There once lived a man who was very rich, but very stingy. Every time he hired a servant he promised him 200 reals a month in paymennt for his services. But at the end of the month, when it was time for him to pay, the rich man would summon the servant and say to him,

"Go to the market and buy me some ow and ouch. If you don't bring any back, you won't get your wages."

But no one knew what ow and ouch were, or where they could be brought. So no one got their 200 reals.

One day a clever young boy entered the rich man's service, and he said to himself,

"I'll show him what's what with his ow and ouch, so that he won't forget it to his dying day."

He served his month out, and when the rich man sent him to market for ow and ouch, he said to him,

"All right, Sir, but you must first give me 100 reals. The price of ow and ouch has gone up."

The rich man gave him 100 reals, thinking the boy wouldn't bring back any ow or ouch.

Taking two jars, the boy put a large centipede in one and a scorpion in the other and returned home.

"What have you brought?" asked the rich man.

"Here is ow," said the boy, and he handed him the jar with the centipede in it.

"You mean to say that that is ow?" the man asked, unbelieveingly.

"Put your finger inside and you'll see," replied the boy.

So the rich man put his finger inside the jar, and the centipede bit him good and hard.

"Ow!" cried the rich man.

"There, you see!" said the boy with a laugh. "And here in this other jar is ouch."

"All right, all right. Here is your 200 reals, and be off with you," grumbled the rich man, giving the boy the money.

But he didn't put his finger in the other jar.