In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

在冰淇淋圣代還很便宜的年代，一個10歲的小男孩走進一家酒店的咖啡廳，在一張桌子旁坐了下來。一名服務(wù)員在他面前放了一杯水。

“How much is an ice cream sundae?”

“一個冰淇淋圣代多少錢?”

“50 cents,” replied the waitress.

“50美分，”服務(wù)員回答道。

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it.

小男孩從口袋里拿出手來，仔細地數(shù)了一下手里的硬幣。

“How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient.”

“一碟原味冰淇淋多少錢?”他問道。這時候有一些人正在候位，服務(wù)員有些不耐煩了。

“35 cents,” she said brusquely.

“35美分。”她粗魯?shù)鼗貜?fù)道。

The little boy again counted the coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.

小男孩又數(shù)了一遍硬幣。“我要一份原味冰淇淋。”他說。

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed.

服務(wù)員拿來冰淇淋，把賬單放到桌上后就走開了。小男孩吃完冰淇淋，付了錢，然后離開了。

When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw.

當服務(wù)員回來的時候，他開始擦桌子，然后她被自己看到的一切哽住了。

There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were 15 cents – her tip.

在那里的空碟子下面整齊地放著15美分——她的小費。