A LITTLE HERO G118

 A LITTLE HERO

A group of Italian soldiers led by a captain were advancing slowly toward the position of the enemy. They were expecting to see in the distance some signs of the enemy. They arrived at a farmhouse, in front of which sat a small boy. The boy was cutting a branch of a tree with his knife to make a cane.

When the boy saw the soldiers, he stopped working on the branch, stood up, and took off his cap. He was a handsome boy with large, bright eyes and fair hair.

“What are you doing here?” asked the captain. “Why didn't you leave with your family?”

“I don't have any family,” said the boy. “I'm an orphan. I used to work for the family that lived here. They've gone, but I stayed in order to see the fighting.”

“Have you seen any Austrians pass by here?”

“Not within the last three days.”

The captain got off his horse, and went into the house. His head soon appeared out of one of the second storey windows, from where he could see nothing but trees. In front of the house was a tall tree, its top well above the tops of the other trees. The captain came out and asked the boy:

"Do you have good eyesight, young man?"

"Me? "asked the boy. "I can see a sparrow two hundred paces away."

"Do you think you could climb that tree and tell me whether you see anything of the Austrians in the distance?"

"Sure," said the boy eagerly, jumping up, kicking off his shoes, and throwing aside his cap.

"How much do you want for that? "asked the captain,.

"I don't want anything, "said the boy, already starting to climb the tree. "I would do anything for our soldiers."

In a few minutes the boy was at the top of the tree.

"Look straight ahead, "cried the captain, "and tell me what you see."

Two men on horse back—nothing else.”

“How far away?”

About a mile and a half. They're standing still.”

“What else do you see?” asked the captain after a moment of silence.

The boy looked to the right. After a while he said:

“Near the cemetery, between the trees, there's something shining, perhaps bayonets.”

“Do you see any soldiers?”

“No, if there are any, they must be hidden among the trees.”

Just then there was the sharp whistle of a bullet which passed near the boy.

“Get down!” said the captain.

Another bullet whistled by.

“They're shooting at me,” said the boy. “But don't worry. Let me tell you what's to the left. Well, there's a church and I think I see ...”

A third bullet passed, and at almost the same moment the boy was seen to fall suddenly from the tree. He struck the ground heavily. Blood was trickling from his mouth. The captain ran to him and tore open the boy's shirt. A bullet had passed through his chest on the left. The boy opened his eyes for a moment, looked at the captain, and then died.

"Poor boy! "said the captain over and over. He looked at the boy for a minute. He ordered a soldier to bring a national flag and covered the boy's body with it, leaving only his face exposed. The captain collected the boy's cap, shoes, knife, and the branch he had been cutting, and placed them near the boy's body.

"We'll send someone to pick him up, "said the captain. "He died like a soldier and we must bury him like a soldier."

The captain and his group moved on, but the story of the little boy spread quickly. Later that afternoon other groups of soldiers moved up to the front. When they passed the place where the dead boy lay, each soldier saluted. Some of them placed flowers on the boy's body.

Soon it was covered with flowers. On the boy's pale face there was a half-smile that seemed to suggest that he was happy to have given his life for his country.

THE STORY OF WILLIAM TELL G117

 THE STORY OF WILLIAM TELL

A long time ago the tiny country of Switzerland was ruled by Austria. But the Swiss did not take their fate lying down. Every week there was a rebellion somewhere, and the Austrian soldiers were kept busy hurrying from one town to another in order to put down the rebellions. The town of Altorf was particularly troublesome.

The emperor of Austria finally decided to teach the Swiss a lesson. He sent a special governor to Altorf, a man named Gessler, who would rule with a firm hand.

One of Gessler's orders required all Altorfers to bow before him. Anyone who refused to bow was thrown into prison. Although most of the people bowed to Gessler, they spat into the dirt as they did so. So Gessler decided to get even tougher. He placed his hat on a pole in the marketplace and ordered the Altorfers to bow before it whenever they passed.

One day, William Tell, a famous hunter, came to Altorf with his little son. He saw that ten soldiers were stationed beside the pole. He knew about the order, and he knew why the soldiers were there, but he would have none of it.

Holding his head high, he walked past the pole and the soldiers as if they didn't exist. Immediately the soldiers surrounded him and his son, saying, “You must bow before the hat!”

“Why?”

“It's an order”

“It's your order,” said William Tell, “not mine.”

“We'll show you whose order it is,” said the soldiers, and they led the father and son to Gessler.

Even before the cruel governor himself William Tell did not bow. He held his son's hand firmly to be sure that the boy did not bow either.

“You broke the law,” said Gessler.

“That is not my law,” said William Tell. “I am a citizen of Switzerland, not Austria.”

