-
54. The Tears of the Rich
- The University of Alabama Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
54 the tears of the rich A MULE WHO HAD TOILED faithfully all his life became so decrepit that he was no longer able to do his work. His master, seeing the old animal was of no further use, detennined to get rid of him, and one night as the mule rested in the bam, thinking with pleasure of the easy days that lay ahead of him, the master entered and put an end to his dreams. He was not a rich man, as many people thought, he said; in fact, compared with some others, he could be considered poor. Things were hard at the moment, and there was every reason to expect they would get worse. [ 102 ] At that the master broke down and rested his head against the old mule's stall. The decision he had been forced to make was a hard one, he said, and it broke his heart to tell his faithful friend that he could no longer afford to keep him. Then, weeping freely, he led the mule outside and turned him loose on the wasteland. The old mule looked at the rocky land before him and wondered how it would be possible for him to find food for himself. Winter was coming on rapidly; soon the moor would be covered with snow and swept by bitter winds, and there would be no shelter for him. Knowing these things, the old animal was about to protest the injustice of such an ending for his lifetime of faithful service, but when he saw his master's anguished face, he was himself overcome by emotion, and shook his head in sympathy. "Poor master," he thought. "I won't burden him with my petty troubles." There's no sight in the world so moving as the rich contemplating their own ruin. [ 103 ] ...