THE KING AND THE CRITIC

A king liked to write stories, which he thought were very good. The people to whom he
showed them were afraid to criticize them. They said that his stories were good.
One day he showed some of them to a well-known critic, who said that his stories were
bad. The king got angry with him and sent him to prison.
After some time the king pardoned the critic and when he returned, he invited him to his
palace to dinner. Again he showed him some of his stories and again asked him what he thought
of them.
The critic turned to the guards who were standing behind him and said: Take me back to
prison.!
CLEVER BOYS
"any years ago a #ondon theatre was preparing for a first night. The producer wanted the
play to be a success.
There was a storm at sea in it. $ut in those days there was no stage machinery in a
theatre, so several boys were taken to make the %waves& on the %sea&. The %sea& was 'ust a piece of
green cloth, and the boys had to 'ump up and down under it.
(n the evening, when the curtain rose and the storm broke out, the audience greeted it
with applause. The boys managed their work well, the scene always made an impression on the
audience and each of the boys was paid a shilling a night. $ut when the performance had had a
few weeks& run, the owner of the theatre thought that it was too much and that si)pence a night
would be *uite enough. Then the boys decided to play a trick on him, so when the time came for
the storm, the wind began blowing, but the sea was as calm as ever, there were no waves on it.
The owner was very angry and shouted from behind the curtains, "ake waves, boys, make
waves.! $ut the boys wouldn&t 'ump. Then at last one of them asked, +o you want waves for a
shilling a night or si)pence a night,!
All right, for a shilling,! said the owner of the theatre. Then the boys smiled at each
other and began 'umping so merrily and so high that the play was again a great success.
THE BOY AND THE CAKES
A train stopped at a small station. A passenger looked out of the window and saw a
woman who was selling cakes. The gentleman wanted to buy a cake, but the woman was
standing rather a long way from the carriage
-
The gentleman didn&t want to go for the cake himself, so he called a little boy who was
on the platform near the carriage and asked him: .ow much does a cake cost,! Three pence,
sir,! answered the boy. The gentleman gave him si)pence and said to him: $ring me a cake and
with the other three pence buy one for yourself.!
A few minutes later the boy came back. .e was eating a cake. .e gave the gentleman
three pence change and said: There was only one cake left, sir.!
A GOOD LESSON
(t was /unday. The trains were crowded. A gentleman was walking along the platform
looking for a place. (n one of the cars he saw a vacant seat. $ut a small suit-case was lying on it
and a stout gentleman was sitting ne)t to it.
(s the seat vacant,! asked the gentleman.
0o, it is my friend&s, answered the gentleman. .e is 'ust coming. This is his suit-case.!
1ell,! said the gentleman, (&ll sit here till he comes.!
2ive minutes later the train started, but nobody came.
3our friend is late,! said the gentleman. .e has missed his train, but he need not lose his suit-
case.! And with these words he took the suit-case and threw it out of the window.
The stout gentleman got up and tried to catch the suit-case, but it was too late. (t was his
suit-case and he had taken a second seat for his own comfort.
AN AUTOMOBILE STORY
An automobilist who was going by car through the country saw, walking in front of him,
a man followed by a dog. As the car drew near them the dog suddenly started to cross the road.
The poor animal was hit by the car and killed.
The automobilist stopped his car and approached the man.
( am very sorry that this has happened,! he said. 1ill ten dollars be enough,!
Oh, yes,! said the man, ten dollars will be *uite enough4!
The man put the money in his pocket and as the car disappeared in the distance, he looked
down at the dead animal and thought: ( wonder whose dog it was.!

AN EXPENSIVE BREAKFAST
A king was once traveling through .olland. .e stopped at an inn in a little +utch village
to have breakfast. .e ordered some coffee and bread and butter, and some boiled eggs.
5
The innkeeper boiled two eggs and the king ate them for breakfast with bread and butter.
1hen the king asked the innkeeper how much he had to pay for his breakfast, the innkeeper
answered, A hundred florins, sir.!
The king was very much surprised and said: 1hat, A hundred florins for a little bread
and butter, a cup of coffee and two eggs, (sn&t it too e)pensive, 6ggs must be very scarce in
your village.!
Oh, no, sir,! answered the innkeeper, there are very many eggs in our village, but it is
kings that are very scarce nowadays.!
