Wise Joanna
Rose was a rich girl who was extremely beautiful as well. In spite of these two gifts of God, Rose had two bad habits, one that she was very lazy and the other that she was very careless.
When Rose sat weaving, she would waste a lot of flax- much more than she used. When she came to have a new dress, she would wear it two or three times only. Then she would discard it and throw it away saying that she had stopped liking it.
Now, Rose had a maid named Joanna who was poor and had average looks only. But she was very careful and hard-working. She would gather the dresses thrown away by Rose and put it in her bag. Not only this, she picked up the flax wasted by her mistress and preserved it with utmost care.
One day, a young man saw Rose and was bewitched by her beauty. So, he asked for Rose’s hand in marriage. The young man was very handsome, kind and God-loving. So, the marriage celebration was organized. Rose invited all her friends. Joanna was also there. She had prepared for herself a very beautiful dress out of the clothes rejected by Rose.
When Rose noticed Joanna’s beautiful dress, she felt surprised as well as annoyed. So she sang-
“Look at this serving girl, Joanna,
Though she looks very stunning;
She is wearing my rejects only,
and has come to see my wedding."
The bridegroom heard Rose’s song and asked her to explain it. Hearing the explanation, the young man thought for a while and said, “Well! whereas Rose is so careless. Joanna is just the opposite. So, it is she who will be my wife, not Rose.”
Thus wasteful Rose came to lose her fiancé while Joanna, the wise, got him as her husband.
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