23 THE GOLDEN PEARS

THE FIRST BASKET OF PEARS

There was once a poor man who had nothing in the world but three sons and a fine pear-tree which grew in front of his cottage.

Now the King of that country was very fond of pears. So one day the man said to his sons, “I shall send the King, as a present, a basketful of our golden pears.”

Then he gathered the finest pears from the tree, large ones as yellow as gold, and laid them in a basket. “Take these to the King, ”he said to his oldest son, “Be sure that you do not let anyone rob you of them on the way.”

“I know how to take care of myself, Father.”said the boy. Then he covered the pears with fresh leaves and set out for the King's palace.

After a time, the boy came to a fountain, where he stopped to drink. A little old woman was washing some rags at the fountain and singing a queer little song.

“A witch! ”said the boy to himself, “She'll try to get my pears, but I'll be too clever for her.”

“A fair day, my lad, ”said the little old woman, “That's a heavy load you have to carry. What is in your basket? ”

“A load of sweepings from the road, to see whether I can make a penny by selling it.”he answered.

“Road-sweepings! ”repeated the old woman, “You don't mean that? ”

“Yes, I do mean it.”answered the boy.

“Oh, very well. You will find out when you get to your journey's end.”said the old woman, and she went on washing and singing.

“She means something by those words, that's clear, ”thought the boy, “But there's no harm done, for I haven't let her even look at the pears.”So on he went until he came to the palace. When he had told his errand, he was led before the King.

“You have brought me some pears, have you, my boy? ”said the King, smiling.

“Yes, Your Majesty, here are some of the finest yellow pears in the world.”said the boy.

The King was so pleased to hear this that he began to take off the covering of leaves. But what was his anger to find under it nothing but sweepings from the road! The servants who stood by, at once took the boy off to prison.

“It is all a trick of that old woman by the fountain, ”he said to himself, “I thought she meant mischief to me.”

THE SECOND BASKET OF PEARS

After a time, the father said to his other sons, “You see how well your older brother has fared. He carried the juicy fruit in safety to the King. No doubt the King was so well pleased with the pears that he has kept your brother near him, and has made him a rich man.”

“I am as wise as he, ”said the second brother, “give me a basket of the pears, Father, and let me take it to the King. Then I shall become a rich man, too, but I won't keep my riches all to myself. I will send for you to share them with me.”

“Well said, my son.”answered the father. And as the pears were just ripe again, he took another basket and filled it with the beautiful yellow fruit.

The second son took the basket and went on his way until he came to the same fountain that his older brother had seen. Here he, too, stopped to get a drink.

The same old woman was washing her rags at the fountain and singing her queer little song.

“A fair day, my lad, ”she said, “That's a heavy load you have to carry. What is in your basket? ”

“It's pigs' food, ”answered the boy, “I am taking it to market to see whether I can make a penny by selling it.”

“Pigs' food! ”repeated the little old woman, “You don't mean that? ”

“Yes, I do mean it.”he answered, rudely.

“Oh, very well; you will find out when you get to your journey's end.”she said to him, just as she had said to his brother.

The boy went on until he reached the palace. He too, was led before the King with his basket. But when the King uncovered it, there was a basket of pigs' food instead of beautiful yellow pears! The servants took the second boy off to prison, where his brother had been kept so long.

THE THIRD BASKET OF PEARS

As the days went by, and the poor man heard nothing from his two sons, he grew very sad. When the youngest boy saw his father's sorrow, he, too, felt sad. So one day he asked whether he might not go in search of his brothers.

“Do you really think that you can find them? ”asked the father, who had always thought that his youngest son was a simpleton.

“I do not know, Father, but I will do whatever you tell me to do.”replied the boy.

The pears were just ripe again, so the man laid the finest of the yellow fruit in a basket, and sent the youngest son on his way.

As the boy walked along, the day grew very hot. Soon he reached the same fountain that his brothers had seen. There he stopped to drink and to rest.