THE BELL-BOY
A traveller was standing at the desk in the lobby of a 1ashington hotel. .e was in a hurry.
.e had only ten minutes to pay his bill and reach the station. /uddenly he remembered that he
had forgotten something.
.e called the bell-boy and said: 7un up to room 89 and see whether ( left a bo) on the
table. $e *uick, ( am in a hurry.!
The boy ran up the stairs. 2ive minutes passed, and the gentleman was walking up and
down impatiently. At last the boy came back.
3es, sir,! he said, yes, sir, you left it there. (t&s on the table.!
WHY WAS SHE ANGRY?
A young man was in love with a beautiful girl. One day she said to him: (t is my
birthday tomorrow.! Oh,! said the young man, (&ll send you roses, one rose for each year of
your life.!
The same evening he went to a florist&s. As he knew that the girl was twenty two years
old, he paid for twenty two roses and asked the florist to send them to the girl the ne)t day.
The florist knew the young man very well as he had often bought flowers in his shop before.
1hen the young man left the shop, the florist thought:
This young man is a very good customer. ( think that my price was too high. (&ll send ten
more roses.!
.e did so. The ne)t morning thirty two roses were sent to the girl. 1hen the young man
came to see her she didn&t want to speak to him. And he never knew why she was so angry with
him.
THE AMERICAN TOURIST IN ENGLAND
:
Once an American who was in #ondon hired a guide to show him the city.
.ow long did it take to build this house,! he asked his guide as they passed a large hotel
building.
1hy, about si) months.!
/i) months4! e)claimed the American. 1hy, it wouldn&t take us more than si) weeks to
put up a building like that in 0ew 3ork.!
They passed an office building which was *uite new.
And how long did it take to build that,!
About four weeks,! answered the guide.
2our weeks4! said the American. (n 0ew 3ork we&d build a place like that in four
days.!
0othing more was said until they approached the .ouses of ;arliament.
1ell, that&s not a bad looking place. .ow long did it take to build it,!
1ell, you may not believe me,! answered the guide, but the building wasn&t there when
( crossed the bridge last night.!
AT A BORDER STATION
A train stopped at a 2rench border station. The passengers opened their suitcases and
waited for the inspection of their things. One of the passengers in a first-class carriage took a lot
of bo)es of cigarettes out of his suitcase and wanted to put all of them into his pockets.
1hen his pockets were already full of cigarettes and he could not put any more into them
he said to another man who was at the window:
1ill you please take some of these bo)es and put them into your pockets,!
1hy don&t you leave them in your suitcase,! asked the other passenger.
$ecause ( don&t want to pay duty on them,! answered the first passenger.
All right,! said the passenger at the window. <ive them to me but ( must tell you now
that ( shall not return them to you.!
1hy,!
$ecause ( am a 2rench =ustoms officer.!
A CLEVER BOY
8
A boy who was cleaning shoes in the street said to a young man passing by: #et me
clean your boots.!
The young man said 0o.!
(t&ll cost you only a penny, sir,! said the boy but the young man refused again.
Then the boy told him that he would clean his boots for nothing. The young man agreed
to this, and soon one boot was shining brightly. Then he put his other boot on the bo) but the boy
refused to clean it unless he was paid twopence for his work. The young man refused to pay
anything, and went away.
$ut the well-cleaned boot made the dirty one look so bad that he couldn&t walk on.
.e turned back and gave the boy the twopence. (n a very short time his boots shone
brightly.
HONESTY
A man went to an insurance office to have his life insured. The manager of the office
asked him how old his parents were when they died. "other had a bad heart and died at the age
of thirty. 2ather died of tuberculosis when he was thirty-five.!
( am sorry, said the manager, we cannot insure your life as your parents were not
healthy.!
As the man was leaving the office, depressed, he met a clerk who had overhead the
conversation. 3ou must not be so frank and tell the truth,! said the clerk, no office will insure
you if you speak like that. >se your imagination a little.!
The man went to another office and was shown into the manager&s room. 1ell, young
man, how old were your parents when they died,! "other was ninety-three, and she died from
a fall off her bicycle. 2ather was ninety-eight and he died while he was playing football.!
The manager immediately agreed to insure the man&s life.
