I like all kinds of chocolate. Mother had bought a bar of it， and somehow I couldnt stop thinking about it.

I was helping Father on the winnower[扬谷机]. It was right then I got an idea. I could whack[砍，减少] a chunk[大块] off the end of that bar of chocolate.

I got the bar down， but I heard Mother coming just when I had the knife ready to whack. So I slipped the chocolate into the front of my shirt and left quickly. I went to the barn and hid the chocolate there.

I was nearly out to where the cows were when I remembered what Father had said once—some of the family money was mine because I had helped to earn it. Why wouldnt it be all right to figure the bar of chocolate had been bought with my own money？

But by the time I had the cows headed home， I had begun to worry again. We were nearly to the railroad tracks[轨道] when I decided to leave the whole matter to the Lord. I picked up a dried soap weed stalk and decided I would throw it up into the air and take my orders from the way it landed. If it pointed west， Id take the whole bar back. If it pointed south， Id take half an inch off the end.

I swung[甩，摇荡] the pod stalk as high as I could. When it came down， it pointed mostly west—but a little south.

That night I couldnt sleep. At last I got up， slipped[悄悄走进] out into the yard， and took the ax from the chopping block[墩子]. Then I went into the barn and got the chocolate.

Just as I was starting to cut， Father said， “Son！”

I grabbed up the bar of chocolate and hid it next to my chest before I turned around. Father picked me up by the shoulder straps of my overalls and took me over to the woodpile. I didnt know anybody could spank as hard as he did！

Then he stood me on my feet and asked if I thought I had deserved it.

“Son，” he said， “I know you help to earn the family money. We might say the chocolate was yours in the first place. You should have had it if youd asked for it， but I wont have you being sneaky about things. Now， do you want to keep your money separated[分开] from mine—or are we partners？”

I never knew till then how much I wanted my money to go in with Fathers. When I went to sleep my hand was still hurting—from where he squeezed[紧握] it when we shook hands.

我喜欢各种各样的巧克力。妈妈买了一块这样的巧克力，不知怎的，我总是情不自禁地想起它。

我在帮爸爸扬谷。就在那时我想到了一个主意。我可以在那块巧克力尾部弄一块下来。

我将巧克力拿下来，但在我准备用小刀切下一块巧克力时，我听见妈妈走进来了。因此我将巧克力塞进衬衣中，然后很快离开。我走进谷仓并将巧克力藏在那里。

在我快走到牛群那里时，我想起爸爸曾经对我说的——家里的一些钱也是我的，因为是我帮忙赚的。那为什么不能说那块巧克力是用我自己的钱买的呢？ 当我将牛群赶回家时，我又开始担心起来。我们快到铁路轨道时，我决定将事情交给上帝决定。我捡起干的皂草梗，并将它抛入空中，看它落地后的方向再做决定。如果它朝向西，我就将整块巧克力放回去，如果它指向南，我就在一端切下半英尺巧克力。

我用劲将带心皮的草梗甩向空中。它下来时，几乎指向西边，但有点偏南。

那天晚上，我无法入眠。最终，我起床，偷偷溜进院子里，从劈柴墩上拿了一把斧头，然后我走进谷仓拿出巧克力。

正当我准备切巧克力时，爸爸叫道：“儿子！”

在转身前，我拿起巧克力并将它放在我胸前的衣服里。爸爸抓起我工装裤上的布条，将我带到木柴堆那里。我不知道有谁能像他打屁股那样那么厉害。

然后他将我放下，问我是否觉得这是我应得的。

“儿子，”他说，“我知道你帮家里赚了钱，可以说这巧克力就是你的，你要是向我们要，你本可以得到它，但我不希望你偷偷摸摸的。现在你想将你的钱和我的分开，还是成为我的伙伴呢？”

直到那时我才知道我是多么想将我的钱和爸爸的放在一起。当我去睡觉时，我那只和父亲握手时他紧握的手仍在痛。