Once upon a time, in a small town, there lived a poor old man. One day, while he was taking a stroll in the park, he stumbled upon a wallet lying on the ground. To his surprise, the wallet contained $700! The poor man couldn’t believe his luck.
A few days later, while reading the local newspaper, he came across a notice. It stated that a wealthy man had lost his wallet and was willing to offer a $50 reward to anyone who returned it. The poor man recognized the wallet and realized it must belong to the rich man.
Without wasting any time, the honest finder tracked down the owner and returned the wallet to him. The rich man eagerly checked the contents and with a smirk on his face, he said, “I see you have already taken your reward.”
Confused, the poor old man responded, “What are you talking about? I haven’t taken anything from the wallet.”
The wealthy man arrogantly replied, “This wallet had $750 in it when I lost it.”
Unable to agree on the amount, the two men decided to settle their dispute in court. The poor man presented his case first, followed by the wealthy man. The judge, an elderly and wise man, carefully listened to both sides of the story.
Finally, it was the rich man’s turn to speak. He confidently addressed the judge, saying, “Your Honor, I trust you believe me.”
The elderly judge smiled and replied, “Of course, I believe you.” The rich man couldn’t help but smirk, thinking victory was within his grasp. However, the judge had a surprise in store for him.
Taking the wallet out of the wealthy man’s hands, the judge handed it to the poor old man who had found it. The rich man erupted in anger, demanding an explanation.
Calmly, the elderly judge explained, “You are indeed an honest man, and if you say that your missing wallet had $750 in it, then I am sure it did. However, if the man who found this wallet is a liar and a thief, he wouldn’t have returned it at all. This suggests that the wallet must belong to somebody else. If that person steps forward, they will receive the money. Otherwise, it stays with the honest finder.”
Feeling defeated, the rich man asked about his money. The judge replied with a hint of sarcasm, “Well, we’ll just have to wait until somebody finds your wallet with the $750 in it.”
And so, justice was served, highlighting the integrity of the honest finder and teaching a valuable lesson about honesty and trust.
