Section 1
Once upon a time, there resided a destitute woman in a dilapidated cottage situated deep within the woods. She had meager provisions to sustain herself and lacked any resources for heating, consequently, she dispatched a young boy, who was in her care, to gather firewood from the forest. He dashed and leaped, continuously alternating between running and jumping, in an effort to generate warmth. The day was chilly and overcast, characteristic of a cold, grey autumn day. Each time he discovered a branch or a protruding root suitable for firewood, he had to vigorously rub his arms across his chest, as his hands had turned as red as the cranberries strewn beneath his feet due to the intense cold, eventually, after successfully collecting his bundle of wood, he embarked on his journey back home. Along the way, he stumbled upon a clearing on the hillside, where he noticed an irregularly shaped white stone.
"Oh, you pitiful old stone," exclaimed the boy, "you appear so pale and lifeless! I suspect you have been frozen to the core." Moved by compassion, he promptly removed his jacket and placed it gently upon the stone. When he eventually arrived home carrying the bundle of wood, his mother inquired about the unusual sight of him wandering about in wintry weather with bare arms. He proceeded to recount to his mother the tale of encountering an aged, misshapen stone that was completely covered in frost, appearing pale and cold, he shared how he had selflessly offered his jacket to provide some warmth to the stone.
"What a foolish child you are!" his mother exclaimed. "Do you truly believe that a stone can freeze? Even if it were to freeze to its very core, remember this—everyone is primarily concerned with their own well-being, acquiring clothes to keep you warm is already expensive, so there's no need for you to go and hang them on stones in the open clearings." With those words, she promptly sent the boy out of the house to retrieve his jacket.
When the boy arrived at the spot where the stone had been, he was astonished to find that it had shifted and raised itself slightly from the ground on one side. "Yes! Yes! This must be because of the jacket, you poor old thing," the boy exclaimed.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the stone was, in fact, a money-box concealed beneath it, brimming with gleaming silver coins.
"This money must be stolen," the boy pondered, convinced that no one would hide honestly obtained money under a stone in the woods. With this suspicion in mind, he decided to take the money-box and carried it to a nearby pond, where he threw the entire treasure into the water. However, a single silver penny remained afloat on the surface of the pond.
"Ah, this is a sign of honesty," remarked the boy. "For what is truly honest never sinks." Delighted by this realization, he kept the silver penny and returned home with his jacket. Upon reaching home, he shared the entire sequence of events with his mother, recounting how the stone had turned, revealing a money-box filled with silver coins. He explained that he had discarded the money in the pond since he believed it to be stolen, except for the one silver penny that remained afloat on the water's surface.
"I took that penny," the boy replied, "because it demonstrated honesty." His mother, filled with anger, retorted, "You are a complete fool! If the only measure of honesty was what floats on water, then there wouldn't be much honesty in the world.Even if that money had been stolen countless times, you had found it," his mother continued angrily. "I'll repeat what I told you earlier: everyone looks out for their own interests. If you had simply taken that money, we could have lived a comfortable and content life. But you are nothing more than a good-for-nothing, and you always will be. I refuse to continue toiling and struggling for your sake. Leave and venture out into the world to earn your own livelihood."
And so, the young boy was forced to embark on a journey into the vast world. He traveled far and wide in search of a place to settle. However, wherever he went, people deemed him too small and feeble, declaring that they had no use for him. Finally, he arrived at a merchant's establishment, where he managed to secure a position in the kitchen. There, he was allowed to assist the cook by fetching wood and water. After spending a considerable amount of time at the merchant's place, an opportunity arose for the merchant to embark on a trip to foreign lands, prior to his departure, he gathered all his servants and inquired about their desired purchases to bring back for each of them. When it was the scullion's turn—the one responsible for fetching wood and water for the cook—he extended his silver penny and made his request.
"Well, what can I purchase with this?" inquired the merchant, noting the modest value of the silver penny. "There won't be much effort spent on this transaction."
"Buy whatever I can obtain with it. I am certain of its honesty," replied the young lad.
His master, true to his word, agreed to fulfill the lad's request, with that, the merchant set sail, leaving on his journey as promised.
