The Stranger In The Gardenx

唐玉兰

Once upon a time there was a man who had a big garden. He had planted many fruit trees and cared for them till they bore fruits. Now he wanted to pick up the fruits and sell them to make money for his family.

One fine day while picking the fruits with his son， the man saw a stranger sitting on the branch of a tree and picking the fruits. This man become angry and shouted， “Hey you！ What are you doing on my tree？ Arent you ashamed of stealing fruits in the day time？” The stranger on the branch just looked at the gardener but didnt reply， and continued picking the fruits. The gardener was very angry and shouted again， “For a whole year I have taken care of these trees， you have no right to take the fruits without my permission （许可）， so come down at once！”

The stranger on the tree answered， “Why should I come down？ This is the garden of God and I am the servant of God， so I have the right to pick these fruits and you should not interfere （干涉） between the work of God and his servant.” The gardener was very surprised at this answer and thought of a plan. He told his son， “Go bring a rope and get this man down from the tree.” His son brought the rope and the gardener ordered him to tie the stranger to the tree. The gardener then took a stick and started beating the stranger. The stranger began to scream （尖叫）， “Why are you beating me？ You have no right to do this.”

The gardener paid no attention and continued beating him. The stranger screamed， “Dont you fear God？ You are beating an innocent （无辜的） man？ The gardener answered， “Why should I fear？” This wood in my hand belongs to God and I am too the servant of God， so I have nothing to fear， and you shouldnt interfere with the work of God and his servant.” The stranger stopped to think a moment and then spoke， “Wait， dont beat me； I am sorry for taking the fruits. This is your garden and I should have your permission before taking the fruits. So， please forgive （原谅）me and set me free.”

The gardener smiled and said， “Since you have now realized your mistake， I will forgive you but remember that God has given all his servants brains， so every persons deeds are in his own hands.” Then the gardener untied him and let him go free.

Questions：

1. Why did the gardener want to sell the fruits？

2. What did the gardener think of the stranger？

3. What did the gardener do to the stranger？

4. How did the stranger get away from the gardener？endprint