THE DOCTORS ADVICE
Once an old gentleman went to see a doctor. The doctor e)amined him and said:
"edicine won&t help you. 3ou must have a complete rest. <o to a *uiet country place for a
month, go to bed early, drink milk, walk a lot, and smoke 'ust one cigar a day.!
Thank you very much,! said the gentleman. ( shall do everything you say.!
A month later the gentleman came to the doctor again.
.ow are you, ( am very glad to see you. 3ou look much younger.!
?
Oh, doctor, said the gentleman, ( feel *uite well now. ( had a good rest. ( went to bed
early, ( drank a lot of milk, ( walked a lot.
3our advice certainly helped me. $ut you told me to smoke one cigar a day, and that one
cigar a day almost killed me at first. (t&s not a 'oke to start smoking at my age.!
THE SHIRT
The king of an oriental country was rich and powerful, but he was not happy. .e
therefore went to consult a wise old man on this sub'ect. The old man said:
.appiness is a very rare thing in this world, but ( know the way to find it.!
.ow shall ( find it,! asked the king.
Oh, it is *uite simple,! answered the old man, you have only to put on the shirt of a
happy man.!
The king thanked the old man and began to look for the talisman. .e visited most of the
capitals of the world, met kings, writers, professors, actors, doctors, and others, but they were not
happy.
At last he came to his country
One day he saw a poor peasant with a happy look on his face who was working in a field
and singing. .e went up to the peasant and said: "y good fellow, are you happy,!
@uite happy,! answered the peasant.
1ould you like to change places with a king,!
0ot for the world.!
1ell, then,! said the king, /ell me your shirt.!
"y shirt,! answered the peasant in astonishment. ( haven&t got one.!
MARK TWAIN IN FRANCE
"ark Twain, the famous American writer, was traveling in 2rance. Once he was going by
train to +i'on. That afternoon he was very tired and wanted to sleep. .e therefore asked the
conductor to wake him up when they came to +i'on. $ut first he e)plained that he was a very
heavy sleeper. (&ll probably protest loudly when you try to wake me up,! he said to the
conductor but do not take any notice, 'ust put me off the train anyway.!
Then "ark Twain went to sleep. #ater, when he woke up, it was night-time and the train
was in ;aris already. .e realized at once that the conductor had forgotten to wake him up at
+i'on. .e was very angry. .e ran up to the conductor and began to shout at him. ( have never
been so angry in all my life, "ark Twain said.
A
The conductor looked at him calmly. 3ou are not half as angry as the American whom ( put off
the train at +i'on,! he said.
ECONOMY WASTED
An 6nglish tourist found himself in 0orway with only enough money in his pockets to
pay his passage back. As he knew that it would take him only two days to get to 6ngland, he
decided that he could easily do without food. /o he went on board the steamer and bought a
ticket.
.e closed his ears to the sound of the lunch bell. 1hen dinner time came he refused the
invitation to accompany a fellow-traveler to the dining-room, saying that he didn&t feel well.
The ne)t morning he didn&t go to breakfast and at lunch time he again stayed in his cabin.
At dinner time he was so hungry that he could not stand it any longer.
(&m going to eat,! he said, even if they throw me overboard afterwards!.
At dinner he ate everything the steward put in front of him and felt ready for the coming
row.
$ring me the bill,! he said to the steward.
The bill, sir,! said the man.
3es,! answered the traveler.
There isn&t any bill,! was the answer, on the ship meals are included in the passage
money.!
A MISTAKE
;rofessor $rown was once on his way to "anchester. (n those days traveling was
difficult, and finding that he could not reach the town before night, he began to look for a
suitable inn where he could spend the night. .e met a man whom he asked whether he knew a
good house where he could spend the night.
The man, not understanding what "r. $rown wanted, sent him to a large house, which
belonged to a rich man whose name was /mith. "r. $rown went there and was met by "r.
/mith himself. "r. $rown thought that the house was an inn and that "r. /mith was the
innkeeper, and asked him to prepare a room and supper for him.
At first "r. /mith was surprised, but he soon understood "r. $rown&s mistake. /o he
decided to play a 'oke on him. /upper was prepared for him and "r. $rown was given
everything he wanted.
