A farmer rode to a fair to sell his sheep. He got a good price for them. His money-bag was full of gold and silver. He now set out for home. On the way he halted at an inn. “There is a nail out of one of the shoes”, said the stable boy “You had better wait and have it put on.”
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“No, no”, cried the farmer, “I can’t wait a minute. One nail does not matter.” So he got on the horse and galloped out of the town. He had hardly gone a few miles when…….. Completed Story The Missing Nail he found that his horse had lost a shoe. He stopped at an inn. The stable boy said, “Sir, you had better let me take your horse to the blacksmith1 to have the shoe put on.”
“No”, said the farmer, “It does not matter much. I am already late. I have only a few miles to go and my horse can take me there without a shoe.” He got on to his horse again and rode on. After a few miles, however, the horse began to limp and soon it went quite lame. The farmer, therefore, got down and began to lead it. He walked fast but he was still far away for home.
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The night came on. The farmer was forced to rest under a big banyan tree. Suddenly some robbers appeared there. They covered him with their pistol and demanded from him what ever he had. The farmer was now quite helpless. He resisted for a while. The robbers robbed him of his money bags by force and left him bruised. The farmer was sorry. He lamented over his foolish mistake. “Alas! he said,” “for want of a horse-shoe nail I have lost all my money.”
Moral: A stitch in time saves nine.