Speaker 1: The Pink Sweet Meat by Susan Coolidge. Only three pairs
Speaker 1: of stockings were left in the shop. It was a
Speaker 1: very little shop, indeed scarcely larger than a stall. Job Took,
Speaker 1: to whom it belonged, was not rich enough to indulge
Speaker 1: in the buying of any superfluous wares. Every spring he
Speaker 1: laid in a dozen dozen of thin stockings, a bale
Speaker 1: of cheap handkerchiefs, a gross of black buttons, a gross
Speaker 1: of white, a little stationery, and a few other small commodities.
Speaker 1: In the autumn he added a dozen dozen of thick
Speaker 1: stockings and a box full of mittens and knitted comforters.
Speaker 1: Besides these he sold penny papers and hold made yeast
Speaker 1: made by Missus Took. If the stock of wearables grew
Speaker 1: scant toward midwinter, Job rejoiced in his heart, but by
Speaker 1: no means made haste to replenish it. He just laid
Speaker 1: aside the money needed for the spring outfit and lived
Speaker 1: on what remained. Thus it went year after year. Trade
Speaker 1: was sometimes a little better, sometimes a little worse, but
Speaker 1: whichever way it was, Job grew no richer. He and
Speaker 1: his old wife lived along somehow without coming on the
Speaker 1: parish for support, and with this very moderate amount of prosperity,
Speaker 1: they were content. This year, of which I write, the
Speaker 1: supply of winter stockings had given out earlier than usual.
Speaker 1: The weather had been uncommonly cold since October, which may
Speaker 1: have been the reason. Certain it is that here at Michaelmas,
Speaker 1: with December not yet come in, only three pairs of
Speaker 1: stockings were left in the little shop. Job Took had
Speaker 1: told his wife only the week before that he almost
Speaker 1: thought he should be forced to lay in a few
Speaker 1: dozen more. Folks seemed so eager to get him. But
Speaker 1: since he said that, no one had asked for stockings,
Speaker 1: as it happened, and job thinking that trade was after
Speaker 1: all pretty well over for the season, had given up
Speaker 1: the idea of replenishing his stock. One of the three
Speaker 1: pairs of stockings was a big pair of dark mixed gray,
Speaker 1: one pair a little smaller, was white, and the third smaller,
Speaker 1: still in dark blue in color, was about the size
Speaker 1: for a child of seven or eight years old. Job
Speaker 1: Took had put up the shutters for the night and
Speaker 1: had gone to bed. The stockings were talking together in
Speaker 1: the quiet darkness, as stockings will wind left alone. One
Speaker 1: pair had been hung in the window. It had got
Speaker 1: down from its nail and was now straddling carelessly with
Speaker 1: one leg on either side of the edge of the
Speaker 1: box in which the others lay, as a boy might
Speaker 1: on the top of a style. This was the big
Speaker 1: gray pair. Our chances seemed to be getting slim, he
Speaker 1: said gloomily. That is more than you seem replied the
Speaker 1: White Stockings in a tart voice. Your ankle are as
Speaker 1: thick as ever, and your mesh looks to me coarser
Speaker 1: than usual tonight. There are worse things in the world
Speaker 1: than thickness, retorted the Gray Stockings angrily. I'm useful at
Speaker 1: any rates I am. While you have nowhere in you,
Speaker 1: I should say that you would come to darning about
Speaker 1: the second wash, if not sooner. Is that my fault,
Speaker 1: said the White pear, beginning to cry, No, it's your misfortune.
Speaker 1: But people as unfortunate as you are should mind their
Speaker 1: p's and cues, and not say disagreeable things to those
Speaker 1: who are better off. Pray, don't quarrel. Put in the
Speaker 1: little blues, who are always peacemakers. Think of our situation,
Speaker 1: the last survivors of twelve dozen. We ought to be friends,
Speaker 1: but as you say, matters are getting serious with us.
Speaker 1: Of course, we are all thinking about the same thing. Yes,
Speaker 1: about the Christmas and the corner, sighed the white pear.
Speaker 1: What a dreadful thing it would be if we went
Speaker 1: to the rag bag never having held a Christmas gift.
