THE DARNING-NEEDLE [1]
different lengths. The one who
stood first in the rank was named the thumb, he was short and thick,
and had only one joint in his back, and could therefore make but one
bow; but he said that if he were cut off from a man's hand, that man
would be unfit for a soldier. Sweet-tooth, his neighbor, dipped
himself into sweet or sour, pointed to the sun and moon, and formed
the letters when the fingers wrote. Longman, the middle finger, looked
over the heads of all the others. Gold-band, the next finger, wore a
golden circle round his waist. And little Playman did nothing at
all, and seemed proud of it. They were boasters, and boasters they
will remain; and therefore I left them."
"And now we sit here and glitter," said the piece of broken
bottle.
At the same moment more water streamed into the gutter, so that it
overflowed, and the piece of bottle was carried away.
"So he is promoted," said the darning-needle, "while I remain
here; I am too fine, but that is my pride, and what do I care?" And so
she sat there in her pride, and had many such thoughts as these,- "I
could almost fancy that I came from a sunbeam, I am so fine. It
seems as if the sunbeams were always looking for me under the water.
Ah! I am so fine that even my mother cannot find me. Had I still my
old eye, which was broken off, I believe I should weep; but no, I
would not do that, it is not genteel to cry."
One day a couple of street boys were paddling in the gutter, for
they sometimes found old nails, farthings, and other treasures. It was
dirty work, but they took great pleasure in it. "Hallo!" cried one, as
he pricked himself with the darning-needle, "here's a fellow for you."
"I am not a fellow, I am a young lady," said the darning-needle;
but no one heard her.
The sealing-wax had come off, and she was quite black; but black
makes a person look slender, so she thought herself even finer than
before.
"Here comes an egg-shell sailing along," said one of the boys;
so they stuck the darning-needle into the egg-shell.
"White walls, and I am black myself," said the darning-needle,
"that looks well; now I can be seen, but I hope I shall not be
sea-sick, or I shall break again." She was not sea-sick, and she did
not break. "It is a good thing against sea-sickness to have a steel
stomach, and not to forget one's own importance. Now my sea-sickness
has past: delicate people can bear a great deal."
Crack went the egg-shell, as a waggon passed over it. "Good
heavens, how it crushes!" said the darning-needle. "I shall be sick
now. I am breaking!" but she did not break, though the waggon went
over her as she lay at full length; and there let her lie.
THE END
.
stood first in the rank was named the thumb, he was short and thick,
and had only one joint in his back, and could therefore make but one
bow; but he said that if he were cut off from a man's hand, that man
would be unfit for a soldier. Sweet-tooth, his neighbor, dipped
himself into sweet or sour, pointed to the sun and moon, and formed
the letters when the fingers wrote. Longman, the middle finger, looked
over the heads of all the others. Gold-band, the next finger, wore a
golden circle round his waist. And little Playman did nothing at
all, and seemed proud of it. They were boasters, and boasters they
will remain; and therefore I left them."
"And now we sit here and glitter," said the piece of broken
bottle.
At the same moment more water streamed into the gutter, so that it
overflowed, and the piece of bottle was carried away.
"So he is promoted," said the darning-needle, "while I remain
here; I am too fine, but that is my pride, and what do I care?" And so
she sat there in her pride, and had many such thoughts as these,- "I
could almost fancy that I came from a sunbeam, I am so fine. It
seems as if the sunbeams were always looking for me under the water.
Ah! I am so fine that even my mother cannot find me. Had I still my
old eye, which was broken off, I believe I should weep; but no, I
would not do that, it is not genteel to cry."
One day a couple of street boys were paddling in the gutter, for
they sometimes found old nails, farthings, and other treasures. It was
dirty work, but they took great pleasure in it. "Hallo!" cried one, as
he pricked himself with the darning-needle, "here's a fellow for you."
"I am not a fellow, I am a young lady," said the darning-needle;
but no one heard her.
The sealing-wax had come off, and she was quite black; but black
makes a person look slender, so she thought herself even finer than
before.
"Here comes an egg-shell sailing along," said one of the boys;
so they stuck the darning-needle into the egg-shell.
"White walls, and I am black myself," said the darning-needle,
"that looks well; now I can be seen, but I hope I shall not be
sea-sick, or I shall break again." She was not sea-sick, and she did
not break. "It is a good thing against sea-sickness to have a steel
stomach, and not to forget one's own importance. Now my sea-sickness
has past: delicate people can bear a great deal."
Crack went the egg-shell, as a waggon passed over it. "Good
heavens, how it crushes!" said the darning-needle. "I shall be sick
now. I am breaking!" but she did not break, though the waggon went
over her as she lay at full length; and there let her lie.
THE END
.