Page:Three stories by Vítězslav Hálek (1886).pdf/193

 And the following day he again enquired, “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 kreutzer pieces from ordinary kreutzers, and it was evident that he was contented with those which he had chosen. And when the boy got his boat and