Speaker 1: I could not get over such a disgrace. My father,
Speaker 1: my grandfather, all my relations had their chance. Some of
Speaker 1: them were even hung a second time. Yes, Christmas is
Speaker 1: woven into our substance, said the gray stockings. The old
Speaker 1: skeins and the revelings tell the story to the new wool,
Speaker 1: the story of the Christmas time. The very sheep in
Speaker 1: the fields know it. For my part, he added proudly,
Speaker 1: I should blush to lie in the same ash sheep,
Speaker 1: even with an odd stocking who had died under the
Speaker 1: disgrace of never being hung up for Christmas. And I
Speaker 1: will never believe that my lifelong dream is to be disappointed.
Speaker 1: Why will you use such inflated language, snapped the white pear.
Speaker 1: You were only woven last July, as late as May.
Speaker 1: You were running around the meadow on the sheep's very well.
Speaker 1: I don't dispute it. I may not be as old
Speaker 1: as Methuselah. But long or short, my life is my life,
Speaker 1: and my dream is my dream, and you have no
Speaker 1: call to criticize my expressions, miss thundered the big pair.
Speaker 1: There you are again, said the little Blues. I do
Speaker 1: wish you wouldn't dispute. Now, let us talk about our chances.
Speaker 1: What day of the month is it? The twenty seventh
Speaker 1: of November, said the gray stockings, who, because they hung
Speaker 1: over the penny papers in the window, always knew the
Speaker 1: exact date. Little more than four weeks to the holidays,
Speaker 1: said the White pear dolorously. How I wish some one
Speaker 1: would come along and put us out of suspense. A
Speaker 1: being bought mightn't do that, suggested the little Blues. You
Speaker 1: might be taken by a person who had two pairs
Speaker 1: of stockings, and the others might be chosen to be
Speaker 1: hung up. Such things do happen. Oh, they wouldn't happen
Speaker 1: to me, I think, said the White pair, vaingloriously. As
Speaker 1: it happened, the three pairs of stockings were all sold
Speaker 1: the very day after this conversation, and all to one
Speaker 1: and the same person. This was missus Wynd, an englishwoman
Speaker 1: married to a Dutch Shipwright. She had lived in Holland
Speaker 1: for some years after her marriage, but now she and
Speaker 1: her husband lived in London. They had three children. The
Speaker 1: stockings were very much pleased to be bought. When Job
Speaker 1: took rolled them up in paper and tied a stout
Speaker 1: pack thread round them, they nestled close and squeezed each
Speaker 1: other with satisfaction. Besides the joy of being sold was
Speaker 1: a joy of keeping together and knowing about each other's adventures.
Speaker 1: The first of these adventures was not very exciting. It
Speaker 1: consisted in being laid away in the back part of
Speaker 1: a bureau drawer and carefully locked in. Now what is
Speaker 1: this for, questioned the white Stockings. Are we to stay
Speaker 1: here always? Yes, that is just what I should like
Speaker 1: to know, grumbled the big Grays. Why of course not.
Speaker 1: Who ever heard of stockings being put away? For? Always?
Speaker 1: Said the wise little Blues. Wait patiently, and we shall see.
Speaker 1: I think it is some sort of a surprise. But
Speaker 1: day after day passed and nothing happened, surprising or otherwise,
Speaker 1: till even the philosophical little blue Stockings began to lose
Speaker 1: heart and hope. At last, one evening they heard the
Speaker 1: key click in the lock of the drawer. A stream
Speaker 1: of light flashed into their darkness, and they were seized
Speaker 1: and drawn forth. Well, mother, let us see thy purchase.
Speaker 1: Truly fine hosen they are, said Jacob Wend, whose English
Speaker 1: was rather foreign. Yes, replied his wife. Good handsome stockings
Speaker 1: they are, and the children will be glad, for their
Speaker 1: old ones are worn out. The big pair is for Wilhelm.
Speaker 1: As thou knowest, those must hang to the right of
Speaker 1: the stove. The big gray pair cast a triumphant glance
Speaker 1: at his companions as he found himself suspended on a
Speaker 1: stout nail. This was something like life. The white are
Speaker 1: for Greta, and these small ones for little yan Ah.
