Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1908-06-01
By COUNT LEO ToLsToI.

A rich man was dying He had been
miser who had boarded his money all
his life until he had amassed a gigantic
fortune. When anyone asked him to assist
in some charitable act he always said 81
cannot do that, my friend, 1 must be saw
ing my money, for money is everything in
this world"
When he was about to die he thought
Il am sure that money must be worth
something in the other world too. and I
empty hands,
He called together his children and or
dered them to place a bag of gold in the
coffin with him.
DO not be stingy,' he said. make it
big bag and fill it up with gold"
The very same night he gave ND the
ghost. His children carried out his wishes
and placed bag with 5000 gold pieces
AS soon as he had arrived inside the
gates; Of heaven y,e! he had to go through the
he came from. what he had done, and so
on, and he was very much tired and ter
ribly hungry and thirsty before the whole
thing was over. He was just about ready
70 think that he must die a second time
| from starvation when he saw a counter
hlled with eatables and beverages of all
This seems to be just like the waiting
room 70 5i in large railroad station" he said
and l even think | smell a roast some,
where. Hor fortunate that 1 thought of
taking along money" He opened his bag
eyes, went over to the counter. and pointed
to plate with sardines in oil.
How much does that costY
one kopek, was the reply.
THAT is very cheap" the rich man
thought, and again he asked And how
| much do those hot patties cost?
Also one kopek, the saeslady replied
/ With a smile
If that is So the rich man said.
! ties. and then
| AS his eyes wandered over the tempting
dishes he seemed at loss to select any
! thing.
The girl behind the counter looked at
him patiently for a while and then said
slowly 1t is customary to pay in adj
Pay, With the greatest of pleasure"
| The rich man took from his bag a gold
| coin and said Please"
The saleslady turned the coin between
her fingers. looked at it from all sides,
then handed it back: mo. this is not the
! kind of kopekS that we use here"
Immediately afterwards two strong men
came and carried off the rich man be-
tween TIVE L. them en- He was very down-hearted,
1T is very annoying that they only ac-
cept kopeks here. How strange, | must
During the next night he ran back to his
sons and whispered to them in a dream
rake back your gold 1 can't use it here.
and instead of it lay down a bag filled
with kopeks on my grave, if you do not
Wart me to starve."
Ierrlhed the sons ran to the cemetery
the next morning, dug up the bag of gold
and replaced it with a bag filled with
| kCpeks.
When the rich man received these he
rushed TO the counter and said to the girl
Now | have kopeks, SO please hurry up
and give me something to eat, for / am
| terribly hungry
| Although the money was there. the girl
smiled. shook her head. and said: Il see
that you have not learned very much dur
ing your life. Here we do not accept
| the kOpekS which you hold in your hand,
but only those that you have put into the
hands of others. Think back and see if
! you cannot remember that you have ever
helped a poor man or encouraged a sick
one?"
The rich man bowed down his head and
thought. But never had he assisted any
one, never had he done anything for the
sick for the poor.
The two strong men appeared again and
carried him off below