Hearing that Erin was coming for the silver wedding party, Mr. Joe and his wife got worried.
"Erin the thief!" said Mr. Joe to his wife. "Anything smaller than a table, and more expensive than paper, would finally be found in his bag."
"He's sure to come for the presents we've received," added Mrs. Joe. "We can't hide them all. How can we deal with him?"
"We must keep an eye on him," said Mr. Joe.
As soon as Erin arrived, the couple started to keep a sharp lookout. After dinner, the three talked nervously from one boring topic to another in the living room.
Suddenly, Erin asked, "You've got so many presents. Can I take a look at those pretty silk scarves?"
"Only it's annoying to have seven of them," Mr. Joe blurted.
Erin studied the scarves carefully, lost in thought. The couple got more anxious.
After Erin went for sleep, Mrs. Joe counted the presents immediately. "I'm not sure if we've lost anything," she doubted.
"He must have taken something," claimed Mr. Joe angrily. "The awful pig hasn't brought us a present. How dare he take anything from us?"
"Let's go through his bag late at night," Mrs. Joe suggested.
The search was a short one. They found a silk scarf carefully placed in the bag. Mrs. Joe quickly picked it up and put it into her pocket.
The next morning, Erin was late for breakfast. "Something's been taken out of my bag," he said. "It was a present I had prepared for your silver wedding, only it happened to be a scarf. You seemed annoyed at having so many, so I thought I'd get it changed, but now it's gone."
The couple turned deadly pale. Mrs. Joe ran to the living room and surprisingly, she found their seven scarves were still there, ▲ .
Mrs. Joe returned with Erin's scarf. "This one is yours," she went on. "It's an unpleasant thing to say… Actually, we took it last night. It all started because there were some unkind words about you. It's really shameful to go through your bag without asking."
Erin's eyes widened as he was listening. Mrs. Joe handed the scarf to Erin.
"Please take your scarf back. It's unfair to you. Really hope you can forgive us for everything we did," Mr. Joe said.
Erin refused the scarf with a smile. "It has always been for you. Please keep it. Just want you to know that people change."
