Once Upon A Time
Illegitimi Non Carborundum
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Old Home Terra
Posts: 4,272
Once Upon A Time
Once upon a time there was a farmer. Every week he'd load up his truck with produce and sell it at the market. He'd come back home with the money he'd make, put it in an envelope on his desk while he got cleaned up, and then take it down to the bank and deposit it before the bank closed. The farmer was industrious and life was good.
As the farmer got older, he decided that he was prosperous enough to hire a hand to help him. The farm hand was young, and eager to help out, always thinking of new ideas to help make things more efficient. The farm hand wasn't afraid of hard work, but he understood the benefits of working smarter instead of harder.
At first the farmer was a little reluctant, but as time went by, he let the farm hand try out a few ideas. Some of them didn't work out too well, as you might expect, but some of them worked out very well indeed and the farmer became even more prosperous. He gave the farm hand a raise which pleased him and encouraged him to try even harder.
This situation continued for a while and the farmer and farm hand became pretty good friends. The farmer even let the farm hand come into the house every morning to eat breakfast with him. They'd talk about the day ahead, and how the crops were doing, and which cows were about to have calves, and how much produce to take to market that week.
One day, things were so busy at the market that they came back to the farm a little late. The farmer put the money on the desk like he always did, and took a shower figuring he'd just take the deposit to the bank the next day instead. After he got cleaned up, he even invited the farm hand in to have supper with him. He thought it would be a nice gesture since they'd both worked so hard. They finished eating, the farm hand went home, and the farmer went straight to bed.
The next morning, the farmer got up to start breakfast. The farm hand showed up at his usual time and they ate, talking about the day ahead. When they finished, the farm hand went to the barn to start his chores as he always did. The farmer went back inside, got cleaned up and put on his "go to the bank" clothes.
He went to the desk to get the envelope full of money but it was gone.
The farmer froze in disbelief. A cold chill went down his spine. He knew he had put the money on his desk like he always did. He looked again, checking the floor around the desk thinking that maybe it had dropped to the floor. The farmer couldn't find the money anywhere. He needed that money. He became a little frantic. Then he became a little suspicious. Then he became a little angry. The only thing that had changed from his normal routine was the delay in making the deposit, and the only thing different about the delay was that farm hand had been around while the money was on his desk.
He didn't think that the farm hand would steal from him, but he couldn't think of any other possibility. He wasn't sure so he thought he'd better check with his fellow farmers and ask for some advice.
So he did. He talked with his neighbors and told them what had happened. First they asked if he had looked everywhere and he said he did but he still couldn't find the envelope full of money. Then they asked him how well he knew the farm hand. He thought about it and decided that he really didn't know him too well at all. He came in from "out of town" somewhere a number of years ago, and he'd never met his family or knew much about him before they met. The farmer's friends all told him to face facts -- other people are dishonest, and he was just a farm hand afterall. Its not like he owned land or had roots in the area like they all did. They told him that it was pretty obvious that the most likely thing was that the farm hand took the money while the farmer wasn't watching. What other possible explanation could there be? Quit fooling yourself and go fire the farm hand before he steals any more from you.
So the farmer thought about it some, and went back to the farm. He went down to the barn to talk with the farm hand. This was pretty unusual and the farm hand felt a little odd, this being something outside of their normal routine. He didn't know what was going on and he felt a little awkward.
The farmer watched him closely while he worked, something he hadn't needed to do in a long while, not since he first hired him. The farmer tried to look at him as if he were a stranger. He saw how the farm hand walked a little funny, and how his manner was just a little bit too easy going, especially while the farmer was facing such a crisis. The farm hand knew all the nooks and crannies of the barn, even the ones the farmer hadn't shown him.
The next morning at breakfast, the farm hand seemed a little too helpful, a little bit too eager to wash the dishes for the farmer. The farm hand seemed a little bit too concerned with how the farmer was doing. He said he could see that the farmer was upset about something, and that made the farmer even more suspicious.
So the farmer went to talk with his neighbors again. He feared they were right and that the farm hand had stole from him, but he wanted to be sure. He wanted to make sure he did the right thing. So he talked it over, telling his neighbors about all the things he had noticed which he hadn't noticed before. His neighbors all told him, "See? The guy is a criminal. You can't trust him. You were right and good for you for being so observant. You'd better fire him now before he steals from you again."
So with a heavy heart, the farmer went back to the farm and confronted the farm hand. He told the farm hand how upset he was and how disappointed he was, and how hurt he was because he had trusted the farm hand. He told the farm hand that if he just returned the money and said he was sorry, and promised not to do it again, that all would be forgiven.