Gessler turned red with anger. He then thought of a plan to punish William Tell.

"You're a hunter, "he said. "Well, we'll see how good you are. "Picking an apple from a tree overhead, he turned to a soldier and said, "Take the boy one hundred paces down the street and place this apple on his head. "Then he ordered Tell to shoot at the apple with one of his arrows.

The people who had gathered around gasped at the cruelty of the order.

Without saying a word, William Tell drew two arrows. He looked at his son, one hundred paces away with an apple on his head. The soldiers had him stand with his back to his father.

"Turn around, "William Tell called to his son. "Look this way."

The boy turned around and faced his father.

William Tell studied the two arrows, selected one, and placed it in his bow. Slowly he raised the bow; pulled back the cord, and after taking careful aim, let the arrow fly.

It split the apple in half!

The people raised a shout of joy. William Tell turned and looked calmly at Gessler.

“Congratulations!” said Gessler, sneering. "Now tell me why you took a second arrow."

“If I had missed,” said William Tell, “and had shot too low, I was going to use this arrow on you.”

The story of the bravery of William Tell and his son quickly got round throughout Switzerland. It filled the hearts of the Swiss with pride and courage, and it was not long before the whole country rose up and drove the Austrian soldiers from their homeland.

CONTINENTS AND OCEANS G116

 CONTINENTS AND OCEANS

From space the earth looks like a huge water-covered globe, with a few patches of land sticking out above the water. North of the equator about 61 percent of the surface is covered by water. South of the equator 81 percent of the surface is water. Altogether more than 70 percent of the surface of our planet is covered by water.

As you study a globe, you may notice that most of the large land areas are connected, or almost so. We often speak of seven continents, but you can see that Europe, Asia, and Africa are really one landmass. South America is joined to North America, and only a narrow strait separates North America from Asia. Oceania is a separate landmass, but it is separated from Asia by very shallow water. Antarctica is about 600 miles from the tip of South America.

The largest landmass is usually divided into two “continents” along the Ural Mountains. Land to the east of the Urals is called Asia; land to the west, Europe. Asia is the largest continent, covering one third of the earth's land area. Africa is the second largest continent. It is actually connected with Asia at the spot where the Suez Canal was dug. Oceania is the smallest continent.

The world's coldest continent, and the most difficult to reach, is Antarctica. For centuries, people have wondered what this continent is really like, since it is covered with solid thick ice and deep snow. You may think it strange that anyone would live there. Actually a very small number of people do. They are mostly visiting scientists. A lot of research work has been carried out in recent years, but much still has to be learned about the land lying under the ice.

As we have seen, oceans cover more than 70 percent of the earth. Study of a globe shows that the oceans actually form one continuous body of water. From Antarctica, three main “gulfs” extend northward. These are called the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. The Atlantic is longer and narrower than the other two. The Arctic Ocean is considered by some to be a northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. The Pacific is by far the largest ocean and covers almost half of the total ocean area.

Because the ocean surface is so smooth, people may think that the ocean bottom is made up of smooth plains. Actually the ocean floors are almost as irregular as the exposed land areas. Many scientists are now making a study of animal and plant life in the oceans. They hope to find new resources for mankind.

NAPOLEON'S THREE QUESTIONS G115

 NAPOLEON'S THREE QUESTIONS

A story is told about a Swede who wanted to join Napoleon's Grand Army. One evening some of Napoleon's soldiers were drinking together when a young Frenchman brought a friend to their table. He explained that his friend was a Swede and knew no French; but this Swede admired Napoleon so much that he wanted to join the French army and fight for him.

The soldiers looked up and saw a tall young man with blue eyes, a friendly face, strong arms and broad shoulders. They liked him at once.

The officers saw that he was just the right sort of man, so they accepted him and he became one of Napoleon's soldiers. His new friends smoothed away the difficulties. He fought bravely in many battles and gained their respect. However, his knowledge of French remained very weak, because he was not good at learning languages; but this did not prevent him from fighting hard.

Several years later, word came that Napoleon himself was coming to inspect them, and the Swede was warned that the great man would probably ask him some questions. There was some difficulty in explaining this to the Swede, but when at last he understood he became very anxious.

“The Swede won't understand the questions,” one of the Frenchmen said. “What can he do?”

It was well known that Napoleon always asked the same three questions, and usually in the same order. The first question was, “How old are you?” The second was, “How long have you been in my army?” And the third was, “Did you serve in either of my last two campaigns?”

The Swede could not possibly remember all these words and so his friends decided to teach him only the answers in their proper order. They gave him a lot of practice. Whenever possible, one of them would stop him, make him stand at attention, and ask him the three questions. “How old are you?” he would demand; and the Swede would answer, “Twenty-three, sir.”

