05 A Kind Brother

A boy was once sent from home to take a basket of things to his grandmother.

The basket was so full that it was very heavy.So his little brother went with him, to help carry the load.They put a pole under the handle of the basket, and each then took hold of an end of the pole.In this way they could carry the basket very nicely.

Now the older boy thought, “My brother Tom does not know about this pole.”

“If I slip the basket near him, his side will be heavy, and mine light; but if the basket is in the middle of the pole, it will be as heavy for me as it is for him.”

“Tom does not know this as I do.But I will not do it.It would be wrong, and I will not do what is wrong.”

Then he slipped the basket quite near his own end of the pole.His load was now heavier than that of his little brother.Yet he was happy; for he felt that he had done right.Had he deceived his brother, he would not have felt at all happy.