Abraham, the Carpenter in Jerusalem, hac. saved
some money through hard work. His neighbour stole it
and ran away, but dropped down dead on the road. A young
man found him, dug his grave to bury him, when the sack
of money fell out of his bosom. The young man picked it
up and took it away as a reward for his pious deed. At home
165—
he hid it but in the night he heard a voice telling him not
to touch it as the money belonged to someone else from
whom it had been stolen. So he put it in the hollow of a
tree. After a time the river overflowed, destroyed his home
and carried this tree away. It was found by villagers and
brought to Abraham the Carpenter as a good piece of wood.
He bought it. The young man, now poor, came to Jerusalem
and got work with Abraham. One day, sawing the trunk,
he said, “This is just like the trunk in which I hid my sack of
gold.” Abraham overheard him and asked him what had
happened. He sawed it, found a sack of gold inside and
Abraham offered him a share of it but the young man refused. Soon after Abraham married his daughter and sent
the young man on a visit to his people, giving him a cake
in which he had put ioo pieces of gold. At the gate of the
town the young man was met by the governor who bought
the cake for a few pieces of money and sent it as a wedding
gift to Abraham’s daughter by whom he was invited. Abraham
very surprised, put the cake away. When the young man
returned Abraham showed him the cake, asked him what
had happened and cut it open. The young man said, “You
see, the money was not to be mine.” Abraham, however,
married him to a younger daughter so that then he would
be able to keep part of the property.
423. Abraham, the Carpenter in Jerusalem, hac. saved
some money through hard work. His neighbour stole it
and ran away, but dropped down dead on the road. A young
man found him, dug his grave to bury him, when the sack
of money fell out of his bosom. The young man picked it
up and took it away as a reward for his pious deed. At home
165 —
he hid it but in the night he heard a voice telling him not
to touch it as the money belonged to someone else from
whom it had been stolen. So he put it in the hollow of a
tree. After a time the river overflowed, destroyed his home
and carried this tree away. It was found by villagers and
brought to Abraham the Carpenter as a good piece of wood.
He bought it. The young man, now poor, came to Jerusalem
and got work with Abraham. One day, sawing the trunk,
he said, “This is just like the trunk in which I hid my sack of
gold.” Abraham overheard him and asked him what had
happened. He sawed it, found a sack of gold inside and
Abraham offered him a share of it but the young man refused. Soon after Abraham married his daughter and sent
the young man on a visit to his people, giving him a cake
in which he had put ioo pieces of gold. At the gate of the
town the young man was met by the governor who bought
the cake for a few pieces of money and sent it as a wedding
gift to Abraham’s daughter by whom he was invited. Abraham
very surprised, put the cake away. When the young man
returned Abraham showed him the cake, asked him what
had happened and cut it open. The young man said, “You
see, the money was not to be mine.” Abraham, however,
married him to a younger daughter so that then he would
be able to keep part of the property.
