| CHAPTER 1 |
๐1๏ธโฃ |
| How it came to pass that Master Cherry the carpenter found a piece of wood that laughed and cried like a child. |
โ๐คโ๏ธโ๐^โ๐ถโ๏ธโโฌโ๐๐ ๐โ,๐จโ๐ง^โ๐ต๏ธโโ๏ธโ๏ธโ1๏ธโฃ๐ฉโฉ๐ชโช๏ธ^โ๐ญโ๏ธโโ^โ๐โ๏ธโโ๏ธ1๏ธโฃ๐ถ. |
| There was once upon a time . . . |
โ๐^โ๐ถโ๏ธโโ๐ฐ๐ญโโฆโ |
| A king!โ my little readers will instantly exclaim. |
โ1๏ธโฃ๐!โโ๐ซ๐โโโฉโน๏ธโ^โ๐ฃโถ๏ธโ. |
| No, children, you are wrong. There was once upon a time a piece of wood. |
๐
,๐ซ,โ!๐^โ๐ถโ๏ธโโ๐ฐ๐ญโ1๏ธโฃ๐ฉโฉ๐ช. |
| This wood was not valuable: it was only a common log like those that are burnt in winter in the stoves and fireplaces to make a cheerful blaze and warm the rooms. |
๐๐
^โ๐ถโ๏ธโ1๏ธโฃ๐ช๐,โโ1๏ธโฃโฌ
๏ธโ1๏ธโฃ๐ฉโฉ๐ช๐,โ๐๐โโ๐ฉโฉ๐ช๐ฉโฉ๐ชโโช๏ธโโโโ๐^๐ฅโคต๏ธโโจโจโโโคต๏ธโ๐ญ๐ญโโ๏ธ^๐ฏ๐ฅโโ๏ธ^๐โ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฒ๐ โ. |
| I cannot say how it came about, but the fact is, that one fine day this piece of wood was lying in the shop of an old carpenter of the name of Master Antonio. He was, however, called by everybody Master Cherry, on account of the end of his nose, which was always as red and polished as a ripe cherry. |
โน๏ธ^๐คโ๐คโ๏ธโ^โโฟโ๏ธโ,โ๐^โโฟโ๏ธโโฌโ1๏ธโฃ๐โ๐๐ฉโฉ๐ช^โ๐๐โ๏ธโโคต๏ธโ๐ ๐ โโฉ1๏ธโฃ๐จโ๐ง๐ด,โช๏ธ^โ๐ทโ๏ธโโ๐๐ ๐
ฐโ,โโ๐ฅ๐ฏโ^โ๐ฃ๐ทโ๏ธโ๐นโ๐๐ ๐โ,โ๏ธ๐บโฉ๐โโฉ๐นโ,โช๏ธ^โ๐ถโ๏ธโโโฒ๐ฏโ๐โโ๐ด๐โโ๏ธ1๏ธโฃ๐โซ. |
| No sooner had Master Cherry set eyes on the piece of wood than his face beamed with delight; and, rubbing his hands together with satisfaction, he said softly to himself: |
๐โ๐๐ ๐โ^โ๐โ๏ธโ๐๐ฉโฉ๐ช,๐น^โ๐๐ฏโ๏ธโ;โ^โ๐โฌ
๏ธโโ๏ธ๐,๐น^โ๐ฃ๐ฌโ๏ธโโ๐๐ฃ๐ถโ: |
| โThis wood has come at the right moment; it will just do to make the leg of a little table.โ |
โ๐๐ช^โ๐๐โ๏ธโโ๐ฐ๐โ;โน๏ธ^โ๐โผโ^๐งโ๏ธ^๐ง1๏ธโฃ๐ขโฉโโฉ๐ถโ.โ |
| Having said this he immediately took a sharp axe with which to remove the bark and the rough surface. Just, however, as he was going to give the first stroke he remained with his arm suspended in the air, for he heard a very small voice saying imploringly |
โ๐โ
โโ๐๐ ๐โ^โโโ๏ธโ๐๐กโโ๏ธ^๐ฌ^๐ค๐ขโ^โ๐กโคด๏ธโ๐ฉโฉ๐ช;โ๐๐น^โ๐ฌใฐโ๏ธโ^๐โ๐โฉ๐กโ๐ฌ,๐น^โโธโ๏ธโ๐๐ชโโถ๏ธ๐โ,โ๏ธ๐น^โ๐โ๏ธโ1๏ธโฃโ๐ฃ๐ถโ๐ธ๐ธ,โช๏ธ^โ๐ฃโ๏ธโ^โ๐๐ฏโฌ