The farm hand denied any wrong-doing. He said he had no idea what happened to the money and that he had not ever stolen anything from the farmer. This hurt the farmer even more -- not only was the farm hand a thief but he was a liar too. And all this after he had treated the farm hand so well, even making breakfast for him in the mornings. The farmer was very sad and disappointed and frustrated, and fired the farm hand telling him to never come back to the farm ever again. In fact, it might be a good idea to leave the area entirely since no one around there likes having a thief around.
The farm hand felt very sad and didn't know what else to say. So he left the farm and went home.
The farmer went to talk to his neighbors. He told them how hurt he was over the betrayal of his trust. It wasn't so much the money as it was the principle involved. How could the farmer have been so fooled for so long? He treated the farm hand like he was a relative and genuinely cared about him. "Well, that's what swindlers do", the neighbors told him, "they gain your trust and then they use it to steal from you. Its a good thing you finally caught on before he could steal anything more from you".
The farmer said they were right -- just look at how the farm hand had "taken over" the barn, and how he was always trying to introduce new ideas. "Making you do things his way instead of your way" the neighbors told him, "Its a good thing you were smart enough to finally figure it out in time".
The farmer also told him how disappointed he was that the farm hand didn't confess and return the money. "That's how liars are" the neighbors consoled him. "They never come clean -- they never own up to their mistakes or say that they're sorry -- as far as they're concerned they didn't do anything wrong -- its that criminal mindset you see on TV all the time. Its really good that you finally figured it out and told us. You've done the whole community a very great service and we're all very proud of you!"
The farmer felt a little better and tried his best to move on with his life. He sold some of his cows to make up for the stolen money, and to reduce the amount of work he had to do by himself now since he no longer had his farm hand. He loaded up the truck and took it to the market all by himself, all the while thinking about how bad that farm hand was. It was a lot of work and it was all that farm hand's fault because he couldn't trust him anymore. If only he'd have admitted it, they could have worked something out. But no, his neighbors were right -- he was better off without him. You never can tell with people until they do something. It was good that he found out as early as he did or he would have lost his whole farm instead of just one envelope of money. The farmer moved on.
The farm hand tried to find work. He went to other farms asking if they wanted an experienced farm hand. But news spreads quickly, and all the other farmers told him, "We already know ALL about YOU -- get off my land before I get my shotgun and don't come back!". No one in town would talk with him, they all just turned their backs and walked away. Tired, hungry, broke and lonely, the farm hand finally gathered his things and left the area, much to the approval of all the townfolk and farmers. No one ever heard from him again and that suited everyone just fine.
A number of years went by. Every once in a while, people would get together for a picnic and to have some fun and socialize with each other. Sometimes they'd talk about the farm hand, and again congratulate the farmer for being so brave about letting everyone know that the farm hand was just a lying thief. They all felt good about themselves, like they had done something to make the community a safer place for everyone.
The farmer continued to prosper. That thieving farm hand was a no good liar, but some of his ideas were pretty good, and the farmer was industrious. He continued with his life, the only real change being that he would take the money directly to the bank when he came home from the market instead of going home to get cleaned up first, and he'd never let ANY of his farm hands into his house ever again. Life goes on and so did the farmer.
Many years later, the farmer decided that it was time to replace all the old furniture in his house and so he did.
When he went into the bedroom and pulled up the mattresses, lo and behold... there was an old envelope tucked away. He picked it up and looked at it. It was full of money. He thought to himself, "Now where did this come from?". He remembered a time many years ago, when he got back from the market late one week. He had a vague memory of a time when he was very tired, and after supper he had stuffed it there to keep it safe until the next day when he could go to the bank and deposit it. He remembered having a difficult time about something, but he also remembered that he got through it all with a little help from his neighbors.
"Oh well", the farmer thought as he shrugged. "There's enough money here to buy an extra cow. Maybe I'll throw a BBQ for all my neighbors!"
A happy ending for all!
As the farmer got older, he decided that he was prosperous enough to hire a hand to help him. The farm hand was young, and eager to help out, always thinking of new ideas to help make things more efficient. The farm hand wasn't afraid of hard work, but he understood the benefits of working smarter instead of harder.
At first the farmer was a little reluctant, but as time went by, he let the farm hand try out a few ideas. Some of them didn't work out too well, as you might expect, but some of them worked out very well indeed and the farmer became even more prosperous. He gave the farm hand a raise which pleased him and encouraged him to try even harder.
This situation continued for a while and the farmer and farm hand became pretty good friends. The farmer even let the farm hand come into the house every morning to eat breakfast with him. They'd talk about the day ahead, and how the crops were doing, and which cows were about to have calves, and how much produce to take to market that week.
One day, things were so busy at the market that they came back to the farm a little late. The farmer put the money on the desk like he always did, and took a shower figuring he'd just take the deposit to the bank the next day instead. After he got cleaned up, he even invited the farm hand in to have supper with him. He thought it would be a nice gesture since they'd both worked so hard. They finished eating, the farm hand went home, and the farmer went straight to bed.
