The Trouble Tree

  [403 words] A preacher told of hiring a carpenter to restore an old farm house. On the first day when the carpenter was to report for work, he was an hour late. His tardiness, he said, was because he found that his electric saw was not working, and in addition, he had found a flat tire on his old truck. Nevertheless, he put in a full day’s work. When finished; he got in his aged truck and turned the key in the ignition only to find that the stubborn vehicle refused to start. Seeing the problem, the preacher offered to take the carpenter home and the tradesman got in the preacher’s car. They engaged in friendly conversation on the way and soon arrived at the man’s home. Before exiting the car, the carpenter invited the preacher in to meet his family. They both got out and started toward the…