A rich farmer stood in his yard, surveying his wealth. His fields were fertile, his barns overflowed with grain, and his livestock were sleek and well-fed. Finally, he glanced at the iron chest holding his money.
Suddenly, a knock echoed—not at his door, but at his heart. A voice asked if he had used his wealth for good, cared for the poor, or been content. His heart answered truthfully: he had been hard, pitiless, and consumed by greed, never satisfied even in thought.
Shaken, he sat down. Then came a real knock. It was his poor neighbor, desperate to feed his starving children. "I know you are hard," the neighbor thought, "but I must ask." He begged for a loan of corn.
The rich man looked at him long. A flicker of mercy melted a drop of his icy greed. "I will not lend you four measures," he said, "but give you eight as a gift—on one condition. When I die, you must watch over my grave for three nights." Though disturbed, the poor man, in his need, agreed and took the corn home.
Three days later, the rich man suddenly died. No one grieved. Remembering his promise, the poor man went to the churchyard at nightfall and sat on the grave mound. The first two nights passed quietly under the moon, with only an owl's melancholy cry.
On the third evening, feeling uneasy, he met a scarred, cloaked stranger by the wall—a discharged soldier with no home. "I fear nothing," the soldier declared, recounting a tale of failed adventure. The peasant enlisted his help to guard the grave, and the soldier agreed to share whatever came.
At midnight, a shrill whistle announced the Devil's arrival. "Leave!" he commanded. "That soul is mine!" The soldier defiantly refused, saying he did not take orders from him.
The Devil tried bribery, offering a bag of gold. The soldier countered: "Fill one of my boots with gold, and we'll leave." The Devil agreed and left to fetch more gold from a money-changer.
Quickly, the soldier cut off the boot's sole and placed it over a hole in the ground. When the Devil returned and poured gold into the boot, it all fell through the hole. Twice more the Devil brought larger amounts, but the boot never filled. Enraged, he was about to attack when the first ray of sunrise appeared. With a shriek, the Evil Spirit fled, and the rich man's soul was saved.
The peasant offered to share the gold, but the soldier said, "Give my portion to the poor. I will live with you in your cottage, and we shall share what remains in peace, for as long as God wills."