英文故事

(1) Grimm God Father Death
A poor man had twelve children,
and worked night and eay just to get enough
bread for them to eat. Now when the
thirteenth came in the wrold, he didn't know
what to do, and in his misery ran out
onto the great highway to askthe first
person he met  to be godfather.
  The first person to come along was god,
ane he already knew what it was that
weighed on the man's mind, and sakd:
Poor nab, I pity you.I will hole your  child
at the font, and I will look after it,
and make happy upon earth.
"Who are you? Asked the man.
"I'm god."
"Than I don't want you for a godfather.
Said the man. "You give to the rich,
and let poor go hungry." That was how
the man talked, because he didn't know how
wisely God shares out wealth and poverty,
and shus he turn from the Lord and
walked on.
  The next came the devil, and sad:
"What is it you want?" "If you want me
to be godfather to you child, I will
give him gold as much as he can use, and
all the pleasures beside".
"Who are yo*?" Asked the man.
"I'm the Devil." "Than I don't want you to
for a godfather." Iaid the man.
"You deceive and mislead mankind."
He walked on and spindlelegged Death
striding toward h3m and said:
"Take me as godfather. "Who are you?"
Asked the man. "I'm Death. who makes
all men equal." "Than you're the ono for me;
you take  rich and poor without
distincion. You sall be godfather." said
the man. The death: "I will make your  child
rich and famous, because the one who has
me for a friend shall want for nothing."
",Next Sunday baptism. Be there in good
time". Death appeared as he had promised,
and made a perfectly fine godfather.
  When the boy was of age, the godfather
walked in one day, tord him to come along,
and let him into the woods. He showed him
and herb whitch grew there and said:
"This is your christing gift. I shall make
you into a famous doctor. When you are
called to patien's beside I well appear and
if I stand at the sick man's head,
you can boldly say that you can cure him,
an if you give  him some of herb,
he will be recover. But if I stand at sick
man's seets, than he is mine, and
say there is no help for him  and no doctors
on this earth can save him.
But take care not to use the herb against
my will, or it will be the worse for you.
  It wasn't lon before, the young man
had become a famous doctor in the whole
wrold. "He looks at a patient and right away
he knows how things stand, whether he will
get better or if he's going to died."
That was what they say about him, and
from near for the people came,
took him to see the sick, and gave him
so much money, he became a rich man.
It happened that the king hell ill.
The doctor summoned to say if he was
going to get well. When he came to the bed,
there stood Death at the feets of the
sick man, so that no herb on earth
could have done him any good. "If I could
only just outwit Death! Thought the doctor.
"He'll be annoyed, I know, but I'm his
godchild, and he's sure to turn a blind
eye. I'll take my chance. so he lifted the
sick man and laid him the other way aroud,
so that Death was standing at his head.
Than he gave him some of the herb,
and the king began to feel better and was
soon in perfet health. But Death came toward
the doctor, his face was dark and angry,
threatened him with raised forefinger and
said: You have tricked me. this time I'll
let is pass because you're my godchild,
but if you dare to do such a thing again,
you put your own head in the noose it's
you, I shall carry away with me."
  Soon after that, the king's daughter
lapsed into a deep illness. She was his
only child, he wept day and yight until
his eyes failed him, and he let it be known
that whoever saved the princess from death,
should be her husband and inherit the crown.
Than the doctor came to the sick girl's
bed, he saw Death at her head. He ought to
have remembered his godfather's warning,
but the great beauty of the princess and the
happieness of becomming her husband so
bedazzledhim that he lifted his hands
in the air, and threatened his bony fist.
He picked the sick girl up had laid her
head where her feet had lain,  than
he gave her some of the herb and at once
her cheeks reddened and life stirred anew.
  When Death saw himself cheated property
the second time, he strode toward the
doctor on his long legs and said:
"It's all up with you, and now is your
turn". Grasped him harshly with his ice
cold hand, so that the doctor couldn't
resist, and led him to an undergroud cave,
and here he saw thousands upon thousands
of lights burning in rows without end,
some big, some middle sized, others small.
Every moment some went out and others
lit up. So that the little flames seems
to be jumping here and there in perpetual
exchanged. "Look". said Death,
"These are the life lights mankind.
the gig ones belong to children,
the middle sized ones to married couples
in their best years, the little ones belong
to very old people. Yet children and young
often have only little lights".
"Show me my life lights". said the
terrified doctor, "right me a new one,
do it, for my sake, so that I may enjoy
my life and become king, and marry the
beautiful princess.
"I can't". answered the doctor.
"A light must go out before a new one
lights up."
"Than set the old on top of a new one so
it can go on burning, when the first is
finish." Begged the doctor.
Death made as if to grant his wish,
reached for a tall new taper, but because
he wanted revenge, he purposely fumblled
and the little stub fell over and went out.
Thereupon the doctor sank to the groud,
and had himself fallen to the hands of
death.




death.
_______________
(2) A bouquet for Miss Banson
Villiard Miss Banson was the kindest,
s)eetest, most beautiful creature that  ever
walked the earth. She was my second grade
teacher, and I was going to marry her  when
I grew up; if she would wait.
