随葬品

鸭绒25（译）

2024年1月24日

当约翰逊先生躺在他的临终病床上时，他试图制定一个计划。至少能让他带走他相当可观的财富中的一部分。

他请来了他最信任的3个人：他的律师、医生，和牧师。

他告诉他们：“我死前会给你们每人3万美元现金。在我的葬礼上，我想让你们把这些钱放进我的棺材里。这样，我就可以试着把它们带走。”

3个人都同意这样做。他们也得到了这笔钱。

在葬礼上，他们3人依次走近棺材，各在里面放了一个信封。

在3人乘坐豪华礼车前往墓地途中，牧师说：“我必须向你们坦白一件事。约翰逊兄一生都是一个好教徒。我知道他也会希望我这么做的。教堂非常需要一个新的洗礼池。我从他给我的钱中拿出1万美元买了一个。我只在棺材里放了2万美元。”

医生接着说：“好吧。既然我们3人之间相互信任，我不妨告诉你们，我也没把那3万美元全部放进棺材里。约翰逊患有的病，本可以更早地被诊断出来。但我没有这台刚买的机器。这台机器要价2万美元。当时我买不起。我用其中的2万美元买了这台机器。这样，我就可以救活下一个病人。我知道他会希望我这么做的。”

律师接着说：“我真为你们两个感到羞愧。当我把信封放进棺材时，那里面可是1分钱没少，装的是我3万美元的个人支票。”

原文： Taking It With You

As Mr. Johnson was on his death bed，he attempted to formulate a plan that would allow him to take at least some of his considerable wealth with him。

He called for the three men he trusted most: his lawyer，his doctor，and his clergyman。

He told them：“I'm going to give you each $30,000 in cash before I die。At my funeral，I want you to place the money in my coffin so that I can try to take it with me。”

All three agreed to do this and were given the money。

At the funeral，each approached the coffin in turn and placed an envelope inside。

While riding in the limousine to the cemetery，the clergyman said：“I have to confess something to you fellows。Brother Johnson was a good churchman all his life，and I know he would have wanted me to do this。The church needed a new baptistery very badly，and I took $10,000 of the money he gave me and bought one。I only put $20,000 in the coffin。”

The physician then said：“Well，since we're confiding in one another，I might as well tell you that I didn't put the full $30,000 in the coffin either。Johnson had a disease that could have been diagnosed sooner if I had this very new machine，but the machine cost $20,000 and I couldn't afford it then。I used $20,000 of the money to buy the machine so that I might be able to save another patient。I know that he would have wanted me to do that。”

The lawyer then said：“I'm ashamed of both of you。When I put my envelope into that coffin，it held my personal check for the full $30,000。”