Читать книгу Forty Good-Night Tales - Rose Amy Fyleman - Страница 10
ОглавлениеJORO AND THE ELEPHANT
In a country so far away that I don't think you'd even find it on a map, there lived a boy called Joro, who was so fond of reading that he could think of nothing else. He read all day long, and he'd have read all night too if they'd have let him. His mother became greatly troubled about it as he grew older. "He must learn a useful trade," she said. "Nobody will want to employ a lad who always has his nose in his book."
One day, as Joro was walking in the town, reading as usual, he walked right through the gates of the king's palace.
There were great doings at the palace that day, and the guards were so busy guarding the gate that they never noticed Joro.
He went up the drive and into the middle of the great courtyard where everyone was assembled. The king and queen sat on a golden throne on one side, and there was a big space in the middle where some one was about to make a speech.
Joro walked right into the centre of this space, still reading. There was quite a commotion, and the soldiers were just going to seize him when a terrible uproar arose. One of the king's elephants had broken away from its keepers in a fit of rage and came tearing into the courtyard.
Everybody rushed about, shrieking with terror. But Joro stood quite still, reading.
The elephant came straight towards him, and, picking him up in his trunk, waved him about in the air.
Joro kept on reading.
The elephant was so astonished not to see him kicking and struggling that he forgot all about his rage.
"This must be some great magician," he thought. And he put him gently down and stared at him with his little wise eyes, and presently went quietly back to his stable, thinking deeply. But the king was so grateful to Joro for saving so many lives that he found him a place as chief librarian at the palace.
Joro is perfectly happy now.
He can read all day and every day, for there are enough books in a king's library to last a lifetime.
