A rich farmer sent for a poor man to reap his field.
“How long must I reap?” asked the poor man.
“Until what lights the heaven sets,” said the farmer, pointing up at the sun.
“And what will you pay me?”
“I’ll give you a small bag of flour if you work as you should.”
The poor man went to work. Swath after swath fell to his sickle, and sheaf after sheaf piled up. He reaped and reaped, without straightening up to rest.
When the sun had set, the hungry and weary reaper stopped working. He wiped the sweat from his brow and said, “That is enough.”
“How’s that?” asked the farmer, “half the field is still untouched.”
“But the sun has set and it is growing dark.”
“The sun has set, but look at the sky! His sister, the moon, has risen to give us light. You’ll reap until the moon sets too. Otherwise there’ll be no flour for you.”
There was nothing to be done, so down the reaper bent again and went on with his work.
He was hard at it all night long, while the rich farmer lay down under the trees and had a good sleep. Before the sun had risen the workman had reaped the field from end to end.
“Now I’ll give you the flour,” said the farmer. “Go home and fetch your bag and come to my mill.”
So the poor man went home and came back a little later with a big sack.
“Pour in the flour!” he cried.
The rich farmer opened his eyes wide and shouted, “What did you bring the big sack for?”
“Why, because it’s the small bag’s big brother,” answered the poor man.
“How can a small bag have a big brother?”
“Well, if the moon is the sun’s sister, why shouldn’t the small bag have a big brother?” asked the poor man slyly.
There was nothing left for the rich farmer but to fill the big sack with flour. (From the London Daily Worker)
