The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-06-11
The Dishonest Peasant.

In 1894 a poor French emigrant
was passing the winter in village o.
Westphalia, in Germany. He was
obliged to live with the greatest economy
in order not to go beyond his means
One cold morning he had occasion to buy
load of wood. He found a peasant
who had one to sell, and asked him what
the price was. The peasant, who per
ceived by his broken German that he
was a foreigner, and that his ignorance
might be taken advantage of, answered
that the price was three louis d'ors.
The Frenchman endeavored to beat
him down, but in vain; the peasant
would abate nothing of his first demand
The emigrant, finding it useless to waste
words with him, and being in pressing
need of the fuel, at last took it, and paid
the money that was asked for it.
The peasant, delighted to have made sc
good bargin, drove with his empty cart
to the village inn, which was not far dis
tant, and ordered breakfast. While il
was getting ready he entertained the
landlord with an account of the way in
which he had cheated the Frenchman
and made him pay three louis d'ors for q
load of coal which, at the utmost, was
not worth more than two dollars--talkine
as if he had done very clever thing.
But the landlord was good man, and
feeling justly indignant at the peasants
conduct, told him that he ought to be
ashamed of himself thus to have taken
advantage of the ignorance of poor
foreigner.
"Well," said the peasant, with a
scornful laugh, "the wood was mine
/ had right to ask just what pleased
for it; and nobody has right to call my
conduct in question"
The landlord made no reply. When
breakfast was over the peasant asked how
much was to pay. The landlord replied
"Three louis d'ors."
"WkAt!" said the peasant, "three
louis d'Ors for cup of coffee and a few
slices of bread and butterW
eyes" said the landlord, with the ut
most composure; "the coffee and bread
and butter were mine; have right to
ask just what l please for them. My bill
is three louis d'ors; and / shall keeI
your horse and cart until you pay me. Il
you think am charging you too much
you can 90 before the judge"
The peasant, without saying anything
more, went to the judges Office and made
his complaint. The judge was surprised
and indignant at the landlords extortiOn
especially as he had always borne an ex
cellent character.
He ordered him to be brought before him
and his reception of him was somewhat
stern. But the landlord told him the
whole story--how the peasant had taken
advantage of the poor emigrant's igno
rance to cheat him, what their converse
ton was, and how his own conduct was
simply visiting upon the head of dis
honest man the wrong he had done tC
another
Under such circumstances the Judge
decided that the landlord had done right
and that the peasant should pay tht
three louis d'ors. The peasant, with {
very ill grace, drew out his purse ant
laid the money on the table.
81 do not want this money" said thu
landlord to the judge, cas- your homo
may well suppose. Will you have th'
goodness to change one of these loui
d'ors, and give the peasant two dollar
out of it--fOr that, as he confessed to me
is all that his wood is worth--and return
the remainder to the poor Frenchman
For the breakfast l want nothing"
The Judge was much moved at thes
words. of the good innkeeper. HI
counted out the two dollars to tn
peasant, and dismissed him with sever
rebuke. The rest was returned to tn
emigrant, who, on hearing the story
went to thank the kind innkeeper, an,
with great difficulty persuaded him t
accept a small SUM for the peasant
| breakfast.