The Story of the Other Wise Man

by Henry Van Dyke

"The Story of the Other Wise Man" by Henry Van Dyke is a short novel published in 1895. It tells of Artaban, a fourth wise man who sets out to find the newborn King with precious gifts but is repeatedly delayed by acts of mercy. Each time he stops to help someone in need, he sacrifices one of his treasures and arrives too late. For thirty-three years, he searches for Jesus while performing charitable works, until his final moments in Jerusalem reveal whether his journey was in vain.