The Pecan Thief
When I was six years old, I was visiting my grandfather's farm in Kansas. Grandpa had sent me into the1to gather pecans for us to enjoy later.
Pecan picking was really2work and my little basket was only half full. I wasn't about to3Grandpa down. Just then something caught my4. A large brown squirrel was a few feet away. I watched as he picked up a pecan, hurried to a tree and5in a large hole in the trunk. A moment later the squirrel6out and climbed down to the ground to pick up another nut. Once again, he took the pecan back to his hiding place.
Not so7anymore, I thought. I dashed over to the tree and looked into the hole. It was8 with pecans! Golden pecans were right there for taking. This was my9Handful by handful, I scooped all of those pecans into my basket. Now it was full! I was so10of myself. I couldn't wait to show Grandpa all the pecans.11, I ran back and shouted, "Look at all the pecans!" He looked into the basket and said, "Well, well, how did you find so many?" I told him how I'd12the squirrel and taken the pecans from his hiding place.
Grandpa congratulated me on how smart I'd been in observing the squirrel and his habits. Then he did something that13me. He handed the basket back to me and put his arm gently14my shoulders.
"That squirrel worked very hard to gather his winter15of food," he said. "Now that all of his pecans are gone, don't you think that little squirrel will16the cold winter?"
"I didn't think about that," I said.
"I know," Grandpa said. "But a good man should never take17of someone else's hard work."
Suddenly I felt a bit18. The image of the starving squirrel wouldn't19my mind. There was only one thing I could do. I carried the basket back to the tree and poured all the nuts into the hole.
I didn't eat any pecans that night, but I had something much more filling—the20of knowing I had done just the right thing.
