| Once there was a tree . . . and she loved a little boy. |
| And every day the boy would come and he would gather her leaves |
| and make them into crowns and play king of the forest. |
| He would climb up her trunk and swing from her branches and eat apples. |
| And they would play hide-and-go-seek. |
| And when he was tired, he would sleep in her shade. |
| And the boy loved the tree . . . very much. |
| And the tree was happy. |
| But time went by. |
| And the boy grew older. |
| And the tree was often alone. |
| Then one day the boy came back to the tree and the tree said, |
| "Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches |
| and eat my apples and play in my shade and be happy." |
| "I am too big to climb and play," said the boy. |
| "I want to buy things and have fun. |
| I want some money. |
| Can you give me some money?" |
| "I'm sorry," said the tree, "but I have no money. |
| I have only leaves and apples. |
| Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in the city. |
| Then you will have money and you will be happy." |
| And so the boy climbed up the tree and gathered her apples and carried them away. |
| And the tree was happy. |
| But the boy stayed away for a long time . . . and the tree was sad. |
| And then one day the boy came back and the tree shook with joy and she said, |
| "Come, Boy, climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and be happy." |
| "I am too busy to climb trees," said the boy. |
| "I want a house to keep me warm," he said. |
| "I want a wife and I want children, and so I need a house. |
| Can you give me a house?" |
| "I have no house," said the tree. |
| "The forest is my house, but you may cut off my branches and build a house. |
| Then you will be happy." |
| And so the boy cut off her branches and carried them away to build his house. |
| And the tree was happy. |
| But the boy stayed away for a long time. |
| And when he came back, the tree was so happy she could hardly speak. |
| "Come, Boy," she whispered, "come and play." |
| "I am too old and sad to play," said the boy. |
| "I want a boat that will take me far away from here. |
| Can you give me a boat?" |
| "Cut down my trunk and make a boat," said the tree. |
| "Then you can sail away . . . and be happy." |
| And so the boy cut down her trunk and made a boat and sailed away. |
| And the tree was happy . . . but not really. |
| And after a long time the boy came back again. |
| "I am sorry, Boy," said the tree, "but I have nothing left to give you-- |
| My apples are gone." |
| "My teeth are too weak for apples," said the boy. |
| "My branches are gone," said the tree. |
| "You cannot swing on them--" |
| "I am too old to swing on branches," said the boy. |
| "My trunk is gone," said the tree. |
| "You cannot climb--" |
| "I am too tired to climb," said the boy. |
| "I am sorry," sighed the tree. |
| "I wish that I could give you something . . . but I have nothing left. |
| I am just an old stump. |
| I am sorry . . .." |
| "I don't need very much now," said the boy, |
| "just a quiet place to sit and rest. |
| I am very tired." |
| "Well," said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could, |
| "well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting. |
| Come, Boy, sit down. |
| Sit down and rest." |
| And the boy did. |
| And the tree was happy. |
Back