im some lead for his line, but I forgot it. I know he will scold me if
I don't have some ready for him." Lucas, who was wakened by the talk,
told his wife to get the lead he had thrown in the corner. When Zelima
found it, she gave it to their neighbor, who went away happy, promising
that she would bring them the first fish her husband should catch.

The next morning Lucas woke very late. The neighbor was already there
with a big fish, and Zelima was happy at having so much to eat. While
she was cleaning the fish, she found a bright stone inside it. As she
did not know of the value of the stone, she gave it to her youngest
son to play with; but when the other children saw it, they quarrelled
with their brother, and tried to take it away from him. Lucas, too,
was ignorant of the fact that the stone was worth anything.

In front of their house lived a rich man named Don Juan. When he
heard the noise of his neighbor's children quarrelling, he sent
his wife to see what was the matter. Don Juan's wife saw the stone,
and wanted to have it very much. She asked Zelima to sell it to her,
but Zelima said that she would wait and ask her husband. The rich
man's wife went home and told her husband about the jewel. He went
to Lucas's house, and offered the rope-maker a thousand pesos for the
stone; but Lucas refused, for now he suspected that it was worth more
than that. At last he sold it for twenty thousand pesos.

Lucas was now a rich man. He bought clothes for his wife and children,
renewed his house, which was falling to pieces, and bought a machine
for making rope. As his business increased, he bought another
machine. But although Lucas was the richest man in town, he was very
kind. His house was open to every comer. He supported crippled persons,
and gave alms to the poor.

When Luis and Isco visited Lucas the last time, they were surprised
and at the same time delighted to see him so rich. Lucas did not know
how to thank them. He gave a banquet in honor of these two men. After
the feast was over, Lucas told his friends every detail of all that
had happened to him, how he had lent the lead, how his wife had found
the stone in the fish, and how a rich man had bought it for twenty
thousand pesos.

Luis was now convinced that Lucas was honest, and had told the truth
on former occasions. Lucas lived in his big house happily and in
peace with his wife and children.

Notes.

These two Tagalog stories are probably derived fr