By Ruth Breindel, who taught Latin, Greek, Linguistics and Mythology at Moses Brown School for 30 years.

I just love this story!  I have no idea where I found it, but it’s one of my favorites.  To summarize: the grandmother leaves one grandson, the narrator, no money but a chair with cushions.  He is upset, beats the cushions, and golden money comes out.  He realizes that his grandmother loved him a great deal.

This story can be used in many ways.  You can give it to the class for sight reading or homework since it has vocabulary help, or use it as a translation or comprehension on a test.  Here are also  grammar and comprehension questions.  The grammar is not difficult, but it requires some careful reading on the students’ part (debebatur as the passive of debeo, not do, etc.).  The twist at the ending is almost O Henry and comes as a complete surprise to the students.  Class discussions can go into inheritance, family relationships both ancient and modern.  My students always enjoyed the story, even when it was a translation on a test!