A Measure of Spice.It came to pass that the ruler of a faraway far·a·way adj. 1. Very distant; remote. 2. Abstracted; dreamy: a faraway look. faraway Adjective 1. very distant 2. kingdom obtained a large quantity of a precious spice. Being a fair ruler, he invited all his subjects to his palace to receive a share of the seasoning. They had only to supply a container in which to carry home their portion. A merchant who dearly loved the taste of this spice decided to bring along the biggest container he had, a fine chest inlaid in·laid v. Past tense and past participle of inlay. adj. 1. Set into a surface in a decorative pattern: a mahogany dresser with an inlaid teak design. 2. with precious stones gems; jewels. See also: Precious . The merchant stood in line with the rest of the king's subjects, dreaming of all the dishes he would prepare with his share of the spice. When the merchant's turn came, the king's servant poured a measure of the spice into the chest. "What?" cried the man. "Is this all I am to receive? But see the fine large chest I have brought to fill." "That is all. I am sorry," said the servant, going on to the next person in line. The dissatisfied merchant took his chest and sat under a tree. He looked down at his pitiful pit·i·ful adj. 1. Inspiring or deserving pity. 2. Arousing contemptuous pity, as through ineptitude or inadequacy. See Synonyms at pathetic. 3. Archaic Filled with pity or compassion. pile of spice, which did not even cover the bottom of the chest. Then he noticed an old woman carrying a simple basket made of reeds. The woman walked slowly, for the basket was filled almost to overflowing o·ver·flow v. o·ver·flowed, o·ver·flow·ing, o·ver·flows v.intr. 1. To flow or run over the top, brim, or banks. 2. To be filled beyond capacity, as a container or waterway. 3. . "Why, she has received much more spice than I!" complained the man to himself. "I will offer to exchange my meager mea·ger also mea·gre adj. 1. Deficient in quantity, fullness, or extent; scanty. 2. Deficient in richness, fertility, or vigor; feeble: the meager soil of an eroded plain. 3. portion, along with this beautiful chest, for her basketful. Then I shall have more spice." The merchant called to the old woman and proposed an exchange of his nearly empty chest for her simple, but quite full, basket. The woman nodded in agreement, and the man walked off proudly with his heaping basket of spice, planning many sumptuous sump·tu·ous adj. Of a size or splendor suggesting great expense; lavish: "He likes big meals, so I cook sumptuous ones" Anaïs Nin. meals. The old woman took the fine chest home. She emptied the spice from the large chest into another reed basket the same size as the one she had just given away to the merchant. The seasoning filled the small basket almost to overflowing, and the woman now had a fine chest in addition to her share of the spice. |
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