The Story of a Quaker Merchant

There was once a good Quaker who was working at home,
What he made in his workshop could well fill a tome!
Every week to the market he went with his goods,
Whither pushing his small cart through thick and wild woods

There was one little problem that he had to face:
There were robbers who hid in the woods many days.
With his sales one fine day he’d made forty eight bucks
Having sold many chairs and some strong wooden trucks!

He decided eight dollars he would put in his purse,
The remaining amount his small cart, it could nurse!
When the robbers came on him and asked for his cash,
He then offered his purse (while his teeth he did gnash!)

So eight dollars the robbers took out of his purse
And the fact there was NO more they did slightly curse.
So the forty well hidden in HIS own small cart
He had saved to take home, which he thought was so smart!

When he thought of his trick: through his actions he’d lied!
“I have sinned, Oh my God!” to his God thus he cried!
“I will find all these robbers and tell them the truth,
To correct this my deed which was very uncouth!”

He returned to the woods and the robbers he found,
To the chief then he said: “For correction there’s ground!”
The chief thought that he meant that he’d told the police,
So his anger against him did quickly increase!

“You are wrong, Mister Chief, the correction’s for me,
Since I told you a lie, which is wrong, don’t you see?
When I passed you my purse, I implied it had all
That I made at the market, which did not so befall!”

“Forty more dollar bills I had hid in my cart
So that YOU wouldn’t find them, I thought at the start.
Therefore here are the forty for making amends
To correct my mistake so that we can be friends!”

Then the chief and his robbers were truly amazed,
Their reactions to this in these words they then phrased:
“Is it so that the telling of truth so value
You will rather give money away to us, will you?

Than to bear any blemish for the telling of lies?
Understanding you IS hard, however one tries!”
Then among them the robbers discussed the event
Which disturbingly them in a tailspin had sent!

They decided at last that they could not agree
To accept forty dollars from this person so free!
They were bent on returning the eight dollars too,
Which they thought in this case was the best thing to do!

“Would you like to, with me, in my workshop to work?
Then you won’t be obliged in these woods here to lurk!
We could make lots of goods which to market we’d take
So much money from sales at the market we’d make!”

This is HOW spoke the Quaker to his robber friends
Who all quickly agreed the suggested new trends!
They all built a big workshop at which they all worked,;
They had great fun together so that nobody shirked!

They all GOT to be rich, having given up crime,
As they all worked so hard and did NOT waste their time!
And the woods were now safe for the folks to enjoy,
What our Quaker had done, was it not a good ploy?