Short Stories
work one does for others.’
“‘It is certainly a great privilege to hear you talk,’ answered
little Hans, sitting down, and wiping his forehead, ‘a very great
privilege. But I am afraid I shall never have such beautiful ideas
as you have.’
“‘Oh! they will come to you,’ said the Miller, ‘but you must
take more pains. At present you have only the practice of friend-
ship; some day you will have the theory also.’
“‘Do you really think I shall?’ asked little Hans.
“‘I have no doubt of it,’ answered the Miller, ‘but now that
you have mended the roof, you had better go home and rest, for
I want you to drive my sheep to the mountain to-morrow.’
“Poor little Hans was afraid to say anything to this, and early
the next morning the Miller brought his sheep round to the
cottage, and Hans started off with them to the mountain.
It took him the whole day to get there and back; and when he
returned he was so tired that he went off to sleep in his chair,
and did not wake up till it was broad daylight.
“‘What a delightful time I shall have in my garden,’ he said,
and he went to work at once.
“But somehow he was never able to look after his flowers at
all, for his friend the Miller was always coming round and send-
ing him off on long errands, or getting him to help at the mill.
Little Hans was very much distressed at times, as he was afraid
his flowers would think he had forgotten them, but he consoled
himself by the reflection that the Miller was his best friend.
‘Besides,’ he used to say, ‘he is going to give me his wheelbar-
row, and that is an act of pure generosity.’
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