Not What He Thinks
Sitting by the window in her convent, Sister Eulalia opened a letter from home and found a $10 bill inside. As she read the letter she caught sight of a shabbily dressed stranger leaning against a lamppost below. Quickly she wrote, "Don't despair, Sister Eulalia" on a piece of paper, wrapped the $10 in it and dropped it out the window. The stranger picked it up and, with a puzzled expression and a tip of his hat, went off down the street. The next day Sister Eulalia was told that a man was at the door, insisting on seeing her. She went down and found the stranger waiting. Without a word he handed her a roll of bills. "What's this?" she asked. "That's the 60 bucks you have coming. Don't Despair paid five to one."
Originally published November 14, 2002.