Speaker 1: They are nice gifts. Indeed, said missus, went rubbing her hands.
Speaker 1: A fine Christmas they will be for the children. The
Speaker 1: stockings glowed with pleasure. Not only were they hung up
Speaker 1: to contain presents, but they themselves were Christmas presents. This
Speaker 1: was promotion. Indeed, hast thou naught else, demanded Jacob Wen
Speaker 1: of his wife. No great things. A kerchief for Greta,
Speaker 1: this comforter for Wilhelm, for the little one mittens. That
Speaker 1: is all. But it was not quite all, For after
Speaker 1: her husband had gone to bed. Missus went, a tender
Speaker 1: look on her motherly face, sought a small screwed up paper,
Speaker 1: and with the air of one who was a little
Speaker 1: ashamed of what she is doing, dropped into each stocking
Speaker 1: something made of sugar. They were not sugar almonds. They
Speaker 1: were not Salem gibraltars, which delightful confections are unfamiliar to
Speaker 1: London shops, but irregular lumps of an oddescript character, which
Speaker 1: were crumbly and sweet, and would be sure to please
Speaker 1: those who do not often get a taste of candy.
Speaker 1: It was a little yawn that his mother had thought
Speaker 1: when she bought the sweetmeats, and for his sake she
Speaker 1: had yielded to the temptation, though she looked upon it
Speaker 1: as an extravagance. There were three of the sweetmeats, two white,
Speaker 1: one pink, and the pink one went into yon stockings.
Speaker 1: Missus went had not said anything about them to her husband.
Speaker 1: Well this is satisfactory, said the gray pair, when Missus
Speaker 1: went had left the room, and he was sure of
Speaker 1: not being overheard. Here we are all hanging together on
Speaker 1: Christmas Eve. My dream is accomplished, Mine isn't, said the
Speaker 1: white pear plaintively. I always hoped that I should hold
Speaker 1: something valuable, like a watch or a pair of ear rings.
Speaker 1: It is rather a come down to have nothing but
Speaker 1: a bit of candy inside and a pocket handkerchief pinned
Speaker 1: to my leg. I don't half like it. It gives
Speaker 1: me an uncomfortable pricking sensation, like a stitch in the side.
Speaker 1: It's just as well for you to get used to it.
Speaker 1: Put in the gray. It doesn't prick as much as
Speaker 1: a darning needle. I fancy, and you'll have to get
Speaker 1: accustomed to that before long. As I've remarked before, I'm
Speaker 1: the only one who has a pink sweet meat, said
Speaker 1: the little Blues, who couldn't help being pleased. And I'm
Speaker 1: for a real child. Wilhelm and Greta are more than
Speaker 1: half grown up. Real children are very hard on their stockings,
Speaker 1: I've always heard, retorted the white Pear, who never could
Speaker 1: resist the temptation to say a disagreeable thing. Well that
Speaker 1: may be, but it is all in the future. This
Speaker 1: one night is my own, and I mean to enjoy it,
Speaker 1: replied the contented little Blues. So the night went, and
Speaker 1: now it was the dawn of Christmas, with the first light,
Speaker 1: the door opened softly, and the little boy crept into
Speaker 1: the room. This was yon when he saw the three
Speaker 1: pairs of stockings hanging by the stove. He clapped his
Speaker 1: hands together, but softly, lest the noise should wake the others.
Speaker 1: Then he crossed the room on tiptoe and looked hard
Speaker 1: at the stockings. He soon made sure which pair was
Speaker 1: for himself, but he did not take them down immediately,
Speaker 1: only stood with his hands behind his back and gazed
Speaker 1: at them with two large, pleased eyes. At last, he
Speaker 1: put his hand up and gently touched the three felt
Speaker 1: the little blue pear, gave it a pat, and finally
Speaker 1: unhooked it from its nail. Then he sat down on
Speaker 1: the floor and began to put them on his toe.