The same old woman was washing her rags, and singing a queer little song. “Here comes another of those rude boys! ”she thought, when she saw the youngest son, “I suppose he, too, will try to fool me. As if I didn't know how sweet is the smell of fine ripe pears! ”

“Good morning! ”said the boy, taking off his cap politely.

“He has better manners than the other two.”thought the little old woman, as she returned his greeting.

“May I sit down here, please? ”asked the boy.

“Yes, ”she answered, greatly surprised by his politeness.“And what have you in your basket, my boy? It must be a very precious load to be worth carrying on such a hot day as this.”

“Indeed it is precious, ”said the boy, “These are ripe, yellow pears, and my father says there are no finer in the whole world. I am taking them to the King, who is very fond of the fruit.”

“Only ripe pears, and yet so heavy! ”said the old woman, as she lifted the basket. “Your load seems too heavy to be pears. But you will see when you come to your journey's end.”

“They are nothing but pears, ”said the boy politely, as he started on his way again.

How the servants at the palace laughed when another boy came to them with the story that he had pears for the King! “No, no! ”they said, “We have had enough of that! You may turn around and go back home.”

The poor boy began to weep bitterly. At that moment the King and his little daughter came out of the palace. When the girl saw the weeping boy, she asked what troubled him.

“It is another boy who has come to insult the King, ”answered the servants, “Your Majesty, shall we take him away to prison? ”

“You may decide, Daughter.”said the king.

“But I have pears! ”cried the boy, “And my father says there are no finer in the world.”

“We know that story by heart! ”cried a servant

“Please look at my pears, fair princess! ”pleaded the boy. “I have brought them a long way for the King.”

The princess decided to look into the basket, herself. She peeped under the leaves-and there were shining pears of solid gold!

“These are pears fit for a King! ”she said, as she gave them to her father. The King was so pleased that he ordered the gold fruit to be placed among his treasures. And as a reward for the gift, he promised the boy whatever he might ask.

“All I wish is to find my two brothers, who also brought some pears to Your Majesty, ”said the boy.

“Those other boys who said they brought pears, are now in prison, ”said the King. Then he commanded that they be brought before him. As soon as the two brothers were led in, the youngest boy ran to them and kissed them.

When the two older boys had told how they came to be thrown into prison, the King said, “It is always best to tell the truth.”The boys had often heard their father say the same thing, and they were sorry that they had forgotten this when they talked to the old woman at the fountain.

Then the King sent for the father and gave him charge of the gardens about the palace. The happy man brought with him the pear-tree that had brought golden fortune to them. And ever after, he and his sons lived in plenty.

(Angela M. Keyes)

Word list

cottage: a small house

mischief: doing things that one is not supposed to do

ripe: fruit that is ready to eat

You Practice

A) Answer the following questions.

1) What errand was the oldest son sent to do?

2) What did the oldest son tell the witch that he met?

3) What happened when he reached the palace?

4) What happened to the second son?

5) What did the witch do to help the youngest son? Why?

B) What's the order? Number these events in the order that they happened (1-10).

_____ A man and his sons owned a fine pear tree.

_____ The middle brother went to see how his oldest brother fared with the king.

_____ The poor man and his sons moved to the palace and took care of the gardens.

_____ The poor man sent his oldest son to the king with a basket of pears.

_____ The king tells the two older sons that it is always better to tell the truth.

_____ The middle brother joined his brother in jail because he, too, had not brought pears to the king.

_____ On the way to the king, the oldest son met a witch and told her he had road sweepings in his basket.

_____ The king's daughter told her father that the young boy brought pears fit for a king.

_____ The oldest son was put in jail by the king.

_____ The witch changed the polite, young boy's pears into shiny gold pears.

C) What's the word? Using the clues, write the correct words from the story.

1) a kind of fruit - p _ _ _ _

2) to say something bad about someone - i _ _ _ _ _

3) a precious metal - g _ _ _

4) another word for jail - p _ _ _ _ _

5) where kings and queens live - p _ _ _ _ _