Then his friend would ask, "How long have you been in my army? "and the Swede would answer, "Three years, sir. "To the third question, "Did you serve in either of my last two campaigns? "the Swede would answer with pride, "Both, sir!"

For many days this practice continued. The Swede would walk about, saying to himself, "Twenty-three, sir. Three years, sir. Both, sir! "Before the day of the inspection, his friends were satisfied. He knew his answers. There ought to be no trouble.

Napoleon arrived. Standing in front of the straight lines of soldiers, he looked at them with great satisfaction. Then he began to walk along the lines, smiling sometimes, and saying a few words here and there. The Swede stood quite still, except that his lips moved slightly. He was still practising.

Napoleon suddenly caught sight of the tall soldier and realized at once that he had never seen him before. He stopped in front of the Swede. For some reason, this time the great man began with the second question.

"How many years have you been in my army? "he demanded.

"Twenty-three, sir, "said the Swede clearly and well.

Napoleon was surprised. He looked at the tall man and asked, "How old are you, then?"

"Three years, sir, "replied the Swede quickly.

Napoleon was astonished. "Either you are mad, or I am, "he declared.

"Both, sir! "cried the Swede proudly.

WATCHING ANTS G114

 WATCHING ANTS

If you go into the fields and turn over a few big stones, you may uncover a city of ant “people”. You will see the workers, who gather food for themselves and for all the others. You will see the nurses, who care for the baby ants. And you will see some of the babies too.

While ants grow, they change their form three times. They start as tiny white eggs, and when these hatch, out come little fat white worms. These worms then weave silk cocoons around themselves, inside which they change from fat worms to ants. When the time comes, the cocoons are torn open by the ant nurses, and the new ants with their tender legs and bodies are very gently helped out. You may see some of these new ants, still very pale in colour.

A lucky visitor to the ant city may see the queen. She is much larger than the others and her hind half is very big because it is full of eggs. Laying eggs is her full-time job. She may have tens of thousands of babies in one summer. The nurses keep her very clean, washing her with their tongues. From the outside, the workers bring her food. As the mother of many children, she is respected and taken good care of.

Not all the ants go out for food. Some have extra powerful jaws. These act as guards and soldiers in time of trouble. Some workers keep the tunnels and rooms clean. All rubbish is carried out.

Ants are fond of sweet food. They often milk little bugs called ant cows. You can see ant cows on the leaves and flowers of many plants. These cow bugs drink much more sap than they can use. It passes right through their bodies, only getting a little thicker and sweeter. The ant knows how to milk them. It strikes a cow bug's back with its forelegs and feelers. The cow bug seems to enjoy this, and presently a tiny drop of honeydew milk appears. The ant laps it up and goes to the next cow bug for more.

The ant is not gathering this food for itself alone. It has two stomachs in its body, one for itself and one for carrying food to “the folks back home”. When it returns, a nurse ant which has been busy indoors all day is sure to ask for honeydew. The two ants place their mouths together. The one which has the honeydew brings up a drop from its public stomach and passes it into the nurse ant's mouth; later, the nurse will give some of her drop to the babies, or to the queen. This is how the whole city is fed.

When one ant wants food from another, it taps on the other's head with its feelers, using a kind of telegraph code. They “talk” a great deal by this means. If you watch long enough, you will see many problems settled by this “tap-talking” with the feelers.

THE FOOTPRINT G113

 THE FOOTPRINT

One day, walking along the sands towards his boat, Crusoe saw in the sand the mark of a man's foot. He was terrified at the sight. He looked round, but could see nobody. He listened, but could hear nothing. There were no other marks. Who had made the footprint? Was there someone else on this lonely island? Was it a savage? Crusoe stared at the footprint, full of fear.

He hurried home, looking behind from time to time as he went. For some days he stayed in his cave, behind his wall. He was afraid to go out, even for food.

But no savages came, and after a time he began to go out again. His dog, which was now very old, became ill and died. This made Crusoe very sad. He now felt even more lonely without his friend, the dog.

He often thought about the footmark. Perhaps he had made it himself? He decided to go back and look again. The footprint was still there. He tried his foot in it, but it was much larger than his own. So there must be someone else on the island. Full of fear again, Crusoe returned home.

He built another fence round his cave. Now he made holes in the wall and placed his guns in them, pointing outwards.

But he still did not feel safe enough. He decided to look for another cave, where he could hide if savages came.

He found a good place in the rocks, more than twelve feet high, with a narrow entrance. He stepped into the cave. Suddenly he saw two eyes glaring at him out of the darkness. Was it a man, or a wild animal? He hurried out into the daylight.

