When Michael Brown died, his three best friends went to
his funeral.
  They stood for a moment, looking down into the grave of
their friend.
  “He was a good friend,” the first person said. “He was
generous and kind. Let’s give him some money to use in
heaven.”
  The other two friends agreed. They thought it was a good
idea.
  The first friend took his wallet out of his pocket, opened
it and took out a hundred-dollar bill. Then he threw it into the
grave.

  The second friend did not want the other two to think he
was stingy, so he also took out his wallet.
  “You’re right,” he said. “He always helped his friends. He
deserves everything he needs in his next life.”
  And with these words, he also threw a hundred-dollar bill
into the grave.
  The third man looked at the other two, and thought
carefully for several minutes. He did not want them to think he
was stingy, but he really did hate spending money.
  At last, he bent down, took the two hundred-dollar bills out
of the grave and put them in his pocket.
  Then he took out his checkbook and wrote a check for
three hundred dollars. He then threw the check into the grave.
  “I haven’t got any change,” he said, “but that check is for
three hundred dollars, so I’ve given the same as you.”

                    告别的礼物
  当迈克尔·布朗去世的时候，他三个最好的朋友来参加葬礼。
  他们站了一会儿，俯看着朋友的坟墓。
  “他是个好人，”第一个人说，“活着的时候，非常慷慨和体贴。咱们
给他些钱在天堂用吧。”
  另两个朋友同意了并认为这是个好主意。
  第一个朋友从口袋中取出钱夹，拿出一百美元，然后扔进了坟墓。
  第二个朋友怕他们认为自己很小气，也掏出钱夹。
  “你说得对，”他说，“他总是帮助朋友。他值得下辈子拥有需要的一
切。”
  说着，他也把一百美元扔进了坟墓。
  第三个人看了看他俩，想了一会儿。他不想让他们知道他很吝啬，但他
确实又吝惜花钱。
  最后，他弯腰把那两百美元从坟墓中拾起来，装进自己的口袋里。
  然后掏出支票簿，开了一张三百美元的支票，扔进坟墓。
  “我没有零钱，” 他说，“但是我开了张三百美元的支票，所以我给的
钱和你们一样多。”