  I would sit squirming in my seat
for the entire morning to keep from raising
my hend. I couldn't bear to miss one
precious moment of her presence by
leaving the room. My hands was  always the
first to be raised, however, when  Miss
Banson called for volunteers to clean the
blackboards or to gather the papers and
bring them to her desk. It was the best
chore of all. It made possible getting
near enough to her to close out the  others
in the classroom. I would arrange and
rearrange the papers. They had to be in
perfect order befor before I would make  my
reluctant way back to my seat.
  Early in the term, I started pastering my
mother to put an extra apple or peach in my
lunch. I never quite worked up the courage
to say it was for my teacher,
as I never quite worked up the courage  the
hand my offering to Miss Banson diretly.
Each day the delicacy found its way
unobserved to the corner of her desk.
And each day the response  was the same.
Miss Banson would come in and sit down.
"Good morning, children".
"Good morning, Miss Banson". in unison.
"Why, how nice!" she would pick up  the
offering of the day, than looked around
the room. "What thoughtful little boy
or girl brought me this?"
No one claimed the honor, least of all me.
"Can it be that? I have a secret admirer!"
She would ask. I would feel the red rising
in my face. I was certain that everyone was
looking at me, and I would sigh with relief
when Miss Banson put the fruit away and
started the lesson.
  I was almost always in trouble with
Miss Banson. not because I wanted to be,
but because I wasn't always paying
attention. I spent a lot of time looking
out th window, immersed in my thoughts.
Miss Banson and I stood at the edge of the
clearing, my arm around her waist,
holding her close. Suddenly, the enraged,
Elephant burst from the jungle and
charged  toward us. Cooly I raised my  gun
and shoot him cleanly between the eyes.
The wild beast slowly toppled to his side,
his outstretched trunk resting on Miss
Banson's dainty shoe. She cloutched me
with loving arms. "Paul, my hero,
you saved me."! fish! I awoke with star
to find my heroine tapping my shoulder.
"I said, Paul, how do you spell fish? ,
maybe I should ask you  how to spell dream."
The entire class tittered , and I felt a
blush covering my face. I stayed after
school to copy 25 times "I must ont
deydream." the punishment was pure joy.
We were alone togather. I scribbled my way
as slowly as I could through the task.
  One fall morning, the class was abuzz
with excitement. Someone had discovered
the next day, Friday, was Miss Bansan's
birthday. Everyone wanted to get her  a
present. My heart gave a leap, at last
I could give her something openly.
That afternoon was spent combing the
fields for wild flowers. Not many where in
bloom at that time of year, but I
found several bright berries on shrubs,
a milkweed pod in silky explotion,
some day thistle heads. Aand finally
I came upon a patch of gorgeous
crimson leaves. I gathered a great
bunch of them, togather with wild mountain
wild laurel and berries.
  In the moring, I hung back as others
  presented their gift. Finally I went to
  the desk and gave the bouquet to Miss
Banson. She exclaimed with pleasure as
she took it, and held it to her cheek for
a moment. My reward was the
privilege of holding the vase pouquet.
  "Do you know where Miss Banson is today?"
The principal asked. "No, sir." I answered.
"Miss Banson" he said, slowly and clearly,
is in the hospital, and you sent her
there!" I sat, stricken,  in my chair.
"Do you know what you gave her?" he
continued. I nodded.
"Berries, thistles, and pretty red  leaves."
I listed. "Those pretty red leaves are
poison ivy, young man."
"Poison ivy is a kind of sumac witch can
cause a severe skin rash if touched."
His vois was filling with anger.
"How did you protect yourself when you
pick them? "Gloves?" I shook my head.
"Honest, I didn't know they are poison
ivy." I started to cry. The principal
stood up. "Paul, I'm suspending you for
ten dys. What happens after that depends
upon your behavior when you return."
  I sniffed all the way home. not because
I had been put out of school, but because
appallainng tragedy to my lady love.
I went to the woods to pick poison ivy
leaves and showed them to my mother.
"You see, I said, holding back the tears,
"I didn't wear anything at all!"
Mother looked at the leaves.
"Put them in the garbage can, honey.
than wash your hands read well."
When I came back after cleaning my hands,
mother was sitting in her rocker.
She held out her arms, and I sat in her
lap while she rocked me for a few minutes.
She exclaimed finally.
"Let's have a party, what would you like to
do the most?"
"I'd like to go see Miss Banson." I replied.
  Miss Banson was sitting in bed when we
arrived. her face covered with bandages.
Only one eye was showing. Both of her
hands were swathed as well.
"I didn't koy they are poison ivy"
I blurted out. "I didn't mean to make
you sick. I only wanted to give you
something...." I stoped talking and
swallowed hard. Miss Banson's one eye
studied me. "You wanted to give me something
special, didn't you, Paul?"
I nodded.
"All those apples were from you, weren't
they?" I nodded again.
"When I get these bandages of, she said,
"I'm going to give you a great big hug."
I was filled with happiness.
She didn't mad at me.
"And I'll tell you a great big secret,
too, Paul., she continued.
"When I'm married, if I have a son,
I would like him to grow up just like you."
I wasn't certain that I saw a tear in
her eye as mother led me out of the room.