"How Grandpa Came into Money." Else Zantnev.

One-minute review: Grandpa has no money. But he is scrupulously honest. When he is involved in a train wreck, all the other passengers writhe on the floor waiting for the doctors to come and for the money they would receive because of their “injuries.” But not Grandpa. He walks home—three miles. It was all Grandma could do to cram him into bed to await the train’s inspectors and doctor to arrive and give Grandpa the money for his injury.

When the inspectors and doctor arrive, Grandpa is out of bed and has to be stuffed back in it, clothes and all. He greets everyone cheerily, says nothing is wrong that 5,000 gulden would cure. “Mother promptly fainted. Grandma shrieked and ran from the room.” The inspectors and doctor doubled over in laughter and awarded Grandpa 5,000 gulden, making him the richest man in the village. And Grandpa never understood why they had given him the money. It pays to be honest.

75 Short Masterpieces: Stories from the World’s Literature. Ed. Roger B. Goodman. New York: Bantam Books. 1961. These summaries do not do justice to the vividness of the stories. RayS.