Pinocchio The Tale of a Puppet , livre ebook

Pub One Info - Carlo Collodi

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125 pages

English

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There was once upon a time a piece of wood in the shop of an old carpenter named Master Antonio. Everybody, however, called him Master Cherry, on account of the end of his nose, which was always as red and polished as a ripe cherry

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Publié par	Pub One Info
Date de parution	27 septembre 2010
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9782819920755
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

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

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CHAPTER I
THE PIECE OF WOOD THAT LAUGHED AND CRIED LIKE ACHILD
There was once upon a time a piece of wood in the shop of an oldcarpenter named Master Antonio. Everybody, however, called himMaster Cherry, on account of the end of his nose, which was alwaysas red and polished as a ripe cherry.
No sooner had Master Cherry set eyes on the piece of wood thanhis face beamed with delight, and, rubbing his hands together withsatisfaction, he said softly to himself:
"This wood has come at the right moment; it will just do to makethe leg of a little table."
He immediately took a sharp axe with which to remove the barkand the rough surface, but just as he was going to give the firststroke he heard a very small voice say imploringly, "Do not strikeme so hard!"
He turned his terrified eyes all around the room to try anddiscover where the little voice could possibly have come from, buthe saw nobody! He looked under the bench—nobody; he looked into acupboard that was always shut—nobody; he looked into a basket ofshavings and sawdust—nobody; he even opened the door of the shopand gave a glance into the street—and still nobody. Who, then,could it be?
"I see how it is," he said, laughing and scratching his wig,"evidently that little voice was all my imagination. Let us set towork again."
And, taking up the axe, he struck a tremendous blow on the pieceof wood.
"Oh! oh! you have hurt me!" cried the same little voicedolefully.
This time Master Cherry was petrified. His eyes started out ofhis head with fright, his mouth remained open, and his tongue hungout almost to the end of his chin, like a mask on a fountain. Assoon as he had recovered the use of his speech he began to say,stuttering and trembling with fear:
"But where on earth can that little voice have come from thatsaid "Oh! oh!"? Is it possible that this piece of wood can havelearned to cry and to lament like a child? I cannot believe it.This piece of wood is nothing but a log for fuel like all theothers, and thrown on the fire it would about suffice to boil asaucepan of beans. How then? Can anyone be hidden inside it? Ifanyone is hidden inside, so much the worse for him. I will settlehim at once."
So saying, he seized the poor piece of wood and commencedbeating it without mercy against the walls of the room.
Then he stopped to listen if he could hear any little voicelamenting. He waited two minutes—nothing; five minutes—nothing; tenminutes—still nothing!
"I see how it is," he then said, forcing himself to laugh, andpushing up his wig; "evidently the little voice that said "Oh! oh!"was all my imagination! Let us set to work again."
Putting the axe aside, he took his plane, to plane and polishthe bit of wood; but whilst he was running it up and down he heardthe same little voice say, laughing:
"Stop! you are tickling me all over!"
This time poor Master Cherry fell down as if he had been struckby lightning. When he at last opened his eyes he found himselfseated on the floor.
His face was changed, even the end of his nose, instead of beingcrimson, as it was nearly always, had become blue from fright.
CHAPTER II
MASTER CHERRY GIVES THE WOOD AWAY
At that moment some one knocked at the door.
"Come in," said the carpenter, without having the strength torise to his feet.
A lively little old man immediately walked into the shop. Hisname was Geppetto, but when the boys of the neighborhood wished tomake him angry they called him Pudding, because his yellow wiggreatly resembled a pudding made of Indian corn.
Geppetto was very fiery. Woe to him who called him Pudding! Hebecame furious and there was no holding him.
"Good–day, Master Antonio," said Geppetto; "what are you doingthere on the floor?"
"I am teaching the alphabet to the ants."
"Much good may that do you."
"What has brought you to me, neighbor Geppetto?"
"My legs. But to tell the truth. Master Antonio, I came to ask afavor of you."
"Here I am, ready to serve you," replied the carpenter, gettingon his knees.
"This morning an idea came into my head."
"Let us hear it."
"I thought I would make a beautiful wooden puppet; one thatcould dance, fence, and leap like an acrobat. With this puppet Iwould travel about the world to earn a piece of bread and a glassof wine. What do you think of it?"
"Bravo, Pudding!" exclaimed the same little voice, and it wasimpossible to say where it came from.
Hearing himself called Pudding, Geppetto became as red as aturkey–cock from rage and, turning to the carpenter, he said in afury:
"Why do you insult me?"
"Who insults you?"
"You called me Pudding!"
"It was not I!"
"Do you think I called myself Pudding? It was you, I say!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
And, becoming more and more angry, from words they came toblows, and, flying at each other, they bit and fought, andscratched.
When the fight was over Master Antonio was in possession ofGeppetto's yellow wig, and Geppetto discovered that the grey wigbelonging to the carpenter remained between his teeth.
"Give me back my wig," screamed Master Antonio.
"And you, return me mine, and let us be friends again."
The two old men having each recovered his own wig, shook handsand swore that they would remain friends to the end of theirlives.
"Well, then, neighbor Geppetto," said the carpenter, to provethat peace was made, "what is the favor that you wish of me?"
"I want a little wood to make my puppet; will you give mesome?"
Master Antonio was delighted, and he immediately went to thebench and fetched the piece of wood that had caused him so muchfear. But just as he was going to give it to his friend the pieceof wood gave a shake and, wriggling violently out of his hands,struck with all of its force against the dried–up shins of poorGeppetto.
"Ah! is that the courteous way in which you make your presents,Master Antonio? You have almost lamed me!"
"I swear to you that it was not I!"
"Then you would have it that it was I?"
"The wood is entirely to blame!"
"I know that it was the wood; but it was you that hit my legswith it!"
"I did not hit you with it!"
"Liar!"
"Geppetto, don't insult me or I will call you Pudding!"
"Knave!"
"Pudding!"
"Donkey!"
"Pudding!"
"Baboon!"
"Pudding!"
On hearing himself called Pudding for the third time Geppetto,mad with rage, fell upon the carpenter and they foughtdesperately.
When the battle was over, Master Antonio had two more scratcheson his nose, and his adversary had lost two buttons off hiswaistcoat. Their accounts being thus squared, they shook hands andswore to remain good friends for the rest of their lives.
Geppetto carried off his fine piece of wood and, thanking MasterAntonio, returned limping to his house.
CHAPTER III
GEPPETTO NAMES HIS PUPPET PINOCCHIO
Geppetto lived in a small ground–floor room that was onlylighted from the staircase. The furniture could not have beensimpler—a rickety chair, a poor bed, and a broken–down table. Atthe end of the room there was a fireplace with a lighted fire; butthe fire was painted, and by the fire was a painted saucepan thatwas boiling cheerfully and sending out a cloud of smoke that lookedexactly like real smoke.
As soon as he reached home Geppetto took his tools and set towork to cut out and model his puppet.

