Speak Good English [antikvár]

THE STORY OF A CARPENTER by William Saroyan My Grandmother Lucy knew no end of stories. Here Is one of them which is to illustrate the absurdity of despair. IVs the story of a carpenter who lived many hundreds of years ago. One day on his way home he was stopped by a friend who said: "My brother, why do you look so sad? Is anything the mattért"1* "You too would feel as I do,w the carpenter replied. "If you were in my shoes." 2 "What is it?" his friend asked. "By tomorrow morning," the carpenter said, "I must have eleven thousand eleven hundred eleven pounds of fine sawdust for the King, or else I shall lose my head." The carpenter's friend smiled and put his arm around the carpenter's shoulder. "My friend," he said, "cheer up.9 Let us go and'eat and drink and forget tomorrow. Never give way to despair.1n 4 So they went to the carpenter's home, where they found the carpenter's wife and children in tears. But thecarpenter's friend told them to stop crying. And they all began eating, drinking, talking, singing and dancing. In the midst of $ laughter, the carpenter's wife began to weep and said: "So, my husband, in the morning you are to lose youi;head and we are all enjoying ourselves. So it is that way." "Don't give way to despair," the carpenter said. "It's no use " 6 And they continued eating, drinking, singing and dancing. When light pierced darkness and it was day, everyone became silent and stricken with 1 fear and grief. From the King came his men and knocked softly at the door of the car-