幸福的秘诀

张超

An old man was hungry. He walked slowly into a restaurant with his stick1. His old jacket and worn-out shoes made him stand out from the usual Saturday morning breakfast crowd2.

A young waitress named Mary watched him move towards a table by the window. She ran over to him， and said with a smile， “Here， sir. Let me give you a hand.”

Without saying a word， he gave her a smile. She pulled the chair away from the table and helped him sit down. Then she put his stick against the table so that he could reach it. In a soft， clear voice， he said， “Thank you， Miss. You are very kind！”

“Youre welcome， sir，” she replied， “My name is Mary. Ill be back in a moment， and if you need anything， just wave3 at me！”

After he had finished a good meal of pancakes， bacon4， and hot lemon5 tea， Mary brought him the change， helping him up from his chair and out from behind the table. She handed him his stick， and walked with him to the front door. Holding the door open for him， she said， “Come back and see us， sir！” The old man turned around， nodded6 a thank you and said softly with a smile， “You are very kind！”

When Mary went to clean his table， she was shocked7. Under the plate， she found a business card and a note written on the napkin8， under which was a $100 bill. The note on the napkin read， “Dear Mary， I respect9 you very much， and you respect yourself， too. It shows the way you treat others. You have found the secret of happiness. Your kind deeds10 will shine through those who meet you.”

In fact， the old man was the owner of the restaurant. That was the first time that she， or any of his waitresses， had seen him.

一位老人饿了，他拄着手杖缓慢地走进一家饭店。他那旧上衣以及破破烂烂的鞋子让他在星期六早晨就餐的人群中格外显眼。

一个名叫玛丽的年轻女服务员看到他走向一个靠窗的桌子。她向他跑过去，笑着说，“坐这里，先生，让我来帮你吧。”

老头没说话，只是对着玛丽微笑。她从桌边拉过一把椅子，帮助老人坐下来，然后把手杖靠在桌边，这样他就能够得着。老人用柔和清晰的声音说：“谢谢你，小姐。你真是个善良的好姑娘。”

“不客气，先生。我叫玛丽，我先失陪一下马上就回来，如果您需要什么，向我挥挥手就可以了。”玛丽说。

在他享用完一顿由薄烤饼、熏肉和一杯热柠檬茶组合的丰盛早餐后，玛丽为他找了零钱。她把他扶起来，离开桌子，把手杖递给他，陪着他向门口走去。她为他打开门，然后对他说：“欢迎再次光临，先生。”他转过身，微笑着点头致谢，温柔地说：“你真是个善良的好姑娘。”

当玛丽回到桌子旁准备开始清理时，她大为震惊。在他用过的餐盘下面放着一张名片，旁边的餐巾纸上写着一些话，餐巾纸下面是一张100美元的小费。餐巾纸上写着：亲爱的玛丽：我非常敬重你，你是个非常自重的人，这都体现在你对待他人的方式上。你已经找到了幸福的秘诀——你善良的行为就像阳光一样撒在每一个与你相遇的人身上。

事实上，老人就是餐馆的老板。这是第一次玛丽或其他女服务员见到他。