Great indeed was his surprise to find when he next looked into his gourd, that several scorpions still clung to it, but had been transformed by the Gods into pure gold, although their forms were retained.
Thus the good old man was enriched, but great was his disappointment when he remembered how many scorpions he had thrown away, for these might also have turned into gold had he kept them.
Moral.—There is good sometimes in even the evil things in life.
THE STORY OF A PEARL
A poor workman and his wife were once almost starving. Every day the man gathered sticks and sold them, while the woman remained at home.
“Wife,” said the man one day, “come, we will both go and gather wood for sale to-day, so that, if we earn enough, we shall not eat rice only, but will buy a small fish, and eat that also.”
The woman agreed, and having sold their stock of firewood, they returned home with a fish for dinner.
On opening it, a small white bead, round and shining, fell upon the floor. The woman was attracted by its brightness, and locked it up in a box.