Literature

A Grocer and a Fruit Seller

A Grocer and a Fruit Seller

One day a grocer borrowed a balance and some weights from a fruit seller. After a few days, the fruit seller asked the grocer to return him his balance with weights. The grocer desired not to return those borrowed things. Rather he told the fruit seller that the mice had eaten his balance and weights. The lame excuse of the dishonest grocer made the fruit seller very angry. But he controlled his temper and told him that it was his bad luck. The cunning grocer took him to be a fool. But the fruit seller was thinking of a plan to teach him a good lesson.

Accordingly, once the fruit seller requested the grocer to allow his son to go with him to the as he was going there to do some shopping. The grocer allowed his son to go with him. The next day the fruit seller returned alone from the town. The grocer asked him about his son. The fruit seller replied that a crow had carried his son away. At this, the grocer grew very angry and calling him a liar asked him how a crow could carry his son away. The fruit seller instantly replied that it carried his son away in the same way as mice could eat into his balance and weights. The grocer understood what the fruit seller meant to Say. He returned the balance and the weights to the fruit seller and requested him to pardon him for telling a lie to him and also implored upon him to give him back his son. The fruit seller sent the boy back to his father.