Posted: May 20, 2008, 9:19 PM CST
A King in a carriage comes upon a man walking down the road.
The King sees a gold ring on the man's finger.
Being a greedy King he stops and orders the man to give up the ring for taxes.
The man said,"Dear King, it is the only thing we had left from a great fire and now I was going to buy food."
The King held out his hand firmly and as the man removed it from his hand, it fell into manure.
The man picked up the ring and wiped it off.
The King took it and said,"Gold purifies all it touches!" and placed it on his finger.
Then he ordered his driver to drive off.
As the carriage drives away, the arm of the Queen slides down the outside of the carriage door and drops 10 large gold coins one at a time.
The man bows deeply with tears in his eyes!
The King laughs, not knowing what she had done as they drove away!
The man said to himself as he bows,
"Gold stolen from the needy, is made pure again by the caring heart of a good woman and a good woman is far more precious than even gold."
RNG