(n the morning "r. $rown ordered breakfast and asked for his bill. Then "r. /mith said
with a smile that he was his guest, and "r. $rown realized his mistake
B
THE SMOKING CHIMNEY
One afternoon a professor was walking along a country road, when he saw a farmer
eating supper alone on the road before his house. The professor approached the farmer and asked
him:
1hy are you eating here alone,!
1ell, sir,! answered the farmer after a short pause, the chimney smokes.!
That is too bad,! said the professor. 3ou must have it repaired. #et&s have a look at it.!
And before the farmer could say a word, the professor tried to enter the farmer&s house.
As soon as he opened the door a broom fell on his shoulders and a woman&s voice cried:
<o away, you old rascal or (&ll kill youC!
The professor left the house *uickly. The farmer sat on the road looking very unhappy.
The professor approached him and put his hand on his shoulder.
0ever mind,! said he, my chimney smokes sometimes too.!
TIT FOR TAT
An American lady, traveling in 6ngland some years ago, got into a compartment of a
smoking carriage where an 6nglishman was smoking a pipe. 2or a short time she sat *uietly,
e)pecting that the 6nglishman would stop smoking. $ut then she began to cough and sneeze,
trying to show him that she ob'ected to the smoke. At last, seeing that the man took no notice of
her and did not put out his pipe, she said:
(f you were a gentleman, you would stop smoking when a lady got into the carriage.!
(f you were a lady,! replied the 6nglishman, you wouldn&t get into a smoking-
carriage.!
(f you were my husband,! said the American lady angrily, ( would give you poison.!
The 6nglishman looked at her for a moment or two.
1ell,! he said at last, if ( were your husband, ( would take it.!
AESOP AND THE TRAVELER
Aesop was a clever man who lived many hundreds of years ago in <reece. .e wrote
many fine stories. .e was well known as a man who was fond of 'okes. One day, as he was
en'oying a walk, he met a traveler, who greeted him and said:
Dind man, can you tell me how soon ( will get to town,!
<o,! Aesop answered.
( know ( must go, protested the traveler, but ( would like you to tell me how soon (
will get to town,!
<o,! Aesop said again angrily.
9
This man must be mad,! the traveler thought and went on.
After he had gone some distance, Aesop shouted after him:
3ou will get to town in two hours.!
The traveler turned round in astonishment. 1hy didn&t you tell me that before,! he
asked.
.ow could ( have told you that before,! answered Aesop. ( did not know how fast you
could walk.!
FORTUNE AND THE MAN
One day a man was walking along the street. .e carried an old bag in his hands. .e was
wondering why people who had so much money were never satisfied but always wanted more.
As to me,! he said, if only ( had enough to eat. ( would not ask for anything else.!
Eust at that moment 2ortune came down the street. /he heard that man and stopped.
#isten,! she said. ( want to help you. .old your bag, and ( will pour diamonds into it.
$ut every diamond which falls on the ground will become dust. +o you understand,!
Oh, yes, ( understand,! said the man. .e *uickly opened his bag and a stream of
diamonds was poured into it. The bag began to grow heavy.
(s that enough,! asked 2ortune.
0ot yet.! the man&s hands began to tremble.
3ou are the richest man in the world now,! said 2ortune.
Eust a few more, add a few more,! said the man. Another diamond was added and the bag split.
All the diamonds fell on the ground and became dust.
2ortune disappeared, leaving the man in the street.
THE FARMER AND THE APPLES
A rich farmer in 6ngland once had a friend who grew very good apples. One day this
friend gave the farmer a fine young tree and told him to take it home and plant it. The farmer was
pleased with the present but when he came home he did not know where to plant the tree. .e
thought: (f ( plant it near the road, strangers will steal the apples. (f ( plant it in my field, my
neighbours will come at night and rob me. (f ( plant it near my house, my children will take the
apples.!
At last he planted the tree deep in a wood where nobody could see it. $ut the tree could
not grow without sunlight and died. 1hen the farmer&s friend heard of it he got very angry and
asked the farmer why he had planted the tree in such a bad place.
1here could ( plant it,! said the farmer. (f ( had planted the tree near the road,
strangers would have stolen the apples. (f ( had planted it in the field, my neighbours would have
F
come at night and robbed me. (f ( had planted it near my house, my children would have taken
the apples.!
$ut then somebody would have en'oyed the apples,! said his friend, and now nobody
can have them and you have lost a fine tree.!
