The Farmer and His Three Sons

Fall 1984

Once upon a time, there was an old farmer named John who had three sons.  The three sons were lazy and didn't obey their father.
   Old John had a large field where he planted a lot of wheat.  Old John was very old and weak, but he had to do all the farm work.  Those three sons didn't help him a little.  They ate and drank and fooled around all day, and let the old man work alone.
   One day, old John was going to die, and he told his three sons to come to his bed.  He said to them:  "I leave the field and a bag of gold for you.  The gold is hidden under the ground of the field.  After I die you go and find it."
   It was spring and all the field was full of wildgrass.  Those three sons dug the ground very hard expecting to find the gold.  They dug every inch of the field in a few days but found nothing at all.  They were very disappointed; however, they sowed seed on the field.
   In that fall, they had a rich harvest, because the soil was soft and fertile after they had dug it deeply.  Then they all realized why their father told them:  there was a bag of gold under the field.

   -unknown