to his wife.
His wife became excited. She said, “We are poor. This gold could change our lives. Perhaps we should keep it.”
But the farmer shook his head. “The gold is not ours,” he said. “Someone has lost it and may be very worried. We must find the owner.”
The next day, he asked people in the area whether anyone had lost a purse. After searching for some time, he found the man who could correctly describe the purse and the amount of gold inside.
The farmer returned the purse.
The owner was pleased to get his money back. He thanked the farmer but did not offer him any reward.
When the farmer returned home, his wife was angry. She said, “You returned all that gold and received nothing. That was foolish.”
The farmer remained calm. “I did not return it for a reward,” he replied. “Keeping another person’s property would have been wrong. I am satisfied because I did the right thing.”
His wife then understood that honesty was more important to him than sudden wealth.
Moral: Honesty is the best policy.