A BROKEN VASE
A young man who lived in #ondon was in love with a beautiful girl. /oon she became his
fiancGe. The man was very poor but the girl was rich. The young man wanted to make her a
present on her birthday. .e wanted to buy something beautiful for her, but he had no idea how to
do it, as he had very little money. The ne)t morning he went to a shop. There were many fine
things there: rings, gold watches, diamonds H but all these things were too e)pensive there was
one thing he could not take his eyes off. (t was a beautiful vase. That was a suitable present for
his fiancGe. .e had been looking at the vase for half an hour when the manager of the shop
noticed him. The young man looked so pale, sad and unhappy that the manager asked what had
happened to him.
The young man told him everything. The manager felt sorry for him and decided to help
him. A brilliant idea struck him. The manager pointed to the corner of the shop. To his great
surprise the young man saw a vase broken into many pieces. The manager said: ( can help you.
( will order my servant to pack it and take it to your fiancGe. 1hen he enters the room, he will
drop it.!
On the birthday of his fiancGe the young man was very e)cited. 6verything happened as
had been planned. The servant brought in the vase, and as he entered the room, he dropped it.
There was horror on everybody&s face. 1hen the vase was unpacked the guests saw that each
piece was packed separately.
HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY
A woodman was once working on the bank of a deep river. /uddenly his a)e slipped from
his hand and dropped into the water.
Oh4 ( have lost my a)e,! he cried. 1hat shall ( do, The water is very deep and ( am
afraid to dive into it. 1hat shall ( do, 1ho can help me,!
"ercury heard the poor man&s cries and appeared before him.
1hat is the matter, poor woodman,! he asked. 1hat has happened that you are so sad
and unhappy,!
"ercury listened to the man&s story and then said: ;erhaps ( can help you.! .e dived
into the river and brought up a gold a)e. (s this yours,! he asked. 0o, that is not mine,! was
the answer. "ercury dived a second time and this time brought up a silver a)e. (s this yours,!
-I
he asked. Again the answer was 0o.! /o, "ercury dived a third time and this time brought up
the very a)e that the woodman had lost. This is my a)e,! cried the man. 3es, that is my own
good a)e. 0ow ( can work again.!
"ercury was so pleased with the fellow&s honesty that he at once made him a present of
the other two a)es and disappeared before the fellow could even say Thank you!.
The woodman went home very pleased with his good luck. .e told his friends all about it
and one of them decided to try his luck.
/o he went to the same place, dropped his a)e into the river, and cried out: Oh4 ( have
lost my a)e. 1hat shall ( do, 1ho can help me,!
"ercury appeared as before, and when he learnt that the man had lost his a)e, he dived
into the river. Again he brought up a gold a)e. (s this yours,! he asked.
3es, it is,! said the second woodman. 3ou are not telling me the truth,! said "ercury.
3ou will neither have this a)e nor the one that you so foolishly dropped into the water.!
THE BEE
There was once a great artist in $elgium who said that his daughter should never marry
anyone but an artist. $ut she loved a blacksmith and the blacksmith was in love with her. 1hen
she told him that her father did not allow her to marry anyone but an artist, he left his trade and
studied hard in order to become a painter. .e was certainly a man of great talent, as in a short
time he became a good painter. One day the young painter went to the artist&s studio and, finding
that the artist was not at home, decided to wait for him. 0obody had seen him come into the
studio. .e looked around at the pictures. At last he took a brush and painted a bee on the leg of
one of the figures and then stood aside to look at it. /uddenly he heard somebody open the door.
.e *uickly put the brush down and turned to the door. The artist was not yet in the room and did
not see his visitor put the brush in its place. 1hen he came in he at once saw the bee on the leg
of one of his figuresJ he thought that it was a real bee and tried to brush it off. 1hen the young
painter saw this he could not help smiling. The artist smiled too when he saw his mistake and
said that it was a wonderful little painting. The young man told him the whole story and soon
after that the young painter and the artist&s daughter got married.
DIOGENES AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT
There lived a wise man in ancient <reece whose name was +iogenes. "en came from all
the parts of the land to see him and talk to him.
+iogenes was a strange man. .e said that no man needed much, and so he did not live in
a house but slept in a barrel, which he rolled about from place to place. .e spent his days sitting
in the sun and saying wise things to those who were around him.
