Summary

The narrator and his family moved in a small town on the island of Luzon
several years after 1918 when their farm was destroyed by a flood. They moved
near the house of a rich man, who doesn’t interact with his neighbors. The
children of the farmer were cheerful and playful while the rich man’s children
stayed inside the house and kept the windows closed. Every time the rich man’s
servant cooks good food, the children stood outside the windows and smell the
aroma of the food. They grew up to be healthy while the rich man’s children were
pale and thin. The rich man was seen observing the family of the farmer and he
ordered his servants to shut all the windows and doors in their house. However,
the farmer’s family can still smell the goodness of the rich man’s food. The rich
man then filed a complaint against the family of the narrator for stealing the spirit
of the wealth and food. The day of the trial arrived. The rich man came looking
old and weak and the rest of his family. The trial starts and the farmer cross
examined the children of the rich man. He decided to give them an equal
payment for what they stole. The farmer collected coins from his family and went
to another room to collect more coins. He went back to the courtroom shaking
the coins confirming that the rich man and his family were hearing it. The farmer
told the rich man that they are paid. The rich man fell to the floor and the case
was dismissed. The judge went down to talk to the farmer and shook his hands.
Everyone in the courtroom started to laugh and the judge’s laugh was the
loudest.