Adventures of Pinocchio , livre ebook

Pub One Info - Carlo Collodi

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

100 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

pubOne.info thank you for your continued support and wish to present you this new edition. How it happened that Mastro Cherry, carpenter, found a piece of wood that wept and laughed like a child.

Informations

Publié par	Pub One Info
Date de parution	27 septembre 2010
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9782819927327
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0100€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

THE ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO
by C. Collodi [Pseudonym of CarloLorenzini]
Translated from the Italian by Carol DellaChiesa
CHAPTER 1
How it happened that Mastro Cherry, carpenter, founda piece of wood that wept and laughed like a child.
Centuries ago there lived—
“A king! ” my little readers will sayimmediately.
No, children, you are mistaken. Once upon a timethere was a piece of wood. It was not an expensive piece of wood.Far from it. Just a common block of firewood, one of those thick,solid logs that are put on the fire in winter to make cold roomscozy and warm.
I do not know how this really happened, yet the factremains that one fine day this piece of wood found itself in theshop of an old carpenter. His real name was Mastro Antonio, buteveryone called him Mastro Cherry, for the tip of his nose was soround and red and shiny that it looked like a ripe cherry.
As soon as he saw that piece of wood, Mastro Cherrywas filled with joy. Rubbing his hands together happily, he mumbledhalf to himself:
“This has come in the nick of time. I shall use itto make the leg of a table. ”
He grasped the hatchet quickly to peel off the barkand shape the wood. But as he was about to give it the first blow,he stood still with arm uplifted, for he had heard a wee, littlevoice say in a beseeching tone: “Please be careful! Do not hit meso hard! ”
What a look of surprise shone on Mastro Cherry'sface! His funny face became still funnier.
He turned frightened eyes about the room to find outwhere that wee, little voice had come from and he saw no one! Helooked under the bench— no one! He peeped inside the closet— noone! He searched among the shavings— no one! He opened the door tolook up and down the street— and still no one!
“Oh, I see! ” he then said, laughing and scratchinghis Wig. “It can easily be seen that I only thought I heard thetiny voice say the words! Well, well— to work once more. ”
He struck a most solemn blow upon the piece ofwood.
“Oh, oh! You hurt! ” cried the same far-away littlevoice.
Mastro Cherry grew dumb, his eyes popped out of hishead, his mouth opened wide, and his tongue hung down on hischin.
As soon as he regained the use of his senses, hesaid, trembling and stuttering from fright:
“Where did that voice come from, when there is noone around? Might it be that this piece of wood has learned to weepand cry like a child? I can hardly believe it. Here it is— a pieceof common firewood, good only to burn in the stove, the same as anyother. Yet— might someone be hidden in it? If so, the worse forhim. I'll fix him! ”
With these words, he grabbed the log with both handsand started to knock it about unmercifully. He threw it to thefloor, against the walls of the room, and even up to theceiling.
He listened for the tiny voice to moan and cry. Hewaited two minutes— nothing; five minutes— nothing; ten minutes—nothing.
“Oh, I see, ” he said, trying bravely to laugh andruffling up his wig with his hand. “It can easily be seen I onlyimagined I heard the tiny voice! Well, well— to work once more!”
The poor fellow was scared half to death, so hetried to sing a gay song in order to gain courage.
He set aside the hatchet and picked up the plane tomake the wood smooth and even, but as he drew it to and fro, heheard the same tiny voice. This time it giggled as it spoke:
“Stop it! Oh, stop it! Ha, ha, ha! You tickle mystomach. ”
This time poor Mastro Cherry fell as if shot. Whenhe opened his eyes, he found himself sitting on the floor.
His face had changed; fright had turned even the tipof his nose from red to deepest purple.
CHAPTER 2
Mastro Cherry gives the piece of wood to his friendGeppetto, who takes it to make himself a Marionette that willdance, fence, and turn somersaults.
In that very instant, a loud knock sounded on thedoor. “Come in, ” said the carpenter, not having an atom ofstrength left with which to stand up.
At the words, the door opened and a dapper littleold man came in. His name was Geppetto, but to the boys of theneighborhood he was Polendina, * on account of the wig he alwayswore which was just the color of yellow corn.
* Cornmeal mush
Geppetto had a very bad temper. Woe to the one whocalled him Polendina! He became as wild as a beast and no one couldsoothe him.
“Good day, Mastro Antonio, ” said Geppetto. “Whatare you doing on the floor? ”
“I am teaching the ants their A B C's. ”
“Good luck to you! ”
“What brought you here, friend Geppetto? ”
“My legs. And it may flatter you to know, MastroAntonio, that I have come to you to beg for a favor. ”
“Here I am, at your service, ” answered thecarpenter, raising himself on to his knees.