--
1hen Ale)ander the <reat came to that town he went to see the wise man. .e found
+iogenes outside the town lying on the ground by his barrel. .e was en'oying the sun.
1hen he saw the king he sat up and looked at Ale)ander. Ale)ander greeted him and
said:
+iogenes, ( have heard a great deal about you. (s there anything ( can do for you,!
3es,! said +iogenes, you can step aside a little so as not to keep the sunshine from me.!
The king was very much surprised. $ut this answer did not make him angry. .e turned to
his officers with the following words: say what you like, but if ( were not Ale)ander, ( would
like to be +iogenes.!
THE CLEVER POOR MAN
One day a poor man was traveling on horseback. (n the afternoon, when he was tired and
hungry, he tied his horse to a tree and sat down to have his diner. A rich man came to that place
and began to tie his horse to the same tree.
+o not tie your horse to that tree, said the poor man, my horse is wild, it will kill your
horse. Tie it to another tree4!
$ut the rich man answered: ( will tie my horse where ( like4! /o he tied up his horse and
also sat down to eat his dinner. $ut a few minutes later they heard a terrible noise and saw that
the two horses were fighting. They ran up to them, but it was too late H the rich man&s horse was
killed.
/ee what your horse has done4! cried the rich man. 3ou will have to pay for it4! and he
brought the poor man before a 'udge.
The 'udge asked the poor man: (s it true that your horse killed his horse,! but the poor
man answered nothing. Then the 'udge asked the poor man many other *uestions, but he did not
say anything. At last the 'udge cried: 1hat can ( do, This man is dumb. .e cannot speak4!
Oh,! said the rich man, he can speak as well as you or me. .e spoke to me when ( met him.!
Are you sure,! asked the 'udge. 1hat did he say,!
Of course ( am sure,! answered the rich man. .e told me not to tie my horse to the
same tree where his horse was tied. .e said that his horse was wild and would kill my horse.!
Oh, said the 'udge, now ( see that you are not right. .e warned you before so he shall
not pay for your horse now.!
Then he turned to the poor man and asked him why he had not answered all his *uestions.
The poor man said: ( did not answer you as ( wanted him to tell you everything, and now
you see who was right and who was wrong.!
THE INDIAN AND THE SPANIARD
-5
A /paniard was riding across a deserted country in /outh America when suddenly his
horse went lame. .e felt very nervous because he saw that the horse would never be able to carry
him home. A little later he saw an (ndian riding a fine fresh horse and asked him to e)change
horses. The (ndian refused to do this. The /paniard used force and made the (ndian give up his
horse. .e rode away, leaving his lame horse to the (ndian. The (ndian followed him until he
reached a town where he found the /paniard.
The /paniard had to appear before a 'udge. The /paniard told the 'udge that the horse was
his own. The (ndian asked the 'udge to send for the horse. This was done, and the (ndian,
throwing his cloak over the horse&s head, said to the 'udge: This man says that the horse is his,
let him, therefore, tell you which of its eyes is blind!
The /paniard said at once: The right one.! The (ndian, taking off the cloak, e)claimed:
0either the right eye nor the leftJ the horse is not blind at all.!
The 'udge had to say that the horse had to be returned to the (ndian and ordered the
/paniard to pay a large sum of money to the (ndian.
A LACONIC ANSWER
The #acons lived in a part of /outhern <reece called #aconia, and were known for their
bravery and the simplicity of their life. One of their rules was always to speak briefly, using no
more words than were needed. This was carried so far that to this day a very short answer is
often called laconic, that is, such an answer as a #acon might have given.
There was in 0orthern <reece a land called "acedonia, which was once ruled by a king
named ;hilip.
;hilip wanted to become master of all <reece. .e therefore collected a great army and
con*uered all <reece, until only #aconia remained uncon*uered. Then he sent a letter to the
brave #acons saying: (f ( invade your country, ( will destroy your great city.!
(n a few days an answer was brought back to him. .e found only one word written in it H
that word was if!.
MICHELANGELO
The famous sculptor "ichelangelo lived in 2rance. .e was well known all over (taly for
his beautiful work and the <overnor of 2lorence made up his mind to ask the famous sculptor to
make a statue out of a large piece of marble. A sculptor had tried to do this before him, but had
only spoiled the marble. "ichelangelo worked for two years, and at last he completed the
beautiful statue which he called +avid. The day the statue was ready a large crowd of people
gathered in the s*uare, the <overnor of 2lorence came too. .e stood for a long time looking at
the statue.