A Little Chicken Popped Out, Very Gay andPolite
"What name shall I give him?" he said to himself; "I think Iwill call him Pinocchio. It is a name that will bring him luck. Ionce knew a whole family so called. There was Pinocchio the father,Pinocchia the mother, and Pinocchi the children, and all of themdid well. The richest of them was a beggar."
Having found a name for his puppet he began to work in goodearnest, and he first made his hair, then his forehead, and thenhis eyes.
The eyes being finished, imagine his astonishment when heperceived that they moved and looked fixedly at him.
Geppetto, seeing himself stared at by those two wooden eyes,said in an angry voice:
"Wicked wooden eyes, why do you look at me?"
No one answered.
He then proceeded to carve the nose, but no sooner had he madeit than it began to grow. And it grew, and grew, and grew, until ina few minutes it had become an immense nose that seemed as if itwould never end.
Poor Geppetto tired himself out with cutting it off, but themore he cut and shortened it, the longer did that impertinent nosebecome!
The mouth was not even completed when it began to laugh andderide him.
"Stop laughing!" said Geppetto, provoked; but he might as wellhave spoken to the wall.
"Stop laughing, I say!" he roared in a threatening tone.
The mouth then ceased laughing, but put out its tongue as far asit would go.
Geppetto, not to spoil his handiwork, pretended not to see andcontinued his labors. After the mouth he fashioned the chin, thenthe throat, then the shoulders, the stomach, the arms and thehands.
The hands were scarcely finished when Geppetto felt his wigsnatched from his head. He turned round, and what did he see? Hesaw his yellow wig in the puppet's hand.
"Pinocchio! Give me back my wig instantly!"
But Pinocchio, instead of returning it, put it on his own headand was in consequence nearly smothered.
Geppetto at this insolent and derisive behavior felt sadder andmore melancholy than he had ever been in his life before; and,turning to Pinocchio, he said to him:
"You young rascal! You are not yet completed and you are alreadybeginning to show want of respect to your father! That is bad, myboy, very bad!"
And he dried a tear.
The legs and the feet remained to be done.
When Geppetto had finished the feet he received a kick on thepoint of his nose.
"I deserve it!" he said to himself; "I should have thought of itsooner! Now it is too late!"
He then took the puppet under the arms and placed him on thefloor to teach him to walk.
Pinocchio's legs were stiff and he could not move, but Geppettoled him by the hand and showed him how to put one foot before theother.
When his legs became limber Pinocchio began to walk by himselfand to run about the ro