One day a farmer, named Bernard, having finished his business at the
market town, found that he had a few hours at his disposal before
returning home. He had often heard people speaking about a certain Mr.
Wiseman, a lawyer, whose reputation was so great that even the judges
did not like to decide contrary to his opinion. Bernard thought he
might spend some of his time in getting an opinion from so learned and
clever a lawyer.
When he arrived at Mr. Wiseman’s office, he had to wait a long time,
but at last his turn came and he was shown into the room. Mr. Wiseman
asked him to sit down, and after taking a good look at him through his
spectacles, asked him to state his business.
“Upon my word, Mr. Lawyer,” said the farmer, twisting his hat in his
hand, “I can’t say I have any particular business with you; but as
I happened to be in town, to-day, I thought I should be losing an
opportunity if I did not get an opinion from you.”
“I thank you for your confidence in me,” replied the lawyer. “You have,
I suppose, some law-suit going on?”
“A law-suit?” said the farmer; “I should rather think not! There is
nothing I hate so much, and I have never had a quarrel with any one in
my life.”
“Then, I suppose, you want some family property fairly and justly
divided?”
“I beg your pardon, sir; my family lives with me in peace, and we have
no need to think of dividing our property.”
“Perhaps, then, you want some agreement drawn up about the sale or
purchase of something?”
“Not at all! I am not rich enough to be purchasing property, and not
poor enough to wish to sell any.”
“Then what on earth do you want me to do, my friend?” said the
astonished lawyer.
“Well, Mr. Wiseman, I thought I had already told you that,” replied
Bernard, with a sheepish laugh; “what I want is an opinion. I am ready
to pay for it. You see, here I am in town, and it would be a great pity
if I were to lose the opportunity.”
The lawyer looked at him and smiled; then taking up his pen, he asked
the farmer what his name was. “Peter Bernard,” said he, quite pleased
that the lawyer at last understood what he wanted.
“Your age?”
“Forty years, or somewhere about that.”
“Your profession?”
“My profession! Ah, yes! you mean what do I do? I am a farmer.”
The lawyer, still smiling, wrote two lines on a piece of paper, folded
it up, and gave it to his strange client.
“Is that all,” cried Bernard; “well, well! so much the better. I
daresay you are too busy to write much. Now, how much does that cost,
Mr. Lawyer?”
“Half-a-crown.”
Bernard paid the money, made his bow, and went away delighted that he
had got an opinion.
When he reached home it was four in the afternoon; he was tired with
his journey, and made up his mind to have a good rest. It happened,
however, that his hay had been cut for some days, and was now
completely dry; and one of his men came to ask if it should be carried
in and housed that night.
“This night!” said the farmer’s wife. “Who ever heard of such a
thing? Your master is tired, and the hay can just as well be got in
to-morrow.” The man said it was no business of his, but the weather
might change, and the horses and carts were ready, and the farm hands
had nothing to do. To this the angry wife replied that the wind was in
a favorable quarter, and that they could not any way get the work done
before nightfall.
Bernard, having listened to both sides of the question, hesitated to
decide, when suddenly he remembered the paper the lawyer had given him.
“Stop a minute!” cried he, “I have an opinion--a famous opinion--an
opinion that cost me half-a-crown. That’s the thing to put us straight.
You are a grand scholar, my dear; tell us what it says.” His wife took
the paper, and with some little difficulty, read out these two lines:--
_Peter Bernard: Never put off till to-morrow what you can do to-day._
“There’s the very thing!” cried the farmer. “Quick! out with the men
and the carts, and we’ll have the hay in at once!”
His wife still grumbled, but it was of no use. Bernard was obstinate.
He declared that he was not going to pay half-a-crown for nothing, and
that, as he had an opinion from his lawyer, he would follow it whatever
happened. In fact, he set the example himself, and urging his men to
the greatest speed, did not return to his home till all the hay was
safely housed.
During the night the weather suddenly changed. An unforeseen storm
burst over the valley. In the morning a stream flowed through the
meadows carrying in its current the newly cut hay of all the neighbors.
Bernard alone saved his.
From that day forward he followed the lawyer’s advice, and in course
of time became one of the richest farmers in the district. Nor did he
forget that he owed his success to the lawyer, to whom he carried every
year a couple of fat fowls.--SELECTED.
* * * * *
Anger and haste hinder good counsel.