THE MAN WHO WASN'T SO BAD

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 130, 29 November 1930, Page 20

THE MAN WHO WASN'T SO BAD

np HEEE was once an old man who II lived by himself in a cavo by the side of the cliff> and ho wanted very much to adopt a son. He thought it would be good to have a little elf to live with him, to clean his cottage, cook his food, and play Snap with him when the work was done. . • . ~'■-. The :okl man's name was Grumpisli, which isn't very pretty, but he knew a, hundred, stories . about the sea, be cause he had lived for years and years beside it in his cave in the rock.. But, in spite of the fact that the elves adore listening to stories and love playing Snap, the old man couldn't get an elf to adopt as his son, because the elves had heard that Grumpisli was very mean, and would never give or lend anybody anything he had. The elves hate mean folk, so it was in vain that the old man tried to hear of somebody to suit him. He was in such despair that at last he hung a notice outside his cave, it said:

Wanted: A young elf to live here. Lots of time for games and stories. Must cook and scrub well. Somebody saw it the first minute it was up. "If I came," said the young elf William, popping his head in,- "could I have time . off for bathing? The

Spring is here and the water is .■warm iaud lovely. I see. you have two jolly 'little bathing-suits hanging up in the corner. Would you lend me one?" And he • hoped very much that Grumpish would say "Yes," because he saw that the floor of .his cottage wanted sweeping, and William liked sweeping, ■ and he longed to sit on the beach beside the old man and hear his tales about the sea during the long, light i evenings of Spring. . ' vSo when he saw that the old , man was just going to say "No," William tho EJf put his hands over his ears and said, "I. didn't hear that!" and laughed out loud. . ... The old man couldn't help laughing too, and ho said "Yes," and gave him tho best bathing-suit and got out the ■Snap cards. And they went right away, arm-in-arm, to. the shore, . and there they found two mermaids to play with them and a smooth rock for a table. It was a lovely time they had together!