His Big Opportunity by Amy le Feuvre
page 65 of 171 (38%)
page 65 of 171 (38%)
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grew in it, and when no human creature was about the air was full of
flower laughter and fruit conversation. One day in autumn some saucy sparrows were teasing a young walnut-tree that stood between an apple and a pear-tree, opposite a wall which was covered with beautiful golden plums. "'What are you here for?' they said, pecking at the round green balls that hung on the tree, and then wiping their beaks in disgust on the grass underneath. 'Ugh! you're sour and bitter and nasty enough to poison a person! You're a disgrace to your master. The red and yellow apples next door to you are delicious this warm day, and the pears make one's mouth fairly water, while as to the plums over there--well, every one is fighting for them, from the slugs and snails to every bird in the country, and the boys and girls and men and women--all of us have to be kept off by those horrible nets which the old gardener is continually spreading!' "'I'm sure,' whispered the young walnuts, humbly, 'we don't mean any harm. We don't quite know why we are here ourselves. We have been hoping to see our green skins get red and yellow, and soft and ripe, like everything else round us, but they seem to get harder and uglier as time goes by. They feel very heavy, and our stems ache with holding them up; do you think it just possible there may be something inside?' "'Inside!' laughed the sparrows; 'who ever heard of the inside being better than the outside? You're stuffed with conceit, but nothing else.' "And away they flew, for they were not a year old themselves, and knew nothing about autumn nuts and berries. |
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