Once upon a time in an old forest, there was a poor wood cutter cutting wood by the lake. One day, his axe accidently fell into the lake. The poor wood cutter didn’t know how to swim, so he could do nothing but sat by the lake and prayed to the lake godess.
The lake godess heard his prayer and appeared before him.
“What’s wrong, my good man?” she asked.
“ Help me!” Said the wood cutter, “ I’m very poor, and I lost my only axe.If I don’t get my axe back, my family will starve to death, please help me!” He cried.
Then the godess glanced at the wood cutter., “Very well,” she answered, “ You should have your axe back. ”
After a while, the godess brought out an axe made of gold from the lake.
“Is this your axe, my good man? ”Asked the godess.
“No, ”Said the wood cutter, “That is not my axe.”
Then the godess brought out a silver axe, the wood cutter said that wasn’t his axe again.
The third time, she brought out the wood cutter’s axe. The wood cutter was very happy and said, “This is my axe, thank you very much”
the end of the story, the godess was very pleased with the wood cutter’s honesty. He didn’t tell a lie, so that he can get the gold or the silver axe, he just wanted what he deserve. So she desided to give both the gold and silver axe to him. The wood cutter sold the axes, and became a kind rich man.
The moral of this story is, honesty is the best policy.
翻译：
从前，在一个古老的森林的里，有一个贫穷的樵夫在湖边砍柴。有一天，他的斧头不小心掉进湖里。可怜的樵夫不知道如何游泳，所以他只能坐在湖边向湖女神祈祷。
湖女神听了他的祷告，出现在他面前。
“怎么了，我的好男人？“她问。
帮帮我！“樵夫说，“我很穷，我失去了我唯一的斧头。如果我不把我的斧头回来，我的家人会饿死，请帮助我！“他喊道。
然后女神瞥了樵夫一眼说。“很好，”她回答说，“你应该把你的斧头找回来。“
过了一会儿，女神从湖里带来了黄金做的斧头。
“这是你的斧子，我的好男人？“问女神。
“不，”樵夫说，“那不是我的斧头。”
然后女神拿出一把银斧子，樵夫说那不是他的斧头再次。
第三次，她带来了樵夫的斧头。樵夫非常高兴的说，“这是我的斧头，非常感谢你”
故事的结尾，女神对樵夫的诚实非常高兴。因为他没有为了就能得到金或银斧子而撒谎，他只是想让他应得的东西。所以她决定给把金和银斧头送给他。樵夫卖掉斧子，成为一个富有的人。
这个故事的寓意是，诚实是最好的政策。