Speaker 1: Encountering an obstacle, he pulled the stocking off again, put
Speaker 1: his hand in and extracted the pink sweetmeat, with which
Speaker 1: he was so pleased that he laughed aloud. That woke
Speaker 1: up the others, who presently came in. Ah little rogue,
Speaker 1: that thou art always the first to awaken, said his mother,
Speaker 1: pleased at his pleasure. See mother, see what I found,
Speaker 1: cried It is good sweet. I have tasted a crumb
Speaker 1: already take some of it, mother, But missus Vient shook
Speaker 1: her head. No, she said, I do not care for sugar.
Speaker 1: That is for little folks like thee eat it thyself. Yon.
Speaker 1: It was her saying this, perhaps which prevented Wilhelm and
Speaker 1: Greta from making the same offer. At least I hope
Speaker 1: so certain it is that neither of them made it.
Speaker 1: Greta ate hers up on the spot with the frank
Speaker 1: greediness of a girl of twelve not often get candy.
Speaker 1: Wilhelm buttoned his up in his trousers pocket. All three
Speaker 1: made haste to put on the new stockings. The three
Speaker 1: pairs are the only time to hastily whisper. As they
Speaker 1: were separated to night, Perhaps we may meet again. The
Speaker 1: pink sweetmeat went into the pocket of Yan's jacket, and
Speaker 1: he carried it about with him all the morning. He
Speaker 1: did not eat it, because once eaten it would be gone,
Speaker 1: and it was a greater pleasure to have it to
Speaker 1: look forward to than to enjoy it. At the moment,
Speaker 1: Yan was a thrifty little boy, as you perceive. Being Christmas,
Speaker 1: it was of course an idle day. Jacob went never
Speaker 1: knew what to do with such. There was his pipe,
Speaker 1: and there was beard to be had, So in default
Speaker 1: of other occupation he amused himself with these. Missus Wen
Speaker 1: had her hands full with the dinner, and was frying
Speaker 1: sausages and mixing Yorkshire pudding all the morning. Only Greta
Speaker 1: went to church. She belonged to a parish school where
Speaker 1: they gave Christmas prizes, and by no means intended to
Speaker 1: lose her chance. But apart from that, she really loved
Speaker 1: church going, for she spoke English and understood it better
Speaker 1: than either of the other children, who Helm went off
Speaker 1: on errands of his own. Little Yan spent the morning
Speaker 1: and admiring his stockings, and in wrapping and unwrapping his
Speaker 1: precious sweetmeat, and taking it out of his pocket and
Speaker 1: putting it in again. Why dost thou not eat it? Dear,
Speaker 1: asked his mother, as she lifted the frying pan from
Speaker 1: the stove. But he answered, oh, not yet. When once
Speaker 1: it is eaten, it is over. I will wait. How
Speaker 1: long wilt thou wait, she asked, Yan said bashfully, I
Speaker 1: don't know. In truth, he had not made up his
Speaker 1: mind about the sweetmeat. Only he felt instinctively that he
Speaker 1: did not want to hurry and shorten his pleasure. Dinner over,
Speaker 1: he went out for a walk. Every now and then,
Speaker 1: as he marched along, his hand would steal into his
Speaker 1: pocket to finger his precious candy and make sure that
Speaker 1: it was safe. It was a gray afternoon, but not
Speaker 1: snowing or raining. Hyde Park was not too far away
Speaker 1: for a walk, and Yon went there. The Serpentine was
Speaker 1: skimmed over with ice just strong enough to bear boys,
Speaker 1: and quite a little crowd was sliding or skating upon it.
Speaker 1: Yon could skate very well, he had learned in Holland,
Speaker 1: but he made no attempt to join the crowd. He
Speaker 1: was rather shy of English boys, for they sometimes laughed
Speaker 1: at his Holland or clothes, or his Dutch accent, and
Speaker 1: he did not like to be laughed at. So he
Speaker 1: strolled away, passed the Serpentine and his skaters, and watched
Speaker 1: the riders in the row for a while. There were
Speaker 1: not a great many, for people who ride are apt
Speaker 1: to be out of London at the Christmas time, but
Speaker 1: there were some pretty horses, and one fair little girl
Speaker 1: on a pony who took Yon's fancy very much. He
Speaker 1: stood for a long time watching her trot up and down,
Speaker 1: and the idea occurred to him that he would like
Speaker 1: to give her his sweetmeat. He even put his hand
Speaker 1: into his pocket and half pulled it out, but the
Speaker 1: little girl did not look his way, and presently her father,
Speaker 1: with whom she was riding, spoke to her, and she
Speaker 1: turned her horse's head and trotted off through the marble arch.