“This morning a fine idea came to me. ”
“Let's hear it. ”
“I thought of making myself a beautiful woodenMarionette. It must be wonderful, one that will be able to dance,fence, and turn somersaults. With it I intend to go around theworld, to earn my crust of bread and cup of wine. What do you thinkof it? ”
“Bravo, Polendina! ” cried the same tiny voice whichcame from no one knew where.
On hearing himself called Polendina, Mastro Geppettoturned the color of a red pepper and, facing the carpenter, said tohim angrily:
“Why do you insult me? ”
“Who is insulting you? ”
“You called me Polendina. ”
“I did not. ”
“I suppose you think I did! Yet I KNOW it wasyou. ”
“No! ”
“Yes! ”
“No! ”
“Yes! ”
And growing angrier each moment, they went fromwords to blows, and finally began to scratch and bite and slap eachother.
When the fight was over, Mastro Antonio hadGeppetto's yellow wig in his hands and Geppetto found thecarpenter's curly wig in his mouth.
“Give me back my wig! ” shouted Mastro Antonio in asurly voice.
“You return mine and we'll be friends. ”
The two little old men, each with his own wig backon his own head, shook hands and swore to be good friends for therest of their lives.
“Well then, Mastro Geppetto, ” said the carpenter,to show he bore him no ill will, “what is it you want? ”
“I want a piece of wood to make a Marionette. Willyou give it to me? ”
Mastro Antonio, very glad indeed, went immediatelyto his bench to get the piece of wood which had frightened him somuch. But as he was about to give it to his friend, with a violentjerk it slipped out of his hands and hit against poor Geppetto'sthin legs.
“Ah! Is this the gentle way, Mastro Antonio, inwhich you make your gifts? You have made me almost lame! ”
“I swear to you I did not do it! ”
“It was I , of course! ”
“It's the fault of this piece of wood. ”
“You're right; but remember you were the one tothrow it at my legs. ”
“I did not throw it! ”
“Liar! ”
“Geppetto, do not insult me or I shall call youPolendina. ”
“Idiot. ”
“Polendina! ”
“Donkey! ”
“Polendina! ”
“Ugly monkey! ”
“Polendina! ”
On hearing himself called Polendina for the thirdtime, Geppetto lost his head with rage and threw himself upon thecarpenter. Then and there they gave each other a soundthrashing.
After this fight, Mastro Antonio had two morescratches on his nose, and Geppetto had two buttons missing fromhis coat. Thus having settled their accounts, they shook hands andswore to be good friends for the rest of their lives.
Then Geppetto took the fine piece of wood, thankedMastro Antonio, and limped away toward home.
CHAPTER 3
As soon as he gets home, Geppetto fashions theMarionette and calls it Pinocchio. The first pranks of theMarionette.
Little as Geppetto's house was, it was neat andcomfortable. It was a small room on the ground floor, with a tinywindow under the stairway. The furniture could not have been muchsimpler: a very old chair, a rickety old bed, and a tumble-downtable. A fireplace full of burning logs was painted on the wallopposite the door. Over the fire, there was painted a pot full ofsomething which kept boiling happily away and sending up clouds ofwhat looked like real steam.
As soon as he reached home, Geppetto took his toolsand began to cut and shape the wood into a Marionette.
“What shall I call him? ” he said to himself. “Ithink I'll call him PINOCCHIO. This name will make his fortune. Iknew a whole family of Pinocchi once— Pinocchio the father,Pinocchia the mother, and Pinocchi the children— and they were alllucky. The richest of them begged for his living. ”
After choosing the name for his Marionette, Geppettoset seriously to work to make the hair, the forehead, the eyes.Fancy his surprise when he noticed that these eyes moved and thenstared fixedly at him. Geppetto, seeing this, felt insulted andsaid in a grieved tone:
“Ugly wooden eyes, why do you stare so? ”
There was no answer.
After the eyes, Geppetto made the nose, which beganto stretch as soon as finished. It stretched and stretched andstretched till it became so long, it seemed endless.
Poor Geppetto kept cutting it and cutting it, butthe more he cut, the longer grew that impertinent nose. In despairhe let it alone.
Next he made the mouth.
No sooner was it finished than it began to laugh andpoke fun at him.
“Stop laughing! ” said Geppetto angrily; but hemight as well have spoken to the wall.
“Stop laughing, I say! ” he roared in a voice ofthunder.
The mouth stopped laughing, but it stuck out a longtongue.
Not wishing to start an argument, Geppetto madebelieve he saw nothing and went on with his work. After the mouth,he made the chin, then the neck, the shoulders, the stomach, thearms, and the hands.
As he was about to put the last touches on thefinger tips, Geppetto felt his wig being pulled off. He glanced upand what did he see? His yellow wig was in the Marionette's hand.“Pinocchio, give me my wig! ”
But instead of giving it back, Pinocchio put it onhis own head, which was half swallowed up in it.
At that unexpected trick, Geppetto became very sadand downcast, more so than he had ever been before.
“Pinocchio, you wicked boy! ” he cried out. “You arenot yet finished, and you start out by being impudent to you