๏ธโ: |
| โDo not strike me so hard!โ |
โ๐๐
^โโ๐โโน๏ธโ๐ถ๐โโ๐ชโฌ
๏ธโ!โ |
| Picture to yourselves the astonishment of good old Master Cherry! |
โ๐๐โ^โโ๐ฝโโ๐คโ๏ธโ๐๐ด๐โ๐๐ ๐โ^โ๐ณโ๏ธโ! |
| He turned his terrified eyes all round the room to try and discover where the little voice could possibly have come from, but he saw nobody! He looked under the benchโnobody; he looked into a cupboard that was always shutโnobody; he looked into a basket of shavings and sawdustโnobody; he even opened the door of the shop and gave a glance into the streetโand still nobody. Who, then, could it be? |
๐น^โ๐โฐโ๏ธโโ๐ง๐งโโฐโ๐ฒ๐ โโ๏ธ^๐โโ๏ธโ๏ธโ๐โ๐ฃ๐ถโ^โโคด๏ธโ๏ธโ,โ๐น๐
^โ๐โ๏ธโโ๐คโโ!๐น^โ๐โ๏ธโโคด๏ธโฉ,โโ๐คโโ;๐น^โ๐โ๏ธโโบ1๏ธโฃโ๐๐๐โโช๏ธ^โ๐ถโ๏ธโโโฒ๐ฏโ๐,โโ๐คโโ;๐น^โ๐โ๏ธโโคต๏ธ๐โฉโโป๐ชโป๐ชโโโฉโ๐ฌ๐ชโ,โโ๐คโโ;๐น^โ๐โ๏ธโ๐ชโฉโ๐ ๐ โโ๏ธ^๐๐๐ฃ,โโ๐คโโ.โ๐คโ๏ธโ?โฆ |
| โI see how it is,โ he said, laughing and scratching his wig; โevidently that little voice was all my imagination. Let us set to work again.โ |
โโน๏ธ^โ๐กโ๏ธโโ;๐น^โ๐ฃโ๏ธโโ^โ๐โฌ
๏ธโโ^โ๐โโ๏ธโฌ
๏ธโ๐,โ๐คโน๏ธ^โ๐ฝโ๏ธโ๐โ๐ฃ๐ถโ.โโน๏ธโน๏ธโ^โโ๐ฌ๐โ^โ๐๐ โ.โ |
| And taking up the axe he struck a tremendous blow on the piece of wood. |
โ,โโ๐โ๏ธโ๐กโ๐๐โ,๐น^โ๐๐โ๏ธโโคต๏ธ๐ฉโฉ๐ช. |
| Oh! oh! you have hurt me!โ cried the same little voice dolefully. |
โ๐ฉ!,๐^โโก๐คโ๏ธโโถ๏ธโน๏ธ!โโ๐ฃ๐ถโโช^โ๐ฃ๐โ๏ธโ^โ๐ขโฌ
๏ธโ. |
| This time Master Cherry was petrified. His eyes started out of his head with fright, his mouth remained open, and his tongue hung out almost to the end of his chin, like a mask on a fountain. |
๐๐โ๐๐ ๐โ^โ๐ตโ๏ธโ,๐๐ณโ๏ธ๐ฑ,๐๐ฎโ๐๐
๐ฝ๐ฃ๐ฝโ๏ธ๐ถ,โ๏ธ1๏ธโฃ๐ฟโฉโฒ. |
| As soon as he had recovered the use of his speech, he began to say, stuttering and trembling with fear: |
๐โ๐๐ ๐โ^โ๐ฌ๐โ^๐ฃ,๐น^โ๐ฌโ๏ธโ^๐ฃ^โ๐โฌ
๏ธโโ^โ๐ฌโโฌ
๏ธโโ๏ธ๐ฑ: |
| โBut where on earth can that little voice have come from that said Oh! oh!? . . . Here there is certainly not a living soul. Is it possible that this piece of wood can have learnt to cry and to lament like a child? I cannot believe it. This piece of wood, here it is; a log for fuel like all the others, and |
โ๐คโโ๏ธโ๏ธโ๐โ๐ฃ๐ถโ^โ๐๐โโช๏ธ^โ๐ฃโ๏ธโ๐ฉ?โฆ๐คทโโ๏ธโ๐คโ๐ฏโ^๐ถ๐.๐ฒ๐๐ฉโฉ๐ช^โ๐ซโ๏ธโ^๐ญโ^๐ฉโ๏ธ1๏ธโฃ๐ถ?โน๏ธ๐
