Hidden Treasure

There were once a husband and his wife who were very poor. They had

a little plot of ground that helped to sustain them, but as the man

was sick the woman went to work alone.

As she was weeding in the fields she found a malapad, [20] and after

a little she found another, and so on until she had a sec-apat. [21]

With this she returned home and bought rice, but she was afraid to

tell her husband lest he be jealous.

The next day she went to work and on this day she found a silver

peso. As she reached the edge of the field a voice spoke to her saying,

"Tell no one of your good fortune, not even your husband, and you shall

have more treasure." Afterwards she went to the field, and daily she

found a peso until she had five pesos, which she hid in a safe place.

On the seventh day she went to the field, but found nothing. She went

to the edge of the field to boil her rice, and was blowing her fire

when she heard the same voice again saying, "Never mind boiling your

rice, but dig there under your pallok, [22] and you will find more

than enough. Tell no one, not even your husband, of what you find." She

dug down and there she found a great jar filled to the brim with gold

pieces. She took one or two, and hastily covered up the rest and went

home. Like a good wife she disliked to keep a secret from her husband,

and finally she took him off to a quiet place and told him of their

good fortune.

He, overjoyed, could not restrain himself and went into the village

and told every one of the treasure trove. Then they went to dig it up,

but it was no longer there. Even the gold and the five pesos already

saved and hid in another secret place were gone, and they were as

poor as they had been before.

How foolish they were to disobey the command of the voice!