THE THREE PURSES
A LEGEND
BY WILLIAM S. WALSH (ADAPTED)
When Saint Nicholas was Bishop of Myra, there
were among his people three beautiful maidens,
daughters of a nobleman. Their father was so
poor that he could not afford to give them dowries,
and as in that land no maid might marry
without a dowry, so these three maidens could
not wed the youths who loved them.
At last the father became so very poor that he
no longer had money with which to buy food or
clothes for his daughters, and he was overcome by
shame and sorrow. As for the daughters they
wept continually, for they were both cold and
hungry.
One day Saint Nicholas heard of the sad state
of this noble family. So at night, when the
maidens were asleep, and the father was watching,
sorrowful and lonely, the good saint took a handful
of gold, and, tying it in a purse, set off for the
nobleman's house. Creeping to the open window
he threw the purse into the chamber, so that it
fell on the bed of the sleeping maidens.
The father picked up the purse, and when he
opened it and saw the gold, he rejoiced greatly,
and awakened his daughters. He gave most of the
gold to his eldest child for a dowry, and thus she
was enabled to wed the young man whom she loved.
A few days later Saint Nicholas filled another
purse with gold, and, as before, went by night
to the nobleman's house, and tossed the purse
through the open window. Thus the second
daughter was enabled to marry the young man
whom she loved.
Now, the nobleman felt very grateful to the
unknown one who threw purses of gold into his
room and he longed to know who his benefactor
was and to thank him. So the next night he
watched beneath the open window. And when
all was dark, lo! good Saint Nicholas came for the
third time, carrying a silken purse filled with gold,
and as he was about to throw it on the youngest
maiden's bed, the nobleman caught him by his
robe, crying:--
``Ohs good Saint Nicholas! why do you hide
yourself thus?''
And he kissed the saint's hands and feet, but
Saint Nicholas, overcome with confusion at having
his good deed discovered, begged the nobleman
to tell no man what had happened.
Thus the nobleman's third daughter was enabled
to marry the young man whom she loved;
and she and her father and her two sisters lived
happily for the remainder of their lives. |