Fantastic Fables, Ambrose Bierce: The Thief and the Honest Man

Updated May 14, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

The Thief and the Honest Man

A THIEF who had brought a suit against his accomplices to recover his share of the plunder taken from an Honest Man, demanded the Honest Man's attendance at the trial to testify to his loss. But the Honest Man explained that as he was merely the agent of a company of other honest men it was none of his affair; and when the officers came to serve him with a subpoena he hid himself behind his back and wiled away the dragging hours of retirement and inaction by picking his own pockets.