Once there was an utterly poor and old beggar. One day, he passed through an old village. He knocked at the door of a big beautiful house, with a tall barn and a large iron padlock on the gate. In this house lived a man, who was famous in the village for his miserliness and never helped people, even though he was very rich.
“Please give me some meat or milk,” said the beggar. The miser replied roughly, “No, I cannot! Go away!” “Maybe you can give me some wheat or beans,” kept asking the beggar, forced by hunger to humiliate himself. “I do not have anything to give you,” said the miser. “Then give me a loaf of bread, and I will be highly grateful,” said the beggar. “Go away; I do not have any bread at home,” was the miser’s reply. “At least give me some water. I am very thirsty,” “I do not have water,” screamed the miser. Then said the beggar, “Oh, my son, why are you sitting here then? Stand up and start begging food from the good people. You are even poorer than I am.”
