ow the three
brothers were faring. Assuming the form of an old beggar, he went to the
oldest brother who was busy among his wine-presses and begged the
charity of a cup of wine.

"Be off with you, you old vagabond!" the oldest brother shouted angrily.
"If I gave a cup of wine to every beggar that comes along I'd soon be a
beggar myself!"

The Angel lifted his staff, made the sign of the cross, and lo! the
wine and all the wine-presses disappeared and in their place flowed a
broad deep river.

"In your prosperity you have forgotten God's poor," the Angel said. "Go
back to your pear tree."

Then the Angel went to the second brother who was busy in his dairy.

"Brother," the Angel said, "in heaven's name, I pray you, give me a
morsel of cheese."

"A morsel of cheese, you lazy good-for-nothing!" the second brother
cried. "Be off with you or I'll call the dogs!"

The Angel lifted his staff, made the sign of the cross, and lo! the
sheep and the dairy and all the busy laborers disappeared and he and the
second brother were standing there alone in a field where flocks of
pigeons were feeding.

"In your prosperity you have forgotten God's poor," the Angel said. "Go
back to your pear tree!"

Then the Angel made his way to the forest where he had left the youngest
brother and his wife. He found them in great poverty living in a mean
little hut.

"God be with you!" said the Angel still in the guise of an old beggar.
"I pray you in heaven's name give me shelter for the night and a bite of
supper."

"We are poor ourselves," the youngest brother said.

"But come in, you are welcome to share what we have."

They put the old beggar to rest at the most comfortable place beside the
fire and the wife set three places for the evening meal. They were so
poor that the loaf that was baking in the oven was not made of grain
ground at the mill but of pounded bark gathered from the trees.

"Alas," the wife murmured to herself, "it shames me that we have no real
bread to put before our guest."

Imagine then her surprise when she opened the oven and saw a browned
loaf of wheaten bread.

"God be praised!" she cried.

She drew a pitcher of water at the spring but when she began pouring it
into the cups she found to her joy that it was changed to wine.

"In your happiness," the Angel said, "you have not forgotten God's poor
and God will reward you!"

He raised his staff, made the sign of the cross, and lo! the mean little
hu