The next morning, the farmer got up to start breakfast. The farm hand showed up at his usual time and they ate, talking about the day ahead. When they finished, the farm hand went to the barn to start his chores as he always did. The farmer went back inside, got cleaned up and put on his "go to the bank" clothes.
He went to the desk to get the envelope full of money but it was gone.
The farmer froze in disbelief. A cold chill went down his spine. He knew he had put the money on his desk like he always did. He looked again, checking the floor around the desk thinking that maybe it had dropped to the floor. The farmer couldn't find the money anywhere. He needed that money. He became a little frantic. Then he became a little suspicious. Then he became a little angry. The only thing that had changed from his normal routine was the delay in making the deposit, and the only thing different about the delay was that farm hand had been around while the money was on his desk.
He didn't think that the farm hand would steal from him, but he couldn't think of any other possibility. He wasn't sure so he thought he'd better check with his fellow farmers and ask for some advice.
So he did. He talked with his neighbors and told them what had happened. First they asked if he had looked everywhere and he said he did but he still couldn't find the envelope full of money. Then they asked him how well he knew the farm hand. He thought about it and decided that he really didn't know him too well at all. He came in from "out of town" somewhere a number of years ago, and he'd never met his family or knew much about him before they met. The farmer's friends all told him to face facts -- other people are dishonest, and he was just a farm hand afterall. Its not like he owned land or had roots in the area like they all did. They told him that it was pretty obvious that the most likely thing was that the farm hand took the money while the farmer wasn't watching. What other possible explanation could there be? Quit fooling yourself and go fire the farm hand before he steals any more from you.
So the farmer thought about it some, and went back to the farm. He went down to the barn to talk with the farm hand. This was pretty unusual and the farm hand felt a little odd, this being something outside of their normal routine. He didn't know what was going on and he felt a little awkward.
The farmer watched him closely while he worked, something he hadn't needed to do in a long while, not since he first hired him. The farmer tried to look at him as if he were a stranger. He saw how the farm hand walked a little funny, and how his manner was just a little bit too easy going, especially while the farmer was facing such a crisis. The farm hand knew all the nooks and crannies of the barn, even the ones the farmer hadn't shown him.
The next morning at breakfast, the farm hand seemed a little too helpful, a little bit too eager to wash the dishes for the farmer. The farm hand seemed a little bit too concerned with how the farmer was doing. He said he could see that the farmer was upset about something, and that made the farmer even more suspicious.
So the farmer went to talk with his neighbors again. He feared they were right and that the farm hand had stole from him, but he wanted to be sure. He wanted to make sure he did the right thing. So he talked it over, telling his neighbors about all the things he had noticed which he hadn't noticed before. His neighbors all told him, "See? The guy is a criminal. You can't trust him. You were right and good for you for being so observant. You'd better fire him now before he steals from you again."
So with a heavy heart, the farmer went back to the farm and confronted the farm hand. He told the farm hand how upset he was and how disappointed he was, and how hurt he was because he had trusted the farm hand. He told the farm hand that if he just returned the money and said he was sorry, and promised not to do it again, that all would be forgiven.
The farm hand denied any wrong-doing. He said he had no idea what happened to the money and that he had not ever stolen anything from the farmer. This hurt the farmer even more -- not only was the farm hand a thief but he was a liar too. And all this after he had treated the farm hand so well, even making breakfast for him in the mornings. The farmer was very sad and disappointed and frustrated, and fired the farm hand telling him to never come back to the farm ever again. In fact, it might be a good idea to leave the area entirely since no one around there likes having a thief around.
The farm hand felt very sad and didn't know what else to say. So he left the farm and went home.
The farmer went to talk to his neighbors. He told them how hurt he was over the betrayal of his trust. It wasn't so much the money as it was the principle involved. How could the farmer have been so fooled for so long? He treated the farm hand like he was a relative and genuinely cared about him. "Well, that's what swindlers do", the neighbors told him, "they gain your trust and then they use it to steal from you. Its a good thing you finally caught on before he could steal anything more from you".
The farmer said they were right -- just look at how the farm hand had "taken over" the barn, and how he was always trying to introduce new ideas. "Making you do things his way instead of your way" the neighbors told him, "Its a good thing you were smart enough to finally figure it out in time".
The farmer also told him how disappointed he was that the farm hand didn't confess and return the money. "That's how liars are" the neighbors consoled him. "They never come clean -- they never own up to their mistakes or say that they're sorry -- as far as they're concerned they didn't do anything wrong -- its that criminal mindset you see on TV all the time. Its really good that you finally figured it out and told us. You've done the whole community a very great service and we're all very proud of you!"
