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Published by roong_602, 2021-10-28 04:41:07

Short Story

Short story

SHSORTOTRY

Electronic Book on Reading Comprehension
for Foreign Language Learning of the
first-year Undergraduate Student,
Songkhla province.

The Bogey Beast

There was once a woman who was very, very cheerful, though she had little to make her so;
for she was old, and poor, and lonely. She lived in a little bit of a cottage and earned a
scant living by running errands for her neighbours, getting a bite here, a sup there, as reward
for her services. So she made shift to get on, and always looked as spry and cheery as if
she had not a want in the world.
Now one summer evening, as she was trotting, full of smiles as ever, along the high road to
her hovel, what should she see but a big black pot lying in the ditch!
"Goodness me!" she cried, "that would be just the very thing for me if I only had something
to put in it! But I haven't! Now who could have left it in the ditch?"
And she looked about her expecting the owner would not be far off; but she could see
nobody.
"Maybe there is a hole in it," she went on, "and that's why it has been cast away. But it
would do fine to put a flower in for my window; so I'll just take it home with me."
And with that she lifted the lid and looked inside. "Mercy me!" she cried, fair amazed. "If it
isn't full of gold pieces. Here's luck!"
And so it was, brimful of great gold coins. Well, at first she simply stood stock-still,
wondering if she was standing on her head or her heels. Then she began saying:

The Bogey Beast

"Lawks! But I do feel rich. I feel awful rich!"
After she had said this many times, she began to wonder how she was to get her treasure home. It
was too heavy for her to carry, and she could see no better way than to tie the end of her shawl to it
and drag it behind her like a go-cart.
"It will soon be dark," she said to herself as she trotted along. "So much the better! The neighbours
will not see what I'm bringing home, and I shall have all the night to myself, and be able to think
what I'll do! Mayhap I'll buy a grand house and just sit by the fire with a cup o' tea and do no work
at all like a queen. Or maybe I'll bury it at the garden foot and just keep a bit in the old china teapot
on the chimney-piece. Or maybe—Goody! Goody! I feel that grand I don't know myself."
By this time she was a bit tired of dragging such a heavy weight, and, stopping to rest a while, turned
to look at her treasure.
And lo! it wasn't a pot of gold at all! It was nothing but a lump of silver.
She stared at it, and rubbed her eyes, and stared at it again.
"Well! I never!" she said at last. "And me thinking it was a pot of gold! I must have been dreaming.
But this is luck! Silver is far less trouble—easier to mind, and not so easy stolen. Them gold pieces
would have been the death o' me, and with this great lump of silver—"
So she went off again planning what she would do, and feeling as rich as rich, until becoming a bit
tired again she stopped to rest and gave a look round to see if her treasure was safe; and she saw
nothing but a great lump of iron!
"Well! I never!" says she again. "And I mistaking it for silver! I must have been dreaming. But this is
luck! It's real convenient. I can get penny pieces for old iron, and penny pieces are a deal handier for
me than your gold and silver. Why! I should never have slept a wink for fear of being robbed. But a
penny piece comes in useful, and I shall sell that iron for a lot and be real rich—rolling rich."
So on she trotted full of plans as to how she would spend her penny pieces, till once more she
stopped to rest and looked round to see her treasure was safe. And this time she saw nothing but a
big stone.

The Bogey Beast

"Well! I never!" she cried, full of smiles. "And to think I mistook it for iron. I must have been
dreaming. But here's luck indeed, and me wanting a stone terrible bad to stick open the gate. Eh
my! but it's a change for the better! It's a fine thing to have good luck."
So, all in a hurry to see how the stone would keep the gate open, she trotted off down the hill till
she came to her own cottage. She unlatched the gate and then turned to unfasten her shawl from
the stone which lay on the path behind her. Aye! It was a stone sure enough. There was plenty
light to see it lying there, douce and peaceable as a stone should.
So she bent over it to unfasten the shawl end, when—"Oh my!" All of a sudden it gave a jump, a
squeal, and in one moment was as big as a haystack. Then it let down four great lanky legs and
threw out two long ears, nourished a great long tail and romped off, kicking and squealing and
whinnying and laughing like a naughty, mischievous boy!
The old woman stared after it till it was fairly out of sight, then she burst out laughing too.
"Well!" she chuckled, "I am in luck! Quite the luckiest body hereabouts. Fancy my seeing the
Bogey-Beast all to myself; and making myself so free with it too! My goodness! I do feel that
uplifted—that GRAND!"—
So she went into her cottage and spent the evening chuckling over her good luck.




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HTTPS://WWW.FLUENTU.COM/BLOG/ENGLISH/EASY-ENGLISH-SHORT-STORIES-2/

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Summary

The Elves and
The Shoemaker

A shoemaker, by no fault of his own, had become so poor that at last he had
nothing left but leather for one pair of shoes. So in the evening, he cut out the
shoes which he wished to begin to make the next morning, and as he had a good
conscience, he lay down quietly in his bed, commended himself to God, and fell
asleep. In the morning, after he had said his prayers, and was just going to sit
down to work, the two shoes stood quite finished on his table. He was astounded,
and knew not what to say to it. He took the shoes in his hands to observe them
closer, and they were so neatly made that there was not one bad stitch in them,
just as if they were intended as a masterpiece. Soon after, a buyer came in, and
as the shoes pleased him so well, he paid more for them than was customary, and,
with the money, the shoemaker was able to purchase leather for two pairs of
shoes. He cut them out at night, and next morning was about to set to work with
fresh courage; but he had no need to do so, for, when he got up, they were
already made, and buyers also were not wanting, who gave him money enough to
buy leather for four pairs of shoes.

