Paid in full, with one glass of milk

As a young man, Howard Kelly was hiking in the woods, when he grew weary, hungry, and
thirsty. He stopped at the next house and asked for a drink of water. The beautiful girl who
opened the door thought he could use more than a glass of water, so she graciously brought him a
large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?" "You don't
owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness." Kelly
replied, "Then I thank you from my heart.".
Year's later the young woman fell ill, and the local doctors sent her to the big city, where they
called in specialists to study her disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for consultation and he
recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save
her life. After a long struggle, the battle was won, and her life was saved. Dr. Kelly requested the
business office to pass the final bill to him for approval.
He looked at it, wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She was afraid to
look at it for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay the bill. Finally, she looked, and
something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words. . .
";Paid in full, with one glass of milk"