The farmer felt a little better and tried his best to move on with his life. He sold some of his cows to make up for the stolen money, and to reduce the amount of work he had to do by himself now since he no longer had his farm hand. He loaded up the truck and took it to the market all by himself, all the while thinking about how bad that farm hand was. It was a lot of work and it was all that farm hand's fault because he couldn't trust him anymore. If only he'd have admitted it, they could have worked something out. But no, his neighbors were right -- he was better off without him. You never can tell with people until they do something. It was good that he found out as early as he did or he would have lost his whole farm instead of just one envelope of money. The farmer moved on.
The farm hand tried to find work. He went to other farms asking if they wanted an experienced farm hand. But news spreads quickly, and all the other farmers told him, "We already know ALL about YOU -- get off my land before I get my shotgun and don't come back!". No one in town would talk with him, they all just turned their backs and walked away. Tired, hungry, broke and lonely, the farm hand finally gathered his things and left the area, much to the approval of all the townfolk and farmers. No one ever heard from him again and that suited everyone just fine.
A number of years went by. Every once in a while, people would get together for a picnic and to have some fun and socialize with each other. Sometimes they'd talk about the farm hand, and again congratulate the farmer for being so brave about letting everyone know that the farm hand was just a lying thief. They all felt good about themselves, like they had done something to make the community a safer place for everyone.
The farmer continued to prosper. That thieving farm hand was a no good liar, but some of his ideas were pretty good, and the farmer was industrious. He continued with his life, the only real change being that he would take the money directly to the bank when he came home from the market instead of going home to get cleaned up first, and he'd never let ANY of his farm hands into his house ever again. Life goes on and so did the farmer.
Many years later, the farmer decided that it was time to replace all the old furniture in his house and so he did.
When he went into the bedroom and pulled up the mattresses, lo and behold... there was an old envelope tucked away. He picked it up and looked at it. It was full of money. He thought to himself, "Now where did this come from?". He remembered a time many years ago, when he got back from the market late one week. He had a vague memory of a time when he was very tired, and after supper he had stuffed it there to keep it safe until the next day when he could go to the bank and deposit it. He remembered having a difficult time about something, but he also remembered that he got through it all with a little help from his neighbors.
"Oh well", the farmer thought as he shrugged. "There's enough money here to buy an extra cow. Maybe I'll throw a BBQ for all my neighbors!"
A happy ending for all!
Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 170
At first I thought this wasn’t much of a happy ended for everyone. The farm hand got fired and couldn’t find work. The farmer didn’t come clean when he found the money and the neighbors were going to get fat off of this injustice, BBQ you say?
The farmer and his neighbors ran a moonshine operation together. This was one of those good ideas the farm hand came up with and after sampling the product this guy had to go. No wonder know one in the town would have nothing to do with the farm hand. If they did no more moonshine. Must have been one heck of a party!!!!!!
I’m sure I missed the point completely but it was a good story none the less, thank you and keep them coming!!!!!!!!!
The farmer and his neighbors ran a moonshine operation together. This was one of those good ideas the farm hand came up with and after sampling the product this guy had to go. No wonder know one in the town would have nothing to do with the farm hand. If they did no more moonshine. Must have been one heck of a party!!!!!!
I’m sure I missed the point completely but it was a good story none the less, thank you and keep them coming!!!!!!!!!
Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Newark,DE
Posts: 404
How Timely,
(short version of the story)
I engaged a contractor for a job on my house, seemed like a good guy, I'm usually VERY cautious, but I needed the job done, and didn't check him out, gave him a 50% deposit. I lost contact with him last Wed, left many messages on his cell, no answer. THankfully I was restrained with my final call Fri afternoon, politely telling him I needed the work done asap, and since he had not done the job or returned my calls in three days, I was sorry but I would have to find someone to do the work. Spent all day Sat kicking myself, how could I, Mr Cautious, have been so f'in stupid? Sat afternoon, the phone rings, it's him, he had a death in the family, and dropped everything to go out of town. He said he got my message, and would either refund the money or do the job. I was so thankful I did not let lose with my immediate thoughts on that Friday afternoon message.
Didn't mean to detract from your story, but I thought this was a real world example of a similiar circumstance.
Best!
Steve
(short version of the story)
I engaged a contractor for a job on my house, seemed like a good guy, I'm usually VERY cautious, but I needed the job done, and didn't check him out, gave him a 50% deposit. I lost contact with him last Wed, left many messages on his cell, no answer. THankfully I was restrained with my final call Fri afternoon, politely telling him I needed the work done asap, and since he had not done the job or returned my calls in three days, I was sorry but I would have to find someone to do the work. Spent all day Sat kicking myself, how could I, Mr Cautious, have been so f'in stupid? Sat afternoon, the phone rings, it's him, he had a death in the family, and dropped everything to go out of town. He said he got my message, and would either refund the money or do the job. I was so thankful I did not let lose with my immediate thoughts on that Friday afternoon message.
Didn't mean to detract from your story, but I thought this was a real world example of a similiar circumstance.
Best!
Steve
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