The Three Brothers

A rich merchant had three sons. He wondered how to divide his huge mansion among his three sons, who wished to acquire his wealth upon his death. After much thought on the subject he came up with a plan.

One day, he called the three brothers and told them, “I will give my wealth to the person who can master a trade.” The three brothers were happy with this condition and rushed to learn a job. The eldest became a blacksmith, the second a barber and the third a fencing master.

After each became skilled at their craft they returned home. Their father asked them to give proof of their skills.

The eldest stopped a horse-drawn carriage, took out the horseshoes and quickly made new ones. The father was impressed with his son’s achievement. The eldest son thought he was the best and the deserved the property.

Then the merchant called his second son. He lifted a rabbit, lathered him up with soap and then shaved off his whiskers and fur with the skill of an expert barber. Seeing his father’s happy face he thought that he would get the wealth.

When it was time to test his third son, the rains set in. Skillfully brandishing his sword above his head, the youngest son, stopped all the raindrops from pouring onto his body. The father, who had not seen anything like this before, was astonished. He immediately gave the entire property to his youngest son. The other two brothers stood stupefied; they agreed that this indeed was a masterpiece.

After the merchant’s death all the sons lived happily in the huge mansion.