Speaker 1: Yan dropped the sugar plum again into his pocket and
Speaker 1: felt as if his sudden fancy had been absurd, and indeed,
Speaker 1: I think the little girl would have been surprised and
Speaker 1: puzzled what to do had he carried out the attention.
Speaker 1: After the pony and his little mistress had departed, Yan
Speaker 1: lost his interest in the rider's and walked away across
Speaker 1: the park. Once he stopped to look a dear little
Speaker 1: dog with the blue collar who seemed to have lost
Speaker 1: his master, for he was wandering about by himself and
Speaker 1: smelling everybody and everything he met, as if to recover
Speaker 1: a lost trail. Yan called him. He came up in
Speaker 1: a very friendly way and allowed himself to be padded.
Speaker 1: And once more the sweetmeat was in danger, for Yan
Speaker 1: had taken it out with the intention of dividing it
Speaker 1: with his new friend. When a whistle was heard, which
Speaker 1: the little dog evidently recognized, and he darted off at
Speaker 1: once to join his master. So again the pink sweetmeat
Speaker 1: was put back into Yan's pockets, and he walked on.
Speaker 1: He had gone quite a distance when he saw a
Speaker 1: number of people collected round the foot of a tree.
Speaker 1: A ladder was set against one of the lower branches,
Speaker 1: and a man had climbed up nearly to the top
Speaker 1: of the tree. Yan, like a true boy, lost no
Speaker 1: time in joining the crowd, but at first he could
Speaker 1: not make out what was going on. The boughs were thick.
Speaker 1: All that he could see was the man's back high
Speaker 1: up overhead, and what he was doing he could not guess.
Speaker 1: A benevolent looking old gentleman stood near, and Yan heard
Speaker 1: him exclaim with great excitement, there he's got him. No
Speaker 1: he's not, But it was a close shave. Got what, sir?
Speaker 1: He ventured to ask why the rook to be sure? Then,
Speaker 1: seeing that Yan still looked puzzled, he took the trouble
Speaker 1: to explain, you see that rook up there, my lad,
Speaker 1: don't you? Yan had not seen any rook at all. Well,
Speaker 1: it is caught in some way how I can't tell you,
Speaker 1: but it can't get away from the tree. It has
Speaker 1: been there three days, they say, and all that time
Speaker 1: the other rooks have brought food to it and kept
Speaker 1: it from starving. Now some one has gone up to
Speaker 1: see what is the difficulty, and if possible, to set
Speaker 1: the poor thing free. Thank you, sir, said Yan, And
Speaker 1: the old gentleman looked at him kindly and said to himself,
Speaker 1: a very civil, tidy little lad. I like his face.
Speaker 1: Yon had now become deeply interested in what was going on.
Speaker 1: He stood on tiptoe and stretched his neck. But all
Speaker 1: he could see was the man's back and one of
Speaker 1: his feet, and now and then the movement of a
Speaker 1: stick with which the man seemed to be trying to
Speaker 1: hit something. At last there was a great plunge and
Speaker 1: a rustling of branches, and people began to hurrah. Yon
Speaker 1: hurrad too, though he still saw nothing very clearly. But
Speaker 1: it is easier to shout when other boys shout. If
Speaker 1: you happen to be a boy, then it is to
Speaker 1: keep still. Slowly, the man in the tree began to
Speaker 1: come down. He had only one hand to help himself
Speaker 1: with now, for the other held the heavy rook. We
Speaker 1: in America do not know what rooks are like, but
Speaker 1: in England they are common enough. They are large black birds,
Speaker 1: something like our crows, but they look wiser and are
Speaker 1: a good deal bigger. As the man neared the ground,
Speaker 1: every one in the crowd could see. But had been
Speaker 1: the matter with the rook A kite string caught among
Speaker 1: the tree branches had tangled his legs and held him fast.
