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Once there was a queer little old man.
He lived all alone in a queer little house.
The little old man worked hard every day.
Each night he put the money he got for his work into a bag.
At last he had many bags of gold.
But he stayed alone in the queer little house.
He did not have any friends.
One day a man said to him, “Why do you stay alone all the time?
You have much gold, but you are not happy.
You do not need more gold. You need friends.
Why don’t you make friends with people and be happy?”
The old man said, “Gold is my friend.
When I am rich, I shall be happy.”
Years went by, but the queer little old man was not happy.
One day a little boy and girl came to live near him.
They saw the old man in his queer little house in its queer little yard.
“Why are you always alone?” asked the boy. “Where are your friends?”
“I have no friend but gold,” answered the old man.
“I do not need any other friend.
When I am rich enough, I shall be happy.”
The boy and girl looked at each other.
“Come,” said the boy to the old man. “I know where there is some gold for you.
It is more beautiful than your gold.”
The little boy took the old man to a pretty meadow.
The meadow had many golden flowers in it.
The boy picked some of the flowers and gave them to the old man.
“See!” said the boy. “Here is gold that makes us happy.
I think it is the most beautiful gold in the world.”
“It is beautiful, indeed,” said the old man.
“It is much more beautiful than the gold in my bags.”
The man and the boy picked many of the golden flowers.
Then they started for home, with their arms full of flowers.
Soon they came to the queer little house.
There stood the little girl at the door.
She had swept the floor and opened all the windows.
The bright sunshine filled the house.
“See,” said the girl to the little old man.
“Here is some more gold for you. Your house is full of golden sunshine.”
“This gold is beautiful, indeed,” said the old man.
“It makes me very happy.”
The man put his hand on the little girl’s golden hair.
“Here is the most beautiful gold of all,” he said.
“Today I have found enough gold.
I have never been so happy before.”
The old man got a bag of his gold.
“My little friends,” he said, “please go to poor mothers and fathers and give them this money.
Tell them to buy food for their hungry children.
Then come back to me. We will have a happy time together.”
The children did as he told them.
When they came back to the queer little house, the old man and the boy and the girl had a good dinner.
Every year after that the old man gave a bag of gold to poor people.
Every year he had more friends and grew more and more happy.
—— Phila Butler Bowman