-:
Then he said that he didn&t like it, as +avid&s nose was too long. "ichelangelo made up
his mind to please the governor and not to spoil the statue. .e went up to the statue with a
handful of marble dust. .e pretended to be changing the shape of the nose and at the same time
dropped some of the marble dust which he had taken with him. The governor thought that this
was marble dust from the nose of the statue. 1hen "ichelangelo had finished, the governor said:
That&s e)cellent4 0ow you have given more life to the face,! and the people, who understood
what "ichelangelo had done, shouted with 'oy.
The statue is one of "ichelangelo&s best works.
ROBIN HOOD AND THE GOLDEN ARROW
7obin .ood was a legendary hero who was well known and loved by poor people of
6ngland. .e lived in a forest, far from the towns, and when the poor were oppressed by the rich,
he helped them and gave them food and shelter. The sheriffs tried to arrest him but never
succeeded in doing so. At last the /heriff decided to organize a shooting contest in order to catch
him. .e knew that 7obin .ood was a very good shooter and hoped that he would take part in the
contest. The prize was a golden arrow. 7obin .ood gathered his men and discussed whether they
should take part in the contest or not. 2inally it was decided that although the risk was great they
should all go, 7obin .ood among them. The day of the contest was fine and clear. The town was
decorated with flags and the field for the contest was full of people. The /heriff looked
everywhere for 7obin .ood and his men. .e knew that they were always dressed in green. To
his disappointment he could not find anybody who looked like them. The contest was won by a
fellow dressed in red, who had come from a village with a whole company of young men. .e
received the beautiful golden arrow and left the town. 0obody ever thought that that was 7obin
.ood. 1hile leaving the town 7obin .ood shot an arrow through the /heriff&s open window.
There was a paper attached to it with the following words: 7obin .ood thanks the /heriff for
the <olden Arrow.!

A FISH STORY
Once a group of tourists, who were staying at a hotel in $irmingham, were having dinner
in the restaurant. 2ish was brought and while they were eating it some of them told interesting
stories about finding pearls and other valuable things inside fish.
An old gentleman, who up to now had listened *uietly to their conversation, at last said:
(&ve heard all your stories, and now (&ll tell you one. 1hen ( was a young man ( was
employed in a large importing house in 0ew 3ork, and, as is usual with young people, ( fell in
love with a pretty young girl. Kery soon we were engaged. About two months before our
-8
marriage was to take place, ( was suddenly sent to $irmingham on very important business. ( left
my sweetheart, promising to write to her.
( was obliged to stay in $irmingham longer than ( had e)pected. A last my work was
done, and ( could leave $irmingham. $ut 'ust before ( left for home, ( bought a beautiful and
very e)pensive diamond ring, intending to give it to my sweetheart.
On my way to 0ew 3ork, ( was looking through the morning newspaper, which had been
brought on board by the pilot. /uddenly ( saw an announcement of my sweetheart&s marriage
with another. This made me angry that ( threw the ring overboard. A few days later, when ( was
dining at a hotel in 0ew 3ork fish was brought. 1hile ( was eating it ( bit on something hard.
1hat do you think it was,! The diamond ring,! cried his companions. 0o,! said the old
gentleman sadly, it was a fish-bone.!
THE NEW WORLD
(n the eighteenth century young ladies in (taly were taught reading, writing, music and
arithmetic. Their knowledge of history and geography was very poor.
Once a 2rench ambassador in 7ome was giving a ball to which many important people
were invited. The (talian "inister of 2oreign Affairs came very late. A young lady who was well
ac*uainted with him, saw him enter the ball-room and asked why he was so late.
3ou see,! said the "inister, there has been a little accident at the Ding&s palace.!
The curious young lady asked the "inister to tell her what had happened at the Ding&s
palace.
Oh, nothing important,! answered the "inister, the ambassador of $razil, who was to
be presented to the Ding, forgot to take his credentials with him and was obliged to go back to
his hotel to bring them. (f he had left them in $razil we should have had to wait at least si)
months for them.!