Crusoe lit a fire and from it took a burning stick. He stepped back into the cave, holding the stick high above his head. He heard a noise, as if someone was breathing. He stopped. Nothing happened. He went farther into the cave.

On the ground lay an old sick goat, which had gone into the cave to die. It was the goat's eyes that he had seen in the darkness. As he looked at it, the goat rolled over and died.

Crusoe looked about the cave. The ground and the sides were quite dry. Inside, the top of the cave was nearly twenty feet high. It was a good hiding-place.

Crusoe had eleven guns altogether. He brought five of them to his new cave and a great deal of gun-powder. The cave was quite dark inside, so he made some candles to give light.

Now he had a safe place if the savages came. Every day he climbed to a high rock near his cave to keep watch. And so the months and years went by.

It was autumn, the time for Crusoe to gather his small harvest of corn. Early one morning, before starting work, he climbed up to his lookout.

There, on the shore, were nine savages, sitting round a fire. Nearby were two canoes in which they had come to the island. They seemed to be eating something they had cooked on the fire. Crusoe watched, full of fear.

As soon as the savages had gone, Crusoe returned home for two guns. Then he made his way down to the shore. He looked out to sea. The two canoes were almost out of sight.

He went towards the fire, which was still smoking. Among the ashes he found bones. They were not the bones of an animal, but of a human being!

Crusoe knew that the savages killed their enemies and ate them. He made up his mind to shoot them if they came again. But many months went by and no one visited the island.

POLLUTION G112

 POLLUTION

The population of the earth is increasing very fast. Man must make the earth support more people. This has made it necessary for agriculture and industry to develop very quickly.

With the development of modern agriculture and industry, more and more waste is produced. Much of this waste is harmful. It goes into the water, the soil and the air. Some of it is absorbed and made harmless. But where there is too much of it, the poisonous waste may do great harm to the things around us. This is called pollution.

When farmers add fertilizer to the soil to make plants grow better, or spray poison to kill plant pests, poison is sent into the air, the water and the soil. When birds, fish and people eat the grain, drink the water or breathe the air, harm will be done to their health.

The air in big cities is often made very dirty by factories. Millions of tons of waste and poisonous gases are sent into the air with the smoke. In some places, little is done to make the smoke clean before it goes into the air.

Oil is burnt in cars, trucks and buses. They produce waste gases almost as harmful as the gases from factories. In big cities during cold winter months, many old people die from the polluted air. In places around big factories, trees and vegetables are often killed by the bad air.

Another kind of pollution is noise. Very loud noises can make people ill, hurt their ears, or even drive them mad. Houses near airports sometimes have their windows broken by the noise of jet planes passing overhead. Workers in some industries have their hearing harmed by the noise of the machines.

Every day, people throw away a lot of rubbish. Some of the rubbish, such as food, paper and iron, rots away over a long period of time. But plastics and rubber never rot. If they are burned, they give off poisonous gases. How to get rid of these things is a big problem.

Fortunately, people are beginning to realize just how serious the whole situation is. In many countries, laws have been passed to prevent factories from sending out poisonous gases and polluted water.

Many natural materials are becoming scarce. Scientists have found ways to take some useful things out of the waste materials and use them again. This is called recycling. Steel, iron, glass, cloth and paper can all be recycled.

Waste water, too, can be recycled. When the waste water from factories is made clean and reused, a lot of money is saved. Waste water from a number of cities is now “cleaned” before flowing back into rivers. Today, many rivers that were polluted are getting cleaner and cleaner. Fish and birds are returning to these rivers, and the water in them is no longer poisonous or dangerous to people's health.

Man is fighting a battle against pollution. Yet, this battle will not be won until everyone knows how serious the danger is, and does something to stop it.

AT A TAILOR'S SHOP G111

 AT A TAILOR'S SHOP

I was wandering through the streets when I caught sight of a tailor's shop. I wanted very much to get a new suit and throw off my old clothes. But ... I had nothing in the world but a million-pound note. However, I could not resist the temptation. I went in and asked if they had a cheap suit. The fellow I spoke to made no answer at first, looked me up and down, noticed that I was almost in rags, then said, “Just a minute.”

I waited till he had finished his work. Then he took me into a back room, where the rejected suits were kept. He looked through the suits and selected the cheapest one for me. I put it on. It didn't fit, but it was new and I was anxious to have it, so I said shyly:

“Could you wait a few days for the money? I haven't any small change on me.”

The fellow looked at me coldly and said, “Oh, you haven't? Well, of course, I know that gentlemen like you carry only large notes.”

I was hurt and said, “My friend, you shouldn't judge a stranger always by the clothes he wears. I'm quite able to pay for this suit. I simply didn't wish to put you to the trouble of changing a large note.”

