One bright morning, a shoemaker named Sam and a tailor named Tim decided to see the world. Sam was very good at making shoes, and he liked to talk about it. A lot. Tim was good at sewing clothes, and he was quieter, but he noticed everything.

"My shoes," Sam would say, "are the best in any land! They could walk a hundred miles and still look new!"
Tim would just nod and smile, stitching a neat little seam.

As they walked through a big, green forest, they heard a rustle in the bushes. Then, a low growl! Out lumbered a big, brown bear!

"Oh dear!" yelped Sam. He scrambled up the nearest tall tree as fast as a squirrel. "Every man for himself, Tim!" he called down.

Tim knew he couldn't outrun a bear or climb as fast as Sam. He remembered something his grandma once told him: "If a bear thinks you're not alive, it might leave you alone." So, Tim dropped to the ground and lay perfectly still, holding his breath.

The big bear padded over. It sniffed Tim all over, from his toes to the top of his head. It nudged him gently with its wet nose. Tim didn't move a muscle. He didn't even wiggle his nose! The bear must have thought, "Well, this one's no fun," because it grunted and wandered off into the woods.

After a while, when the coast was clear, Sam climbed down from the tree. He brushed himself off and looked quite pleased with himself.
"Whew, that was close!" he said. "So, Tim, what did that big furry fellow whisper in your ear when he was sniffing you?"

Tim sat up slowly. He looked at Sam with a little twinkle in his eye. "Oh," he said calmly, "he gave me some very good advice. He told me, 'Next time, Tim, don't travel with someone who runs up a tree and leaves his friend to face a bear all alone!'"

Sam's face turned a bit red. He didn't say anything.
And just like that, they decided to go their separate ways.

Tim the Tailor walked on and soon came to a big town where the King lived. It turned out the King needed a new Royal Tailor. Tim showed his wonderful sewing, and soon he was making fine clothes for the King and Queen. He had a nice room in the castle and was very happy.

Meanwhile, Sam the Shoemaker didn't do so well. His boasting didn't sell many shoes when people saw he wasn't always a good companion. He became rather poor and a bit grumpy.

One day, Sam heard about the successful Royal Tailor. He went to the castle and was surprised to see it was Tim!
"Tim, my old friend!" Sam said, trying to sound cheerful. "Look at you! I suppose you'll help out an old traveling companion who's down on his luck?"

Tim smiled kindly. "Hello, Sam. I remember our travels. Tell me, if we met that bear again in the forest, what would you do?"

Sam puffed out his chest. "Why, I'd climb the tree again, of course! It's the sensible thing to do to save yourself!"

Tim shook his head gently. "I see. Well, Sam, in this castle, we value those who help each other, not just themselves."
Tim gave Sam a good meal and a new pair of shoes he had made (because Tim was kind, even if Sam hadn't learned his lesson). But he didn't offer Sam a job in the castle.

And so, Tim the Tailor lived happily, known for his skill and his good heart. And Sam? Well, hopefully, he eventually learned that being a true friend is much more valuable than being the first one up a tree.

1594 Views