Who Will Take The Son?

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art.

They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the paintings.

Then a war broke out, and the son went away to fight. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

A few months later there was a knock at the door and a young man stood there with a large package in his hands. “Sir, you don’t know me,” he said, “but I am the soldier your son died to save. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly.”

The young man held out his package. “I know this isn’t much,” he said, “but your son often talked about you and your love for art. “I’m not a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.” The father opened the package to find a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting, especially his eyes, until his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.

“Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift,” said the young man.

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