A boy that goes into the candy store for years as a baby helps himself to a gumball with each trip.
At an appropriate age, the storeowner stops the youngster as he begins to help himself to a gumball.
He tells the boy that he has been taking treats without paying for them, and explains that it is not right to take something that doesn’t belong without proper payment.
The child is confused because he as always helped himself, yet he does understand the storeowner and agrees to pay the price for the treat.
The next time the youngster comes into the store, the owner is busy working in the back.
He enjoys the smells and the sights of the store, but can’t stay because he is late to get home.
As he exits the store, the boy picks up a gumball and pops it into his mouth and continues on his way.
About half way home the boy begins to feel guilty as he remembers that what he has done is wrong.
He has taken what was not his, without payment.
The next day he makes payment to the storeowner, and he never takes a gumball without paying again.
The storeowner is pleased that the boy has become a man.