"Until today," said the Farmer, "my donkey has drawn the water for me,but now that poor animal is dying."
"Will you take me to see him?" said Pinocchio.
"Gladly."
As soon as Pinocchio went into the stable, he spied a little Donkeylying on a bed of straw in the corner of the stable. He was worn outfrom hunger and too much work. After looking at him a long time, he saidto himself: "I know that Donkey! I have seen him before."
And bending low over him, he asked: "Who are you?"
At this question, the Donkey opened weary, dying eyes and answered inthe same tongue: "I am Lamp-Wick."
Then he closed his eyes and died.
"Oh, my poor Lamp-Wick," said Pinocchio in a faint voice, as he wipedhis eyes with some straw he had picked up from the ground.
"Do you feel so sorry for a little donkey that has cost you nothing?"said the Farmer. "What should I do--I, who have paid my good money forhim?"
"But, you see, he was my friend."
"Your friend?"
"A classmate of mine."
"What," shouted Farmer John, bursting out laughing. "What! You haddonkeys in your school? How you must have studied!"
The Marionette, ashamed and hurt by those words, did not answer, buttaking his glass of milk returned to his father.
From that day on, for more than five months, Pinocchio got up everymorning just as dawn was breaking and went to the farm to draw water.And every day he was given a glass of warm milk for his poor old father,who grew stronger and better day by day. But he was not satisfied withthis. He learned to make baskets of reeds and sold them. With the moneyhe received, he and his father were able to keep from starving.
Among other things, he built a rolling chair, strong and comfortable, totake his old father out for an airing on bright, sunny days.
In the evening the Marionette studied by lamplight. With some of themoney he had earned, he bought himself a secondhand volume that hada few pages missing, and with that he learned to read in a very shorttime. As far as writing was concerned, he used a long stick at one endof which he had whittled a long, fine point. Ink he had none, so he usedthe juice of blackberries or cherries. Little by little his diligencewas rewarded. He succeeded, not only in his studies, but also in hiswork, and a day came when he put enough money together to keep his oldfather comfortable and happy. Besides this, he was able to save thegreat amount of fifty pennies. With it he wanted to buy himself a newsuit.
One day he said to his father:
"I am going to the market place to buy myself a coat, a cap, and a pairof shoes. When I come back I'll be so dressed up, you will think I am arich man."
He ran out of the house and up the road to the village, laughing andsinging. Suddenly he heard his name called, and looking around to seewhence the voice came, he noticed a large snail crawling out of somebushes.
"Don't you recognize me?" said the Snail.
"Yes and no."
"Do you remember the Snail that lived with the Fairy with Azure Hair? Doyou not remember how she opened the door for you one night and gave yousomething to eat?"
"I remember everything," cried Pinocchio. "Answer me quickly, prettySnail, where have you left my Fairy? What is she doing? Has she forgivenme? Does she remember me? Does she still love me? Is she very far awayfrom here? May I see her?"
At all these questions, tumbling out one after another, the Snailanswered, calm as ever:
"My dear Pinocchio, the Fairy is lying ill in a hospital."
"In a hospital?"
"Yes, indeed. She has been stricken with trouble and illness, and shehasn't a penny left with which to buy a bite of bread."
"Really? Oh, how sorry I am! My poor, dear little Fairy! If I had amillion I should run to her with it! But I have only fifty pennies. Herethey are. I was just going to buy some clothes. Here, take them, littleSnail, and give them to my good Fairy."
"What about the new clothes?"
"What does that matter? I should like to sell these rags I have on tohelp her more. Go, and hurry. Come back here within a couple of daysand I hope to have more money for you! Until today I have worked for myfather. Now I shall have to work for my mother also. Good-by, and I hopeto see you soon."
The Snail, much against her usual habit, began to run like a lizardunder a summer sun.
When Pinocchio returned home, his father asked him:
"And where is the new suit?"
"I couldn't find one to fit me. I shall have to look again some otherday."
That night, Pinocchio, instead of going to bed at ten o'clock waiteduntil midnight, and instead of making eight baskets, he made sixteen.
After that he went to bed and fell asleep. As he slept, he dreamed ofhis Fairy, beautiful, smiling, and happy, who kissed him and said tohim, "Bravo, Pinocchio! In reward for your kind heart, I forgive you forall your old mischief. Boys who love and take good care of their parentswhen they are old and sick, deserve praise even though they may not beheld up as models of obedience and good behavior. Keep on doing so well,and you will be happy."
At that very moment, Pinocchio awoke and opened wide his eyes.
What was his surprise and his joy when, on looking himself over, he sawthat he was no longer a Marionette, but that he had become a real liveboy! He looked all about him and instead of the usual walls of straw, hefound himself in a beautifully furnished little room, the prettiest hehad ever seen. In a twinkling, he jumped down from his bed to look onthe chair standing near. There, he found a new suit, a new hat, and apair of shoes.
As soon as he was dressed, he put his hands in his pockets and pulledout a little leather purse on which were written the following words:
The Fairy with Azure Hair returns fifty pennies to her dear Pinocchio with many thanks for his kind heart.
The Marionette opened the purse to find the money, and behold--therewere fifty gold coins!
Pinocchio ran to the mirror. He hardly recognized himself. The brightface of a tall boy looked at him with wide-awake blue eyes, dark brownhair and happy, smiling lips.
Surrounded by so much splendor, the Marionette hardly knew what he wasdoing. He rubbed his eyes two or three times, wondering if he were stillasleep or awake and decided he must be awake.
"And where is Father?" he cried suddenly. He ran into the next room, andthere stood Geppetto, grown years younger overnight, spick and spanin his new clothes and gay as a lark in the morning. He was once moreMastro Geppetto, the wood carver, hard at work on a lovely pictureframe, decorating it with flowers and leaves, and heads of animals.
"Father, Father, what has happened? Tell me if you can," criedPinocchio, as he ran and jumped on his Father's neck.
"This sudden change in our house is all your doing, my dear Pinocchio,"answered Geppetto.
"What have I to do with it?"
"Just this. When bad boys become good and kind, they have the power ofmaking their homes gay and new with happiness."
"I wonder where the old Pinocchio of wood has hidden himself?"
"There he is," answered Geppetto. And he pointed to a large Marionetteleaning against a chair, head turned to one side, arms hanging limp, andlegs twisted under him.
After a long, long look, Pinocchio said to himself with great content:
"How ridiculous I was as a Marionette! And how happy I am, now that Ihave become a real boy!"
The Adventures of Pinocchio Page 13
