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.

在冰淇淋圣代还很便宜的年代，一个10岁的小男孩走进一家酒店的咖啡厅，在一张桌子旁坐了下来。一名服务员在他面前放了一杯水。

“How much is an ice cream sundae?”

“一个冰淇淋圣代多少钱？”

“50 cents,” replied the waitress.

“50美分，”服务员回答道。

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

小男孩从口袋里拿出手来，仔细地数了一下手里的硬币。

“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钱？”他问道。这时候有一些人正在候位，服务员有些不耐烦了。

“35 cents,” she said brusquely.

“35美分。”她粗鲁地回复道。

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

小男孩又数了一遍硬币。“我要一份原味冰淇淋。”他说。

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.

服务员拿来冰淇淋，把账单放到桌上后就走开了。小男孩吃完冰淇淋，付了钱，然后离开了。

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

当服务员回来的时候，他开始擦桌子，然后她被自己看到的一切哽住了。

There, placed neatly¹ beside the empty dish, were 15 cents – her tip.

在那里的空碟子下面整齐地放着15美分——她的小费。