Speaker 1: He had pulled so hard in his efforts to escape
Speaker 1: that the string had cut into one of his legs
Speaker 1: and half broken it. It was stiff and bleeding, and
Speaker 1: the rook could neither fly nor hop. People searched in
Speaker 1: their pockets, and one little girl who had a half
Speaker 1: biscuit began to feed the rook, who, for all the
Speaker 1: kindly efforts of his friends, seemed to be half famished.
Speaker 1: The poor thing was too weak to struggle or be frightened,
Speaker 1: and took the crumbs eagerly from the girl's hand. Yan
Speaker 1: thought of his sweetmeat and took it out for the
Speaker 1: third time. Everybody was crowding round a man who held
Speaker 1: the rook, and he could not get nearer. A very
Speaker 1: tall policeman stood in front of him. Yan pulled his arm,
Speaker 1: and when he churned, handed him the sweetmeat and said,
Speaker 1: in his soft foreign English for the birds, sir, thank you,
Speaker 1: my dear, said the policeman. He had not understood what
Speaker 1: Yan said, and in an abstracted way, with his eyes
Speaker 1: still fixed on the rook, he bit the pink sweetmeat
Speaker 1: in two and swelled half of it a mouthful. Fortunately
Speaker 1: Yon did not see this, for the policeman's back was
Speaker 1: turned to him. But observing that the man made no
Speaker 1: attempt to go forward, he pulled his sleeve for the
Speaker 1: second time and again said, foot the bird, I said, sir.
Speaker 1: This time the policeman heard, and taking one step forward,
Speaker 1: he held the remaining half of the sweetmeat out to
Speaker 1: the rook, who, having by this time grown used to
Speaker 1: being fed, took the offered dainty greedily. Yan saw the
Speaker 1: last pink crumb vanish into the long beak, but he
Speaker 1: felt no regret. His heart had been touched by the
Speaker 1: suffering of the poor bird, and he was glad to
Speaker 1: give what he could to make it forget those painful
Speaker 1: days in the tree. So that was the end of
Speaker 1: the pink sweetmeat, or not quite the end. The kind
Speaker 1: old gentleman to whom Yan had spoken, had noticed the
Speaker 1: little transaction with the policeman. He was shrewd as well
Speaker 1: as kind. He guessed by Yan's clothes that he was
Speaker 1: a working man's son, to whom sweets were not an
Speaker 1: every day affair, and the generous act pleased him. So
Speaker 1: he put his hand into his pocket, pulled out half
Speaker 1: a crown, and, watching his opportunity, dropped it into Yan's pocket,
Speaker 1: quite empty now that the sweetmeat was gone. Then with
Speaker 1: a little chuckle, he walked away, and Yan had no
Speaker 1: suspicion of what had been done to him. Gradually the
Speaker 1: crowd dispersed Yan among the rest, walking briskly, for he
Speaker 1: wanted to get home and tell his mother the story.
Speaker 1: It was not till after supper that he discovered the
Speaker 1: half crown, and then it seemed to him like a
Speaker 1: sort of dream, as if fairies had been at work
Speaker 1: and turned the pink sweetmeat into a bit of sober
Speaker 1: That night, the three pairs of stockings had another chance
Speaker 1: for conversation. The blue ones and the gray ones lay
Speaker 1: close together on the floor of the room where Yon
Speaker 1: slept with his brother, and the white ones, which Greta
Speaker 1: had carelessly dropped as she jumped into bed, were near
Speaker 1: enough the half open door to talk across the sell.
Speaker 1: It has been an exciting day, said the white pear.
Speaker 1: My girl got a Kebble's Christian Year at her school.