^๐ช^๐ฝ.๐๐ช^๐ถ๐;๐น^๐ถ1๏ธโฃ๐ฉโฉ๐ชโ๏ธโจ,โ๏ธโ๐ฏ๐ฏโโ๐ฉโฉ๐ช๐ฉโฉ๐ชโโ |
| thrown on the fire it would about suffice to boil a saucepan of beans. . . . How then? Can any one be hidden inside it? If any one is hidden inside, so much the worse for him. I will settle him at once.โ |
โ๐ฎโฌ
๏ธโโคต๏ธ๐ฅ,โน๏ธ^๐ช^โโก๐ง๐กโ1๏ธโฃ๐ฒโฆโ๐คโ๏ธโ?๐ค๐ค^๐โคต๏ธ๐ช!๐ฒ๐ค^๐๐,โ โถ๏ธ๐น.โโน๏ธ^๐๐น!โ |
| So saying, he seized the poor piece of wood and commenced beating it without mercy against the walls of the room. |
โ^โ๐ฃโฌ
๏ธโโ,๐น^โโโ๏ธโ๐๐๐๐ฉโฉ๐ช๐ฅ,โ^โ๐ฌโ๏ธโ^โ๐๐โ๐นโ๐ช๐โฌ
๏ธโ๐โ๐ผ๐ผโโฉโ๐ฒ๐ โ. |
| Then he stopped to listen if he could hear any little voice lamenting. He waited two minutesโnothing; five minutesโnothing; ten minutesโstill nothing! |
โญ๐น^โ๐ฌโ๏ธโ^๐,โ๏ธ^๐๐ฒ๐^โ๐ถโ๏ธโ๐คโ๐ฃ๐ถโโช๏ธ^โ๐ฉโ๏ธโ.๐น^โโธโ๏ธโ2๏ธโฃโโฑโฑโโโ,5๏ธโฃโโฑโฑโ,โโ,๐โโฑโฑโ,โโ! |
| โI see how it is,โ he then said, forcing himself to laugh and pushing up his wig; โevidently the little voice that said Oh! oh! was all my imagination! Let us set to work again.โ |
โโน๏ธ^โ๐กโ๏ธโโ,๐น^โ๐ฃโ๏ธโโ^โ๐๏ธโโ๏ธโฌ
๏ธโ^๐
โ^โ๐โโ๏ธโฌ
๏ธโ๐.โ๐คโน๏ธ^โ๐ฝโ๏ธโ๐โ๐ฃ๐ถโโช๏ธ^โ๐ฃโ๏ธโ๐ฉ!โโน๏ธโน๏ธโ^โโ๐ฌ๐โถ๏ธโ^โ๐๐ โ.โ |
| But as all the same he was in a great fright, he tried to sing to give himself a little courage. |
โโ๏ธโ๐๐ ๐โ^โ๐ถ๐โ๏ธโโคต๏ธ๐1๏ธโฃ๐ฑ๐,๐น^โ๐ฌโ๏ธโ^โ๐ฃ๐ค๐ถโโ๏ธ^โโก๐ฆ๐โโโฒ๐ถโ. |
| Putting the axe aside he took his plane, to plane and polish the bit of wood; but whilst he was running it up and down he heard the same little voice say, laughing: |
๐,โ๐ฅโ๏ธโ๐ก๐,๐น^โโโ๏ธโ๐ช,โ๏ธ^๐ชโ^โ๐กโคด๏ธโ๐ฉโฉ๐ช;โ๐๐น^โ๐ชโ๏ธโโ,๐น^โ๐โ๏ธโโ๐ฃ๐ถโโชโช๏ธ^โ๐ฃโ๏ธโโถ๏ธ๐น^โ๐
โฌ
๏ธโ: |
| โHave done! you are tickling me all over!โ |
โ๐^โโ๐โ!๐^โ๐๐โโคต๏ธ๐!โ |
| This time poor Master Cherry fell down as if he had been struck by lightning. When he at last opened his eyes he found himself seated on the floor. |
๐๐โ๐๐ ๐โ๐ฅ^โ๐ขโ๏ธโ๐ฝโ๏ธโโกโ๏ธโ.๐๐น^โ๐๐โ๏ธโโ๐๐โ,๐น^โ๐ถโ๏ธโ๐บโคต๏ธโด. |
| His face was quite changed, even the end of his nose, instead of being crimson, as it was nearly always, had become blue from fright. |
๐โโฉ๐นโ^โ๐ถโ๏ธโ๏ธโ๐,โโ๐โโ๐บโฉ๐,โช๏ธโช^โ๐ถโ๏ธโใฐโโฒ๐ฏโโ๐ด๐โ,^โโฟโ๏ธโ๐ทโ๏ธ๐ฑ๐. |