The Elves and
The Shoemaker

The following morning, too, he found the four pairs made; and so it went on
constantly, what he cut out in the evening was finished by the morning, so
that he soon had his honest independence again, and at last became a
wealthy man. Now it befell that one evening not long before Christmas, when
the man had been cutting out, he said to his wife, before going to bed,
"What think you if we were to stay up to-night to see who it is that lends us
this helping hand?" The woman liked the idea, and lighted a candle, and then
they hid themselves in a corner of the room, behind some clothes which were
hanging up there, and watched. When it was midnight, two pretty little naked
men came, sat down by the shoemaker's table, took all the work which was
cut out before them and began to stitch, and sew, and hammer so skilfully
and so quickly with their little fingers that the shoemaker could not turn away
his eyes for astonishment. They did not stop until all was done, and stood
finished on the table, and they ran quickly away.

The Elves and
The Shoemaker

Next morning the woman said, "The little men have made us rich, and we really must
show that we are grateful for it. They run about so, and have nothing on, and must be
cold. I'll tell thee what I'll do: I will make them little shirts, and coats, and vests, and
trousers, and knit both of them a pair of stockings, and do thou, too, make them two
little pairs of shoes." The man said, "I shall be very glad to do it;" and one night,
when everything was ready, they laid their presents all together on the table instead of
the cut-out work, and then concealed themselves to see how the little men would
behave. At midnight they came bounding in, and wanted to get to work at once, but as
they did not find any leather cut out, but only the pretty little articles of clothing, they
were at first astonished, and then they showed intense delight. They dressed
themselves with the greatest rapidity, putting the pretty clothes on, and singing,

"Now we are boys so fine to see,
Why should we longer cobblers be?"
Then they danced and skipped and leapt over chairs and benches. At last they danced
out of doors. From that time forth they came no more, but as long as the shoemaker
lived all went well with him, and all his undertakings prospered.

ที่ ม า H T T P S : / / A M E R I C A N L I T E R A T U R E . C O M / F A I R Y - T A L E S - G U I D E # F A I R Y - T A L E - 4 - 7

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Summary

The Lion And
The Mouse

A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little

Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran
across the Lion's nose. Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the
tiny creature to kill her.
"Spare me!" begged the poor Mouse. "Please let me go and some day I will surely
repay you."
The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was
generous and finally let the Mouse go.
Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils
of a hunter's net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring.
The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to
one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the
Lion was free.
"You laughed when I said I would repay you," said the Mouse. "Now you see that even
a Mouse can help a Lion."
A kindness is never wasted.

ที่ ม า H T T P S : / / A M E R I C A N L I T E R A T U R E . C O M / F A I R Y - T A L E S - G U I D E # F A I R Y - T A L E - 4 - 7

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The Three Billy-
Goats Gruff


Once upon a time there were three billy goats, who were to go up to the hillside to

make themselves fat, and the name of all three was "Gruff."
On the way up was a bridge over a cascading stream they had to cross; and under the
bridge lived a great ugly troll , with eyes as big as saucers, and a nose as long as a


poker.

So first of all came the youngest Billy Goat Gruff to cross the bridge.
"Trip, trap, trip, trap! " went the bridge.
"Who's that tripping over my bridge?" roared the troll.
"Oh, it is only I, the tiniest Billy Goat Gruff , and I'm going up to the hillside to make
myself fat," said the billy goat, with such a small voice.
"Now, I'm coming to gobble you up," said the troll.
"Oh, no! pray don't take me. I'm too little, that I am," said the billy goat. "Wait a bit
till the second Billy Goat Gruff comes. He's much bigger."
"Well, be off with you," said the troll.
A little while after came the second Billy Goat Gruff to cross the bridge.
Trip, trap, trip, trap, trip, trap, went the bridge.
"Who's that tripping over my bridge?" roared the troll.
"Oh, it's the second Billy Goat Gruff , and I'm going up to the hillside to make myself
fat," said the billy goat, who hadn't such a small voice.

The Three Billy-
Goats Gruff

"Now I'm coming to gobble you up," said the troll.
"Oh, no! Don't take me. Wait a little till the big Billy Goat Gruff comes. He's much bigger."
"Very well! Be off with you," said the troll.
But just then up came the big Billy Goat Gruff .
Trip, trap, trip, trap, trip, trap! went the bridge, for the billy goat was so heavy that the
bridge creaked and groaned under him.
"Who's that tramping over my bridge?" roared the troll.
"It's I! The big Billy Goat Gruff ," said the billy goat, who had an ugly hoarse voice of his
own.
"Now I 'm coming to gobble you up," roared the troll.Well, come along! I've got two spears,
And I'll poke your eyeballs out at your ears;
I've got besides two curling-stones,
And I'll crush you to bits, body and bones.
That was what the big billy goat said. And then he flew at the troll, and poked his eyes out
with his horns, and crushed him to bits, body and bones, and tossed him out into the cascade,
and after that he went up to the hillside. There the billy goats got so fat they were scarcely
able to walk home again. And if the fat hasn't fallen off them, why, they're still fat; and so,
Snip, snap, snout.
This tale's told out.

ที่ ม า H T T P S : / / A M E R I C A N L I T E R A T U R E . C O M / F A I R Y - T A L E S - G U I D E # F A I R Y - T A L E - 4 - 7

outlining

Who :
What :
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How :

Summary

SHSORTOTRY

Electronic Book on Reading Comprehension
for Foreign Language Learning of the
first-year Undergraduate Student,
Songkhla province.


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