“Why do you think we can't change your note? On the contrary, we can.”

I handed the note to him and said: “Oh, very well, I apologize.”

He received it with a smile, and then as he looked at the note, his smile froze. Holding the note in his hand, he stood there dumbfounded. The owner of the shop came up to see what was the matter.

I said, “There isn't any trouble. I'm just waiting for my change.”

“Come, come; get him his change, Tod; get him his change.”

Tod answered, “Get him his change! It's easy to say, sir; but look at the bill yourself.”

The owner took a look, gave a low whistle, then made a dive for the rejected clothing and began to snatch it this way and that, talking all the while excitedly, as if to himself.

"To sell such a suit as that to a millionaire! Tod's a fool. Ah, here's the thing I'm after. Please get those things off, sir, and throw them into the fire. Do me the favor to put on this shirt, and this suit. Ah, it's just the thing, the very thing! The trousers are all right; now the waistcoat; aha, right again! Now the coat— sir! Look at that, now! Perfect—the whole thing!"

I expressed my satisfaction.

"Quite right, sir, quite right. But wait till you see what we'll make for you to your own measure." Before I could get in a word he had measured me, and was giving orders for evening suits, morning suits, shirts and all sorts of things. “They will be ready the day after tomorrow,” he said.

“But I can't give these orders, unless you can wait some time, or change the note.”

“I can wait all my life, sir. Tod, you will send these things to the gentleman's address. Put down the gentleman's address and ...”

“I'm changing my hotel. I'll drop in and leave the new address, ”I said.

“Quite right, sir, quite right. One moment — let me show you out, sir. Good day, sir, good day.”

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA G110

 THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

The Great Wall of China, the longest wall in the world, runs a cross north China like a huge dragon. It winds its way from west to east, across deserts, over mountains, through valleys, till at last it reaches the sea. It is one of the wonders of the world. And it was one of the few man-made objects on earth that could be seen by the astronauts who landed on the moon.

The Great Wall has a history of over twenty centuries. The first part of it was built during the Spring and Autumn Period (770 B.C.—476 B.C.). During the Warring States Period (475 B.C.—221 B.C.), more walls were put up to defend the borders of the different kingdoms.

In 221 B.C., the kingdom of Qin united the different parts of China into one empire. To keep the enemy out of his empire, Emperor Qin Shi Huang had all the walls joined up. Thus the Great Wall came into being. Since then, it has often been added to, rebuilt and repaired, especially during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The Great Wall, which is called in Chinese “The Ten-Thousand-li Great Wall”, is actually more than 6,000 kilometres long, 6-7 metres high and 4-5 metres wide. In most places it is wide enough for five horses or ten men to walk side by side along the top. It has great gateways which connect the main roads of north China.

Every few hundred metres along the Wall there are watchtowers, where soldiers used to keep watch. When the enemy came, fires were lit and at the same time guns were fired to warn soldiers at other towers. One column of smoke with one gunshot meant an enemy troop of about 100, two columns with two shots meant 500. In this way, a warning message could be sent 500 kilometres within a few hours.

It was very difficult to build and rebuild such a great wall over wild and distant country without any modern machines. All the work had to be done by hand. Many people were forced to work on the wall far away from their homes. They lifted earth in baskets, passed bricks from hand to hand and dragged heavy stones with ropes over their shoulders. Their living conditions were terrible. Thousands of men died and were buried under the wall they built. The Great Wall was made not only of stone and earth, but of the flesh and blood of millions of men.

After the Great Wall was rebuilt hundreds of years ago, no more work was done on it until the People's Republic of China was founded. After that, parts of the Wall were repaired. On both sides of it new cities appeared, trees were planted, and deserts became grasslands. The old Great Wall took on a new look.

Today the Great Wall has become a place of interest not only to the Chinese people, but also to people from all over the world. Many of them have come to know the famous Chinese saying: "He who does not reach the Great Wall is not a true man."

LADY SILKWORM G109

 LADY SILKWORM

Long long ago, there lived in Hangzhou a girl called Aqiao. When Aqiao was nine years old, her mother died. Her father remarried and the stepmother was cruel to Aqiao and her brother.

One winter morning, the stepmother told Aqiao to go out and cut some grass for the sheep. The poor girl, with a basket on her back, searched all day from the riverside to the foot of the mountain. But where could she find any green grass in winter? She was tired, cold and hungry, but she was afraid to go home and face her stepmother.

As she walked along, she noticed an old pine tree ahead at the entrance to a valley. Aqiao pushed the branches aside. She saw a brook with red flowers and green grass on both sides. She bent down immediately to cut the grass. She went on cutting and cutting until she came to the end of the brook. She stood up to wipe the sweat off her face. Suddenly she saw a lady all in white standing in front of her. The lady was smiling.

