Kindness Reciprocated Unexpectedly

Many years ago two young men were working their way through Stanford University.  At one point their money was almost gone, so they decided to engage the great pianist Paderewski for a concert and use the profits for board and tuition.  Paderewski's manager asked for a guarantee of two thousand dollars.

The students worked hard to promote the concert, but they came up four hundred dollars short.  After the performance, they went to the musician, gave him all the money they had raised, and promised to pay the four hundered dollars as soon as they could.  It appeared that their college days were over.  "No, boys, that won't do," said the pianist.  "Take out of this sixteen hundred dollars all your expenses, and keep for each of you 10 percent of all the balance for your work.  Let me have the rest."

Years passed.  Paderewski became premier of Poland following World War I.  Thousand of his countrymen were starving.  Only one man could help--the head of the U.S. Food and Relief Bureau.  Paderewski's appeal to him brought thousands of tons of food.  Later he met the American statesman to thank him.  "That's all right," replied Herbert Hoover.  "Besides, you don't remember, but you helped me once when I was a student in college."

- Roy B. Zuck, The Speaker's Quote Book (Christian Literature Crusade, 1997)