A young man was taking a walk with a professor. As they went along, they saw a pair of old shoes lying in the path. They thought it belonged to a poor man who worked in a field nearby.
The student turned to the professor, saying, "Let us play the man a trick: we will take away his shoes, and conceal ourselves behind those trees, and wait to see what will happen when he cannot find them. That must be very interesting."
"My young friend," answered the professor, "we should never play jokes on others because of their being poor. Put a coin into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch how the discovery changes him."
The student did so, and they both hid themselves behind the bushes close by. The poor man soon finished his work, and came back. While putting on his coat, he put his foot into one of his shoes. Feeling something hard, he bent down to see what it was and found the coin. Surprise was seen on his face. And he looked it again and again and put the money into his pocket. When he put on the other shoe, he was surprised again to find the other coin. He then looked up to the sky and said aloud some thanksgiving words to the person who gave him the coins.
The student stood there deeply moved, and his eyes were filled with tears. "You have taught me a lesson which I will never forget. I feel now the truth of these words, which I never understand before, "A small act of kindness brings great joy," he said.