“Little girl, how nice to see you! Won't you come and stay with us for a while?”

Aqiao looked around. To her surprise, she found herself in a different world. There were rows of white houses with trees in front of them. The leaves on the trees were green and large. And there were many other ladies in white, who were singing and picking the leaves from the trees.

Aqiao liked what she saw and decided to stay.

After that, she worked together with the ladies in white. They picked leaves from the trees, and fed them to some little white worms. Slowly, the little worms would grow up and spit out silk to form snow-white cocoons. The lady in white taught Aqiao how to reel the shining silk from these cocoons and how to dye the silk different colors. She told Aqiao that these white worms were called silkworms and the leaves they ate were called mulberry leaves. And all this beautiful silk, she said, would be used to weave colorful clouds in heaven.

Time passed quickly and three months went by before Aqiao knew it.

One day, Aqiao thought of her brother: “Why not ask my brother to come here too?”

Early next morning, without telling the lady in white, she hurried back home. When she left, Aqiao took some silkworm eggs and a bag of mulberry seeds with her. As she walked, she dropped the seeds along the road so that she would know the way back.

When Aqiao reached home, she found that her father had grown old and her brother had become a young man. The cruel stepmother had died.

It had been fifteen years since she left!

“Aqiao! Why didn't you come home all these years? Where have you been?” her father asked.

Aqiao told her father all that had happened. Her father thought that she must have met a fairy.

The next day Aqiao decided to go back to the valley with her brother. But when she opened the door, she found things had changed. The road was lined with mulberry trees. All the seeds she had dropped had grown into trees. She walked along the trail of mulberry trees until she came to the valley. The old pine tree still stood there like an umbrella covering the entrance, but she could no longer find a way to get into the valley. So all she could do was to go back home.

When Aqiao returned home, she found that the silkworm eggs had hatched. She fed mulberry leaves to the silkworms, and started to raise more of them.

It was said that that was how the Chinese first raised silkworms. The lady in white whom Aqiao met in the valley was Lady Silkworm, the fairy in charge of the harvesting of silk.

THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES G108

 THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES

(Continued)

Now at last the Emperor wished to go himself and see the cloth while it was still on the looms. He took with him a few of his officials, including the old Prime Minister and the official who had already been there.

As soon as the weavers heard the Emperor coming, they pretended to work harder than ever, though they were not weaving a single thread through the empty looms.

Isn't the cloth magnificent?” said the official and the Prime Minister. “What a splendid design! And what colors!” they said, while pointing to the empty looms. They thought that everyone else could see the wonderful work of the weavers though they could not see it themselves.

“What on earth can this mean?” said the Emperor to himself. “I don't see anything. This is horrible! But I mustn't let anyone know.”

“The cloth is beautiful,” he cried out loud. “Beautiful! I am very pleased with it.”

The officials could see no more than the Emperor, but they all shouted, “Beautiful! Excellent! Magnificent” and other such expressions. They told the Emperor that he should have new clothes made of this splendid cloth for the coming great procession.

The Emperor nodded. He tried hard to pretend to share in the pleasure of his officials and gave each of the weavers a medal.

The night before the procession, the two men had their lights burning all night long. They wanted everyone to see how hard they were working on the Emperor's new clothes.

At last they cried, “Finished! The Emperor's new clothes are now ready!”

Then the Emperor arrived with all his high officials.

“Now if you will take off your clothes, Your Majesty, we will fit the new clothes on you in front of the mirror,” said the cheats.

The Emperor was then undressed, and the cheats pretended to dress him in his new clothes. The Emperor turned from side to side in front of the mirror.

“How splendid the Emperor looks in his new clothes” everyone cried. “And how well they fit! What a splendid design! What colors?”

“Well, I suppose I'm ready for the procession,” said the Emperor. “Don't you think they are a nice fit?” And he turned again in front of the mirror, in order to make the others think he was looking at his new clothes.

“Yes, perfectly wonderful!” cried his officials.

And so the procession began.

The Emperor walked in the middle of the procession, through the streets of the city. And all the people standing by and those at the windows cried out, “Oh, how splendid our Emperor's new clothes are! What a perfect fit?”

No one dared say that he could not see the Emperor's new clothes.

Suddenly a little child's voice was heard: “But he has nothing on!”

“Good heavens! Listen to that silly child!” said the father.

“Did you hear what the child said?” some people nearby asked each other.

What the child had said was whispered quickly from one to the other.

“I can't see anything at all on the Emperor,” cried one or two of the braver ones.

The cry was taken up and soon everyone was nodding and saying, “BUT HE HAS NOTHING ON!”

