Reward for honesty [short story]

Title

Creator

Campoy, Angel V.

Language

English

Year

1940

Subject

Short stories, Philippine (English)

Conduct of life.

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

[Macaria's mother was a lavandera. When Macaria was about to enter high school, her mother became ill from pneumonia. In place of her mother, Macaria became a lavandera at Don Ambrosio and Dona Elena's house. She unexpectedly saw a twenty peso bill at the laundry and returned it to Don Ambrosio. She got rewarded by this honesty, even her mother was given a light job to take care of Dona Elena's children.]

Fulltext

,/ ugust, 1940 THE YOUNG CITIZEN 293 READING TIME FOR YOUNG FOLKS MACARIA'S mother was a lavandei·a. Her father had died some years previous to the time of this story, and since then the mother had supported herself and Macaria by washing the soiled clothes for several w~althy families in the town. By careful economy the mother had managed to send Macaria to school. Macaria was glad to go to school, and was one of the best pupils in her class. She was a good girl, and helped her mother as much as she possibly could after school hours and ·on Saturdays and Sundays. She assisted her mother in the simple cooking of the home, went on errands to the market and the grocery store, and helped her mother with washing and ironing the clothes. Yet she managed to find time to prepare her lessons and all her school work. *Formerly Head Teacher, Maslog Primary School, Sibulan, Oriental Negros. , Macaria gradually learned from her mother how to do fine laundry work. After a while she could wash, starch, and iron shirts, dresses, and expensive fabrics almost as well as her mother could do it. At last Macaria finished the primary and intermediate grades in school, and was ready to enter high school. Then a sad thing happened. Macaria's mother ·became ill from pneumonia. The doctor came every day, and Macaria took care of her mother as well as she could. After a while the 'mother got better, and the doctor said she would get well. But the mother was t'lo weak to do the work of a lavandera. So Macaria gave up the idea of going to high school, and n~w, in place of her motlier, became the pread winner. By washing the clothes for the wealthy families of the town who had been her mother's patrons, she was able to support her convalescent mother 294 THE YOUNG CITIZEN August, 1940 and herself. And now we come to the time of our story. Macaria had just rec.eived the soiled clothes from the big house on the hill-the home of wealthy young Do~ Ambrosio and his beautiful wife, Dona Elena. As usual, before washing the clothes Macaria was looking in all the pockets to see that nothing had been forgotten by the owners. As she felt in the side pocket of one of the linen coats of Don Ambrosio, she found something. She drew it forth, and t6 her surprise it was a twentypeso,bill which Don Ambrosio must have overlooked iit his coat. Macaria held the bill up and looked at it carefully. Yes, it was a twenty-p~so bill! Immediately the temptation came to Macaria to keep the money. She had never in her life had' so much as twenty pesos at one time! Don Ambrosio would pr<?bably never miss this twenty pesos, or if he did, very likely he would not know what he had done with his missing bill. How many things she could buy with that money! A new pair of shoes--if they were cheap-which she needed badly. A new dress of simple, inexpensive material-she had seen one in the store window priced at only P2.98. And she could buy so many things for motheroranges. and fresh meat and butter and milk and lots of other 'things which were too expensive for. the slender income to afforc;I. To poor Macaria the temptation was great. But just then she remembered what her teacher once told to her class: "Better be poor and honest than riclj with shame." Those words of her teacher helped her make~ decision. She would return to Don Ambrosio the mpney which was not hers. "I will return it at once, lest I yield to the temptation," said Macaria to herself. With the twenty-peso bill in hand, she started immediately to Don Ambrosio's beautiful home. She went to'a door at the rear of the house and .knocked. A servant came to the door and recognized Macarla as the lavandera who did the family washing. "What is it, Macaria ?" asked the servant. "Don Ambrosio. Where is Don Ambrosio? I have something for him." The servant admitted Macaria, and soon she was in the presence of the young master of the house. "Yes, Macaria? What can I do for you?" asked Don Ambrosio in a (tind manner. "Sir," said Macaria, "I found this twenty-peso bill in the pocket of one of your coats which was sent to me to be washed. Here it is, sir." And she handed the twenty-peso bill to Don Ambrosio. "A twenty-peso bill!" said Don Ambrosio. "Where did you say you found it, Macaria?" "I found it in the pocket of your coat, sir," Macaria replied. "Well, you may keep it," Don Ambrosio said, as he handed the bill back to her. ' "But this is not mine, sir. The money is yours. I didn't earn it," the girl said. At this moment Dona Elena, who had overheard the conversation, entered the room. "Macaria, you are an honest girl," s.aid Dona Elena. "You could have kept that money and my husband would never have missed it. Keep the twenty pesos, Macaria. It will help your mother." (Please. turn to page 3,l4.) 314 REWARD FOR HONESTY (Continued "from page 294) As she said this, Doiia Elena noticed the cheerful appearance of Macaria and the . ~mile on her rather pretty features. A thought came to her. "Macaria," said Doiia Elena, "I am needing a new maid. Dolores, my maid at present, is getting married soon, and will leave me. So I must find, some one capable of taking her place. I believe that with a little training you could take her place. I must have s~meone . who is honest, and you have just shown that you have that desirable qualification. Will you come?" "Oh, Doiia Elena, thank you very, very much," an~ swered Macaria, and tears came to her eyes. "I would love to come and be in this beautiful home, and serve you. But my mother. She wauld,.be alone at home. I cannot leave her." Then ·Don Ambrosio spoke. "I think we can fix that. We need an amah to look after our two small children. It would be easy work, and I think your mother could look after the children splendidly." "Thank you, thank you, Don Ambrosio and Doiia THE YOUNG CITIZEN the children." So Macaria hastened home to tell to her mother the good news. "Mother, mother, see! I have a twenty-peso bill, all my own! Now I can buy new shoes and a new dress! And mother, that is only the beginning. I 'am to be the maid for Doiia Elena, and live in their beautiful home on the hill. And Oh, mother! You are to live there too, and look after little Pepito and Carling. Isn't it just wonderful!" The poor mother · cried for joy, for now they need not suffer any more nor be in want. There was work for both of them-delightful, agreeable work. And a nice home, and pleasant surroundings. "Let us thank God for . our good fortune," said the mother. "Mother," said Macaria, "it has certainly paid to be honest. I remembered the words of my teacher, 'Better be poor and honest than rich with shame,' and so I returned the twenty-peso bill to Don Ambrosio. And this good fortune is the result." . In· a:. few days mother and daughter were settled in their new home and had Elena,'' said .the grateful learned their new duties. girl. "Ithinkmotherwould "Macaria," said the be very happy to ·cart for mother one day, "how hapAugust, 1940 MENDELSSOHN (Continued from page 303) like church music, yet because of its fine style it is like concert music too. Be sure to hear and learn to love the music of this happy composer-the music of youth, of spring, of fairies, and of flowers. A REVIEW I. How was Mendelssohn's life different from that of other composers? 2. How was he like Mozart and . Beethoven as a boy? 3. Tell of his father. 4. Who was his first music teacher? 5. What could he do at the age of ten years? 6. What was his first name? What does it mean? How was it ~uitable? 7. Where did the family go to live? 8. What did Felix and his sister Fanny dg,?,,c, 9. How did he regard his sister Fanny? · 10. Tell of the Mendelssohn home in Bei'lin. 11. Tell all you can about Mendelssohn's music. PY we are now i" "Yes, indeed!" said Macaria. "An.d this, my dear Macaria,''' continued her mother, "this is your reward for honesty." ·

pages

293-294,314

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