A man discovers a wallet containing $700. After a few days, he comes across a notice announcing that a wealthy individual has misplaced their wallet and is offering a $50 reward for its return. The man promptly finds the owner, returns the wallet, and the wealthy man counts the money inside.
“I notice you’ve already taken your reward,” the wealthy man remarks.
Perplexed, the man replies, “What do you mean?”
The wealthy man insists, “When I lost it, there was $750 in the wallet.”
An argument ensues, leading both parties to court. They present their cases, with the poor man speaking first, followed by the wealthy man, who concludes by appealing to the judge’s trust.
The elderly judge assures, “Of course, I believe you,” favoring the wealthy man, much to the poor man’s dismay.
However, the judge then takes the wallet from the wealthy man and hands it to the poor man who found it.
Confused, the wealthy man protests, “What’s happening?”
The elderly judge explains, “While I believe you’re honest in stating your wallet contained $750, if the man who found it were dishonest, he wouldn’t have returned it. Therefore, this wallet belongs to someone else. If that person comes forward, they’ll receive the money; if not, it remains with the finder.”
The wealthy man questions, “But what about my money?”
“We’ll wait until someone returns your wallet with the $750,” the judge replies calmly.
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