The Emperor heard the cries. He felt very silly, for he knew that the people were right. But he thought, “The procession has started, and it must go on!”

So the Emperor held his head higher than ever. And the two officials who were following him took great trouble to pretend to hold up higher the train of the robe that wasn't there at all.

THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES G107

 THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES

Many years ago there lived an Emperor, who cared more for fine new clothes than for anything else. He had different clothes for every hour of the day.

One day two cheats came to see the Emperor. They called themselves weavers and said that they knew how to weave cloth of the most beautiful colors and designs in the world. They also said that the most interesting thing about the cloth was that clothes made of it would be invisible to anyone who was either stupid or unfit for his office.

“Ah, what splendid clothes” thought the Emperor. “They are just what I shall have. When I put them on, I shall be able to find out which men in my empire are unfit for their offices. And I shall be able to tell who are wise and who are foolish. This cloth must be woven for me right away.”

The Emperor gave the cheats some gold in order that they might begin their work at once.

So the two men set up two looms and pretended to be working very hard. They asked for the most beautiful silk and the best gold thread. This they kept for themselves. And then they went on with their work at the empty looms until late into the night.

After some time had passed, the Emperor said to himself, “I wonder how the weavers are getting along with my cloth.” Then he remembered that those who were either fools or unfit for their offices could not see the cloth. Though he believed that he ought to have nothing to fear for himself, he wanted someone else to look at the cloth first.

The Emperor thought a while and decided to send his old Prime Minister to see the cloth. He thought the Prime Minister a wise, honest man who was more fit for his office than anyone else.

So the old Prime Minister went into the hall where the cheats were working at the empty looms.

“God save me!” thought he old man, opening his eyes very wide. “I can't see anything at all.” But he was careful not to say so.

The men who were pretending to weave asked him to come closer. They pointed to the empty looms and asked him if he liked the design and the colors.

The poor old Prime Minister opened his eyes wider and wider, but he could see nothing on the looms.

“Dear me,” he said to himself, “Am I foolish or unfit for my office? I must never tell anyone that I cannot see the cloth.”

“Oh! It's most beautiful!” said the Prime Minister quickly. “The design and the colors I will tell the Emperor how wonderful they are.”

The Emperor was pleased by what the Prime Minister told him about the cloth. Soon after, he sent another official to find out how soon the cloth would be ready. The same thing happened The official could see nothing, but he sang high praise for the cloth. When he got back, he told the Emperor that the cloth was beautiful indeed.

All the people in the city were now talking about the wonderful cloth which the Emperor had ordered to be woven for so much money. And they were eager to know how wise or foolish their friends and neighbors might be.

(To be continued)

ABRAHAM LINCOLN G106

 ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Abraham Lincoln, the son of a poor family, was born in Kentucky on February 12, 1809. He spent his childhood in hard work, helping his father on their small farm. His mother, whom he loved dearly, died in 1818. Happily for him, his father's second wife was kind to him too. When she saw that Abraham liked reading, she did all she could to help him. But the family was poor and the boy could not get many books. Abraham Lincoln later said himself that he only went to school a little now and a little then. His whole school education added up to no more than one year.

As a young man he was a storekeeper and later a postmaster. He studied law in his spare time and became a lawyer. He was active in politics and was strongly against slavery. In all his political work, he thought of building a free state for all the people.

In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States. Then he worked still harder for freedom for the slaves. Soon the Southern States rebelled. They set up a state of their own, where they would be free to keep Negroes as slaves. Lincoln said that it was not right for the South to break away from the Union. Fighting broke out between the North and the South. This was the American Civil War. The war lasted four years before the North won in the end. The nation was reunited and the slaves were set free.

In 1864, Lincoln was elected President of the United States for the second time. But his enemies, the slave owners in the South and the bankers in big cities, who had grown rich on the work of the slaves, could not let Lincoln continue his work. He, who led the United States through these years, was shot on April 14, 1865, at a theatre in Washington, D. C. and died early the next morning. The whole nation was in deep sorrow at this news, for the people had come to love him as an inspiring leader and a wise, warm-hearted, honest man.

About seventeen months before his death, at the opening of a memorial to the many men who lost their lives fighting for the freedom of the Negroes, Abraham Lincoln told his people that the living must finish the work of those dead; that they must fight for freedom for all—Negroes and whites; that America must strengthen government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Today, Abraham Lincoln is regarded as one of the greatest of all American presidents.

