Once, there was a queen who gave away gold on one pretext or the other. One day, she said to her minister, “I want to find out whether the people of my kingdom are kind. Bring a bag of gold and come along with me.” The minister did as told. When they reached the road that led to the marketplace, the queen asked the minister to place a huge stone in the middle of the road with the bag of gold underneath. Then they hid behind the trees and watched. Many people walked around the stone. Yet, others stepped on it and passed by. At last, a shepherd came along, whistling a tune. He saw the stone and threw it by the wayside. Then he saw the bag. In it was a note from the queen. It read: “Your thoughtfulness has been rewarded with gold.” The queen was very happy.
The Thoughtful Shepherd
