Father Grumbler



Once upon a time there lived a man who had nearly as many
children as there were sparrows in the garden. He had to work
very hard all day to get them enough to eat, and was often tired
and cross, and abused everything and everybody, so that people
called him 'Father Grumbler.'

By-and-by he grew weary of always working, and on Sundays he lay
a long while in bed, instead of going to church. Then after a
time he found it dull to sit so many hours by himself, thinking
of nothing but how to pay the rent that was owing, and as the
tavern across the road looked bright and cheerful, he walked in
one day and sat down with his friends. 'It was just to chase
away Care,' he said; but when he came out, hours and hours after,
Care came out with him.

Father Grumbler entered his house feeling more dismal than when
he left it, for he knew that he had wasted both his time and his
money.

'I will go and see the Holy Man in the cave near the well,' he
said to himself, 'and perhaps he can tell me why all the luck is
for other people, and only misfortunes happen to me.' And he set
out at once for the cave.