Chapter 1: The Perfect Town

Hadleyburg was a small town. The people who lived there were proud. They believed they were the most honest people in the world. Parents always told their children, “Never lie, never cheat, and never steal.” These words were repeated so many times that even little children knew them by heart.
The people of Hadleyburg thought they were special. They believed their honesty made them better than everyone else. Other towns didn’t agree. People from outside laughed at Hadleyburg. They said, “Those people are too proud. They think they are perfect.”
One day, a stranger came to Hadleyburg. Nobody knew his name. He stayed for only a short time. While he was there, something happened. The people of Hadleyburg were unkind to him. Maybe they didn’t notice him. Maybe they were too proud. But he felt hurt and angry. As he left the town, he said to himself, “I will come back one day. I will teach Hadleyburg a lesson. They are not as honest as they think.”
Many months passed. One day, a large sack arrived in the town. It looked heavy and full. A letter was attached to the sack. People gathered to read the letter. It said:
“This sack holds $40,000 in gold coins. I want to give this money to a man in Hadleyburg. A few months ago, I passed through your town. I was poor and hungry. A kind man helped me. He gave me twenty dollars and some advice. He wrote these words on a paper: ‘You are far from being a bad man. Go, and reform.’ Those words changed my life. I am now a rich man. I want to thank the person who helped me. I don’t remember his name, but he will remember those words.”
The town was surprised. Who was the kind man? Who would get the sack of gold? The people became excited. Everyone wanted to know who the hero was. They wanted to see him get his reward.
The letter explained what to do. The man who gave the advice should write a letter to the town leaders. He must write the exact words he gave to the stranger. If the words matched, the gold would be his.
People started guessing. “It must be Mr. Wilson,” someone said. “No, maybe it was Mr. Billson,” said another. “I think I remember those words.”
But the truth was, no one remembered helping a poor stranger with those exact words. No one knew who had said them. The town leaders didn’t know what to do. But soon, something strange happened.
At night, some people sat down and wrote letters. They copied the words: “You are far from being a bad man. Go, and reform.” They added, “I gave these words to a poor man months ago.” They signed the letters and sent them to the town leaders. They hoped to get the gold.
But none of them had told the truth.
Hadleyburg had always said, “We are the most honest town.” But now, its most respected people were lying.

Chapter 2: The Contest Begins

The town leaders of Hadleyburg met to read the letters. There were nineteen letters in total. Each one said almost the same thing: “I met a poor man and gave him twenty dollars. I also gave him these words: ‘You are far from being a bad man. Go, and reform.’”
The leaders were shocked. Nineteen people had written the same thing. How was that possible? They all claimed to be the honest helper from before. But the stranger said only one person helped him.
The people in town became excited. Everyone talked about the letters. Everyone wanted to know who would win the sack of gold. Some people thought, “Maybe my husband will win.” Others whispered, “I hope it’s me.” But deep in their hearts, they all felt nervous. They knew they had lied.
A few days later, the leaders held a big public meeting. The whole town came to the hall. People stood close together. Children sat on the floor. Everyone was waiting.
Mr. Burgess, the Chair of the meeting, opened the sack. He pulled out a paper with the test-remark. He read it loudly:
“You are far from being a bad man. Go, and reform.”
People looked at each other. They waited to see whose letter matched.
Mr. Burgess then opened the first letter. It was from Mr. Billson. He read the words out loud. They matched perfectly. People clapped and shouted.
“Billson is the honest man! Give him the gold!”
But just before giving the sack, Mr. Burgess said, “Wait, there is another letter from Mr. Wilson.” He opened it and read it. It had the same words.
Now the people were confused. Two men gave the exact same words. How could that be? One of them must be lying.
Mr. Burgess looked worried. He said, “There may be more letters with the same words.” Then he read all the other letters. One by one, the people heard the same sentence again and again.
The crowd became silent. Then someone laughed. Another person shouted, “They all said the same thing!” Everyone began to laugh louder. It was a strange, nervous laugh.
The town that was once proud of its honesty was now full of liars.
The stranger’s plan was working.
One voice in the back said, “Maybe the test was a trick!” Another shouted, “Who is the stranger? He is the real problem!”
But no one really believed that. Deep down, they knew the truth. They had all tried to cheat. The gold had tempted them.
Mr. Burgess then said, “Let me read the final note from the stranger.”
He opened the paper and read:
“There was no helper. I was never given twenty dollars. The test was fake. I made it all up. I wanted to show that Hadleyburg is not really honest. And now I have.”
The people gasped. Their faces turned red. Some shouted in anger. Others looked down in shame.
Hadleyburg was not the perfect town anymore.