(s $razil so far from 7ome,! asked the lady, who knew very little geography.
(t is in the 0ew 1orld,! said the "inister.
(n the 0ew 1orld,! repeated the lady in great astonishment.
3es, in the 0ew 1orld,! answered the "inister in a sarcastic tone, which was
discovered by =hristopher =olumbus.!
1hen the young lady heard this she rushed into the middle of the ball-room and shouted
as loud as she could:
#adies and gentlemen, have you heard the latest news, A new world has 'ust been
discovered by a certain =hristopher =olumbus4!
-?
MIDAS
Once upon a time there lived a king whose name was "idas.
.e was very fond of gold, he loved it better than anything else in the world, e)cept his daughter.
"idas spent days counting the pieces of gold he had collected. Once, when he was engaged in
counting his money, a stranger entered the room and said: "idas, you are the richest man in the
world. 3ou have everything you can wish for. $ut are you really happy,! 0o, ( am not,!
answered "idas, ( shall never be happy until everything that ( touch becomes gold.!
3ou shall have what you wish4! e)claimed the stranger. The ne)t morning "idas woke
up when the sun was rising. 1hile he was dressing, he noticed that his clothes turned into gold.
This made him very happy. .e went into the garden and everything that he touched, the trees and
the flowers, turned into gold. /oon he sat down to breakfast, his daughter was sitting before him.
"idas lifted his cup of coffee to his mouth, but the coffee became hard and yellow. This
frightened him.
1hat is the matter with you, father,! asked his daughter, running up to him and taking
his hand, but she also turned into gold. 1hat have ( done,! cried "idas. (t was madness to
want more riches. 0ow ( have lost my daughter.!
/uddenly he heard the voice of the stranger. "idas, which would you like to have now:
your gold or your daughter,!
<ive me back my child4! e)claimed "idas. ( will never want gold again.!
( will help you,! said the stranger. <o to the river and bring some water. Then pour the
water over your daughter.! "idas did as the stranger had advised him. 1hen he poured the water
over the gold statue of his daughter its eyes opened and his daughter returned to life.
"idas understood that gold was not the most important thing in the world.
A DILEMMA
Tom&s >ncle ;hilip was an inventor and was e)tremely rich. .e was a strange old man,
he lived alone, had no wife or friends, and spent all his money in buying precious stones.
One day, about a week before uncle ;hilip died, he sent for his nephew. .ere it must be
e)plained that this was the first time the two had met. "any years earlier ;hilip had had a big
*uarrel with his sister, who was Tom&s mother, and since then he had never spoken to her again,
or to Tom. .e hated them both very much.
1hen Tom came to see him, >ncle ;hilip was lying in bed. ( am leaving all my precious
stones to you. 3ou will find them in an iron bo) in the bank. $ut before you unlock the bo), read
the letter which lies on top of it. Also, be careful not to shake the bo).!
-A
Tom thought that this as very strange, but as his uncle was known to be a strange man, he
believed that everything would be all right.
After >ncle ;hilip&s death Tom went to the bank for the bo). $efore he started to open it,
he read the letter. .ere is what it said: +ear Tom, this bo) contains a large number of precious
stones. ( am leaving them to you because ( want you always to remember your dear uncle. The
bo) also contains a powerful charge of dynamite which will e)plode as soon as you unlock it. (f
you do not believe me, open it and you will be blown into atoms. +o not forget you uncle.!
.e thought for a whole week until he got the idea of opening the bo) from a distance with
the aid of wires. .e would not be in'ured if the dynamite e)ploded. $ut then he realized that if
the dynamite e)ploded it would blow the stones into bits.
2rom that time Tom could think of nothing but the bo) and the fortune that awaited him if
he could open it safely. .e asked everyone he knew for advice. /ome people suggested ways of
opening the bo) but they did not believe in their ideas enough to try them out.
One day a government official came to collect the ta) on Tom&s inheritance. Tom was
delighted. .e showed the ta) collector >ncle ;hilip&s letter and offered him the key to the bo).
The man said he would think it over and come back later. Of course, he never came back. 1ould
you, /o there is Tom&s dilemma, a rich man, he at the same time is poor. .e has an iron bo) that
contains great wealth but also contains dynamite that will e)plode when the key is used to unlock
it. 1hat would you advise,
-B