A Tale of Two Pebbles

Think About This

In a small village a farmer owed a large sum of money to a village moneylender. The moneylender was old and ornery and fancied the farmer's beautiful daughter.

He said he would forgo the farmer's debt if he could marry the daughter. He suggested they let providence decide the matter. He would put a black and white pebble into an empty bag. Then the daughter would have to pick one pebble from the bag. If she drew the back pebble she would become his wife and her father's debt would be forgiven. But if she drew the white pebble she would not have to marry him and her father's debt would still be forgiven.

And if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown in jail.

As they were standing on a pebbled path the moneylender bent over and picked up two pebbles. The sharp-eyed daughter noticed that he picked up two black pebbles and placed them in the bag. He then asked her to pick a pebble.

She drew out a pebble. Without looking at it she let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path, where it became lost among the other pebbles.

"How clumsy of me, but never mind. If you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked," she said to the moneylender.

The remaining pebble is black, so it must be assumed she picked the white one. The moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, and the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an advantageous one.

Moral? Most complex problems do have a solution. We must think, "What are my options?"