Long ago， there was a good and honest woodcutter. One day, when he was cutting wood beside a lake, he lost his axe in the water. The water was deep, and he could not get his axe back. He had only one axe, and he needed it to make his living. He sat down and began to cry. As he cried, a spirit appeared. She asked the man what was wrong. She listened to the woodcutter and felt sorry for him. But what could she do to help? Suddenly she came up with a great idea. The spirit dove into the lake and brought back a gold axe.
“Is this the axe you lost?” asked the good spirit. The man looked at the gold axe, knowing it wasn't his. Because he was honest, he admitted to the spirit that it wasn't his axe.
So the spirit dove into the water again and brought back a silver axe. Once again, the man said that was not his axe. The spirit went down a third time and returned with the woodcutter's old axe. “That is the right one!” said the woodcutter. The spirit was so happy with the woodcutter's honesty that she gave him the other two axes as presents.
Honesty truly is the best policy.