Jimmy the Carrot. The Little Window

Part I

Now the family is sitting at the table. Father is reading his morning newspaper. From time to time he stirs his coffee with a teaspoon and tastes it.

Suddenly Polly begins to giggle.

“Why are you giggling?” Mr. Dale asks angrily.

“Oh, Daddy, you’re stirring your coffee and there is no sugar in your cup!” Polly says.

“Is that so funny?” Mr. Dale asks. “Please, pass me the sugar, Molly,” he says to his wife.

He takes one lump out of the sugar basin and puts it into his cup.

“That is not enough, Daddy. Take some more sugar! I always take three or four lumps of sugar,” Polly says.

“I like it when the coffee tastes bitter,” her father says, taking his newspaper again.

They have breakfast in silence. Mrs. Dale is angry with Jimmy. Mr. Dale is angry with his lazy son too. So all of them eat and drink in silence.

After breakfast Polly clears the table and then they leave the room.

Now Jimmy is all alone. The room is empty. His sister Polly is at school. His father is at work. Mother is not in the room.

Jimmy does not want to get up. He is very lazy. He looks at the ceiling: a big fly is sitting there. “How can the fly sit on the ceiling?” Jimmy thinks. Then he looks at the wall: a little window is hanging on it. Jimmy’s father always looks into it when he shaves his chin. Mother always looks into it when she brushes her hair. Polly also looks into it when she puts on her bonnet.

But Jimmy the Carrot never looks into the little window. It hangs too high for him.

Jimmy thinks to himself: “I must look into that little window too!”

So he gets up, puts on his trousers and runs to the wall. But he cannot reach the little window — he is not tall enough. So he takes a chair, pulls it up to the wall and gets on it.

Oh, how funny! A little boy looks back at Jimmy from the little window. The boy has red hair, red cheeks, red ears and a funny red nose as small as a button.

Jimmy looks straight into the boy’s eyes. He smiles at him. The red-headed boy smiles too.

Part II

Jimmy looks at the boy. The red-headed boy looks at Jimmy.

“What is your name, boy?” Jimmy asks.

The boy moves his lips but does not answer.

Jimmy gets angry.

“Look here, boy! What’s your name? Do you hear what I say?” he asks again.

But the red-headed boy does not answer. He moves his lips. He is angry too.

“I know you are afraid of me,” the Carrot says angrily and puts out his tongue. The red boy also puts out his tongue. Jimmy shakes his fist at him. The red boy does the same.

Then Jimmy gets very angry. He jumps off his chair and runs to the door on tiptoe. He brings the broom.

“Now I’ll show you how to tease me!” he says to himself. “Wait! I’ll show you how to put out your tongue at me!”

The Carrot raises the broom, and bang! — the little window is broken to pieces.

But where is the red boy?

Jimmy looks at the wall. There is no window there now. The wall is empty. He looks under the bed — there is nobody there either. Jimmy cannot find the red-headed boy. The boy is gone. Jimmy looks at the floor. Small pieces of broken glass are scattered all over the floor. Jimmy takes the broom and is just going to sweep the floor when suddenly he hears his mother’s voice. The Carrot quickly pushes the broken glass under the cupboard. Jimmy’s mother comes in.

“What’s up, darling?” she asks.

“Nothing, Mother,” the little boy answers.

“Why are you standing at the cupboard?” Mrs. Dale asks in surprise.

“I want some bread and butter,” Jimmy says.

“Why are you holding the broom?” she asks again.

“I want to open the cupboard — it’s too high for me!” the sly boy says.

“Oh, you poor darling!” Mrs. Dale cries. “You must be very hungry.”

“I am,” the Carrot says.

Then Mrs. Dale goes to the cupboard, opens it and cuts off a big piece of brown bread.

“Shall I put some jam on it, Jimmy?” she asks her son, buttering the bread.

“No, thank you, Mother, I don’t want any jam,” the boy says.

“Shall I give you some candy, Jimmy?” Mrs. Dale asks.

“Oh yes, Mother, please give me some!” Jimmy says.

He is always very polite when he wants to get some candy.

Mother gives him some candy. He is very much pleased. He says very politely:

“Thank you very much, Mother!”

Jimmy’s mother is very pleased too. She thinks that her Carrot is better and cleverer than Polly, much better than Sam and, of course, the best boy in the world.

Part III

It is evening. The whole family is sitting at the table. Jimmy the Carrot is also there, but he is not eating. He has a terrible stomachache. He ate too much candy in the morning.

“Why don’t you eat?” Father asks.

“I won’t!” Jimmy says. “I’m not hungry.”

“Did you give him any sweets this morning, Mrs. Dale?” Mr. Dale asks angrily. He looks straight into his wife’s eyes.

“Yes, I did,” poor Mrs. Dale says, “but I gave him just a little.”

“That’s why he cannot eat now!” Father says.

“Eat your soup, Carrot!” Mother says.

“I can’t, Mother, I have a stomachache,” the little boy answers.

“You spoil the child, ma’am. Don’t give him any sweets at all. He must eat soup, meat, fish and potatoes.”

“But our boy is still so little,” Mrs. Dale begins.

“Nonsense!” Mr. Dale answers. “Jimmy is a strong, healthy boy and he isn’t little any more.”

Suddenly Polly begins to whimper.

“What’s the matter with you, child?” Mother asks.

“There is a fish bone between my teeth. It is hurting me,” poor Polly says.

“Then pick it out, you crybaby!” Father says.

“I don’t see where the fish bone is,” Polly answers.

“Well, take the looking-glass, dear, and pick it out!” Mrs. Dale says and raises her head.

“Oh, where is the looking-glass, children?” she cries in surprise.

“I don’t know,” Polly says.

“I don’t know either,” Jimmy says.

Then Father puts down his spoon and turns to the children.

“Which of you two is lying?” he asks.

“Oh, Daddy, I never tell lies!” Polly cries.

“I never tell lies!” Jimmy says.

“OK!” Mr. Dale says. “We shall see which of you is telling a lie now.”

When Mr. Dale is very angry or very pleased he always says “OK” instead of “all right,” as if he were an American.