Speaker 1: It was the second best prize. It is a good
Speaker 1: thing to belong to respectable people who take prizes. Only
Speaker 1: one thing was painful to me. She wriggled her toes
Speaker 1: so with pleasure that I felt as if I were
Speaker 1: coming to an end in one of my points. Well,
Speaker 1: you probably are, remarked the big gray. Yes, now that
Speaker 1: I examine, I can see the place one stitch has
Speaker 1: parted already, and there is quite a thin spot. You know,
Speaker 1: I always predicted that you would be in the rag
Speaker 1: bag before you knew it. Oh, don't say such dreadful things,
Speaker 1: pleaded the little blues. This is the wenchwoman, I am sure,
Speaker 1: and make her last. What did your girl do with
Speaker 1: her sweetmeat? Eat it up directly? Of course? What else
Speaker 1: should one do with a sweetmeat? Snapped the white pair crossly. Oh, dear,
Speaker 1: my toe feels dreadfully ever since you said that quite neuuralgic. Oh,
Speaker 1: my boy was not so foolish as to eat his sweetmeat,
Speaker 1: said the big gray stockings. Only girls act in that way,
Speaker 1: without regard to anything but their greedy appetites. He traded
Speaker 1: his with another boy, and he got a pocket knife
Speaker 1: for it, three screws and a harmonica. There was the knife, new,
Speaker 1: asked the Blue. Could the harmonica play any music? Demanded
Speaker 1: the White. No, the harmonica is out of order inside somehow,
Speaker 1: But perhaps my boy can mend it. And the knife
Speaker 1: isn't new, quite old. In fact, its blade is broken
Speaker 1: at the end. Still it's a knife, and Wilhelm thinks
Speaker 1: he can tread it off for something. House And now
Speaker 1: for your adventures. What did your boy do with his sweetmeat,
Speaker 1: little Blues? Did he eat it or trade it? It
Speaker 1: is eaten, replied the Blue Stockings, cautiously eaten. Then of
Speaker 1: course he ate it. Why don't you speak out if
Speaker 1: he ate it? Say so? If he didn't, who did, well,
Speaker 1: nobody ate the whole of it, and my boy didn't
Speaker 1: eat any It was divided between two persons, or rather
Speaker 1: between one person and and a thing that is not
Speaker 1: a person. Bless me, what are you talking about? I
Speaker 1: never heard anything so absurd in my life. Persons and
Speaker 1: things that are not persons, said the white pear, what
Speaker 1: do you mean, Yes, what do you mean? What is
Speaker 1: the use of beating about the bush in this way?
Speaker 1: Remonstrated the big gray pear, who did eat the sweetmeat? Say, plainly,
Speaker 1: half of it was eaten by a policeman and the
Speaker 1: other half by a rook, replied the little blues in
Speaker 1: a meek voice. O, roared the gray stockings, while the
Speaker 1: white pair joined in with a shrill giggle. That beats
Speaker 1: all half by a policeman and half by a rook.
Speaker 1: A fine way to dispose of a Christmas sweetmeat. Your
Speaker 1: boy must be a fool, little Blues, Not a fool
Speaker 1: at all, said the blue pear indignantly. Now just listen
Speaker 1: to me. Your girl ate hers up at once and
Speaker 1: forgot it. Your boy traded his away, And what has
Speaker 1: he got? A broken knife and a harmonica that can't
Speaker 1: play music. I don't call those worth having. My boy
Speaker 1: enjoyed his sweetmeat all day. He had more pleasure in
Speaker 1: giving it away than if he had eaten it ten
Speaker 1: times over. Besides, he got half a crown for it.
Speaker 1: An old gentleman slipped it into his pocket because he
Speaker 1: was pleased with his kind heart. I saw him do
Speaker 1: it half a crown. Ejaculated the white pear with amazement. Well,
Speaker 1: that is something like, admitted the big gray stockings. Your
Speaker 1: boy did the best of the three, I admit. The
Speaker 1: little blue said no more. Presently the others fell asleep,
Speaker 1: But she lay and watched Yon as he rested peacefully
Speaker 1: beside his brother, with his wonderful treasure, the silver coin
Speaker 1: clasped tight in his hand. He smiled in his sleep,
Speaker 1: as though his dreams were pleasant. Even if he had
Speaker 1: no half crown, still he would have done the best,
Speaker 1: she whispered to herself. At last, then the clock struck twelve,
Speaker 1: and the day after Christmas was begun. And Of the
Speaker 1: Pink Sweet Meat by Susan Coolidge