Page:Halek's Stories and Evensongs.pdf/245

 in place of it instilled into these boys a passion for the business of wherrying sand. That was his evangelium. When they were seated in the stable he would say to the boy, “Do you still want to be a scavenger?”

“I do not want, but I must be one”, said the boy. “I must! there is no such thing as must. Must take to the worst trade in the world! To drive continually along the same road among all the slatterns and be the laughing-stock of everybody. They look at your horses—and laugh; they look at yourself—and laugh. The horse is a sorry jade—you are the same—all the spavined cattle belonging to a scavenger’s cart are sorry jades. And whenever you want to marry you will find that no one will care to give you his daughter. They had rather yoke her to your cart: that’s what they’ll say. But a wherryman! faith! that is something quite different. You spin along over the water and the whole world smiles upon you. Be a wherryman!” And the following day he again inquired, “Do you still want to be a scavenger?” “What’s the good of asking me,” said the boy, “I had much rather be a wherryman, but I have no boat, and my parents are not likely to give me one.” “Oh! ho! the boat is the difficulty, is it? Well, I will buy thee a boat and all else that thou requirest.”

Then he asked again the third day, “Do you still want to be a Scavenger?” “No; if I can get a boat I will not be anything but a wherryman.”

“So you shall get one; but if you should ever cease to be a wherryman the boat is mine.” “And who would cease to be a wherryman while he had a boat?”

After this, Poldik told the parents that their boy had learnt to understand horses wonderfully soon. The boy then added that he was going on the water to wherry sand, and when Poldik explained the why and the wherefore he generally also obtained the consent of the parents.

And so then on the following day, Poldik led his young charge among the wherrymen, and he felt as though he was leading him to a wedding. He walked with quite a youthful step, his eyes sparkled, his face sparkled, his words sparkled. He chose his words as easily as though he were selecting twenty-kreuzer pieces from ordinary kreuzers, and it was evident that he was contented with those which he had chosen. And when the boy got his boat and punted about in it, and Poldik saw his face beam with pleasure, the tears came into his own eyes and he could have sung Rh