THE LOST NECKLACE G105

THE LOST NECKLACE

Place: a park in Paris
Time: a summer afternoon in 1870
People: Mathilde Loisel, wife
Pierre Loisel, husband
Jeanne Forrestier, their friend
(Jeanne is sitting in the park. Mathilde walks towards her, she stops and speaks to Jeanne.)
Mathilde: Good afternoon, Jeanne.
Jeanne: (Looking at the other woman) I'm sorry, but I don't think I know you.
Mathilde: No, you wouldn't, but many years ago you knew me well. I'm Mathilde Loisel.
Jeanne: Mathilde! My old school friend. Is it possible? But yes, of course it is. Now I remember. Where have you been all these years, Mathilde? I hope you weren't ill.
Mathilde: No, Jeanne, I wasn't ill. You see here an old woman. But it's because of hard work — ten years of hard work.
Jeanne: But I don't understand, Mathilde. There's only one year between us; I'm thirty-five and you're thirty-four. Can hard work change a person that much?
Mathilde: Yes, it can. Years of hard work, little food, only a cold room to live in and never, never a moment to rest. That has been my life for these past ten years.
Jeanne: Mathilde! I didn't know. I'm sorry. But what happened?
Mathilde: Well, I would rather not tell you.
Jeanne: Oh, come, Mathilde. Surely you can tell an old friend.
Mathilde: Well, ... Well, it was all because of that necklace. Your necklace.
Jeanne: My necklace?
Mathilde: Do you remember one afternoon ten years ago when I came to your house and borrowed a diamond necklace?
Jeanne: Let me think. Ten years ago ... Oh, yes, I remember. You were going to the palace with your husband, I think.
Mathilde: Right. Pierre was working in a government office, and for the first time in our lives we were invited to an important ball.
(The scene changes to that evening in the home of Pierre and Mathilde Loisel.)
Pierre: Yes, Mathilde, we're going to the ball, the palace ball!
Mathilde: I can't believe it!
Pierre: But it's true.
Mathilde: Oh, Pierre, how wonderful! But I haven't got a dress for the ball!
Pierre: What does a new evening dress cost?
Mathilde: About four hundred francs.
Pierre: Four hundred! That's a lot of money. But perhaps, just this once, we'll use what we have to get a new dress for you. This ball is very important to me. I was the only person in my office who was invited.
Mathilde: Thank you, Pierre, you're so kind. Oh! But there's one other thing ...
Pierre: What is it, Mathilde?
Mathilde: I ... I have no jewelry.
Pierre: Jewelry? Do you need jewelry? Why not just a flower?
Mathilde: To go to the palace with just a flower is to say "I'm poor. I haven't got any jewelry."
Pierre: Can't you borrow some jewelry from a friend, Mathilde?
Mathilde: Which friend? My friends are all poor, too.
Pierre: Let me think. How about Jeanne? She married well. Perhaps she has some.
Mathilde: Ah, yes, Jeanne. She married a man with a lot of money. I'll go and see her on Friday, after I get the new dress.
Pierre: I'm sure she has something you can borrow.
(The scene changes back to the park. Mathilde continues to tell Jeanne her story.)
Mathilde: One Friday I came to see you, Jeanne. Remember?
Jeanne: Yes, Mathilde, I remember.
Mathilde: You were very kind. You brought out your jewelry and told me to take anything I wanted.
Jeanne: (Smiling) You were like a little girl. Your eyes became so big.
Mathilde: There were so many things and they were all beautiful. It was hard to choose.
Jeanne: Until you saw the diamond necklace.
Mathilde: Yes, and then I knew I wanted to borrow the necklace. I didn't want anything else, only the necklace.
Jeanne: I'm sure you looked beautiful that evening, Mathilde. You were always a very pretty girl.
Mathilde: Perhaps in those days I was, but everything changed after that night at the palace.
Jeanne: Didn't you have a good time at the ball?
Mathilde: Yes, a very good time, but that was the last time ... the last happy evening for the next ten years.
Jeanne: But why, Mathilde?
Mathilde: On the way home I looked down at my dress and saw that the necklace was gone. I told Pierre. We returned to the palace and looked in every room, but couldn't find it. I never saw your necklace again, Jeanne.
Jeanne: But Mathilde, you brought it back to me the next afternoon. I remember very well.
Mathilde: Yes, Jeanne, I brought a necklace to you. It was exactly like your necklace but it was a different one. I hope it was as good as the one you lent me. It cost us thirty-six thousand francs.
Jeanne: Thirty-six thousand!
Mathilde: Yes, Pierre and I borrowed the money and bought it. During the next ten years we both worked night and day to pay for it. That is why you see this old woman before you now, Jeanne. Well, after all these years we've at last paid off all our debts.
Jeanne: But Mathilde, my dear friend, that wasn't a real diamond necklace you borrowed from me. It was made of glass. It was worth five hundred francs at the most.