Chapter 3: Shame in the Town

The next morning, Hadleyburg was quiet. People stayed in their homes. Shops opened late. Neighbors did not look at each other. The proud and honest town now felt ashamed.
The news spread fast. Everyone knew the truth: the letters were lies. Nineteen respected people had all tried to take money that was not theirs.
Some of them were important men. Some worked for the church. Some were town leaders. Now, they were all the same—liars.
Mr. and Mrs. Richards sat in their house. They felt afraid and guilty. Mr. Richards was one of the people who had written a fake letter. But something was different. He never sent his letter.
“I was going to send it,” Mr. Richards said. “But I couldn’t do it. I felt sick inside.”
Mrs. Richards looked at him. “Maybe we will be safe. No one knows you wrote the letter.”
“But I still tried,” he said quietly. “In my heart, I am not honest.”
Then something strange happened. A letter came to the Richards’ house. Inside the envelope was a note and a check for $20,000.
The note said:
“Mr. and Mrs. Richards, I know you were honest. I know you didn’t send the letter. You are the only ones in Hadleyburg who told the truth. Please accept this money. You deserve it.”
The couple stared at the check. Their hands shook.
“We didn’t tell the truth,” Mr. Richards said. “I almost sent the letter.”
“But you didn’t,” said his wife. “Maybe that means something.”
Still, they were not happy. The money made them feel worse. They felt dirty inside.
Later that day, people in the town heard the news. “The Richards got the money!” they said.
Some were happy. “At least someone honest wins.” Others were angry. “Why them? They are not better than us!”
Soon, reporters came to town. They wanted to hear the full story. They asked questions. They took photos. Hadleyburg was now famous—but not for its honesty. It was famous for shame.
People in other towns laughed. They said, “So much for perfect Hadleyburg!” The name became a joke.
At night, Mr. Richards sat alone. He thought about everything that happened.
He whispered, “What is honesty? Is it never doing wrong? Or is it being afraid to do wrong?”
He didn’t know the answer.

Chapter 4: The Truth Changes Everything

The people of Hadleyburg could not stop thinking about what had happened. The lie had become too big. The town’s pride was broken. The people felt small and weak.
Soon, the names of the nineteen people who sent the false letters were made public. The whole town saw the list. Friends stopped talking. Families argued. Trust disappeared.
Some people left town. Others stayed quiet and avoided their neighbors. The church was half empty. The school was quiet. Life in Hadleyburg was not the same.
Mr. and Mrs. Richards still had the $20,000 check. But they could not sleep. They felt sick every day. Mr. Richards said, “People think we are heroes. But we are not. I wrote that letter. I just didn’t send it.”
Mrs. Richards cried. “Let’s give the money back.”
But it was too late. A week later, Mr. Richards died. The doctors said his heart stopped. Some people thought it was sadness. Others thought it was guilt.
Mrs. Richards followed him soon after.
The money never helped them. It only brought pain.
After the Richards’ death, the people of Hadleyburg came together. They held a town meeting. This time, no one stood tall. No one was proud.
An old man said, “We are not honest. We were just never tested before. The stranger showed us the truth.”
Another woman added, “Let’s teach our children something better. Not just to say ‘We are honest’—but to be kind, and to admit mistakes.”
The people voted to change the town’s name. They no longer wanted to be called Hadleyburg. The name reminded them of their pride—and their fall.
Slowly, the town changed. People began to be more careful with their words. They tried to help one another more. They no longer said, “We are the most honest town.”
Now, they said, “We are trying to do better.”
The stranger never came back. No one knew his name. But his plan had worked. He had corrupted Hadleyburg—but maybe he had also helped it.
Not with gold, but with truth.

Chapter 5: A New Beginning

After the big meeting, Hadleyburg began to change. The people no longer said, “We are the best.” They stopped telling their children that they lived in the most honest town. Instead, they taught them to be careful, kind, and real.
A new sign was placed at the edge of the town. It no longer said “Welcome to Hadleyburg.” It now said only:
“Welcome. Do your best.”
Many people moved away. Others stayed. New people came. The town slowly became quiet again—but different. The old pride was gone. In its place, people tried to live with honesty and humility.
The story of Hadleyburg spread across the country. Newspapers printed headlines like:
“Honest Town Caught Lying.”
“Pride Comes Before the Fall.”
“Gold Reveals True Character.”
Other towns talked about Hadleyburg. Some laughed. Others learned from it.
Teachers used the story in classrooms. They asked students, “What would you do?” “Would you write the letter?” “Is it wrong to lie if you think no one will know?”
Even years later, the town remembered the stranger. No one ever found him. No one knew his real name. But his message stayed in the hearts of the people.
One young boy in town asked his father, “Will the stranger ever come back?”
The father smiled. “He already did what he needed to do. He showed us who we really are.”
The boy thought for a moment. “But isn’t that a bad thing?”
“No,” said the father. “Sometimes, to become better, we must see the worst in ourselves first.”
The boy nodded. He didn’t fully understand. But he would remember those words.
And maybe one day, when he grew up, he would tell that story to someone else. Not just the story of the gold, or the stranger, or the lie—but the story of how one proud town fell, and then slowly stood back up again.
Not perfect. Not proud.
But honest.