A Rainy Day Episode

It was raining hard, but when I went to get an umbrella, I found that out of the five umbrellas we have at home there was not one I could use. I decided to take all the five umbrellas to an umbrella-maker.

So I took them, left them at the umbrella-maker’s, saying that I would call for the umbrellas on my way home in the evening. When I went to dine in the afternoon, it was still raining very hard. I went to a nearby restaurant, sat down at a table and had been there only a few minutes when a young woman came in and sat down at the same table with me. I was the first to finish and when I got up, I absent-mindedly took her umbrella and started for the door. She called out to me and reminded me that I had taken her umbrella. I returned it to her with many apologies.

In the evening I called for my umbrellas, bought a newspaper and got on a tram. The young woman was in the tram too. She looked at me and said, “You’ve had a successful day today, haven’t you?”

B.

The Sailor and the Monkey

A sailor once went to the market. He had some red woolen caps for sale. On his way he had to pass through a forest. The sailor was tired. He lay down to rest and soon fell fast asleep. When he awoke, he saw that his caps were gone. He looked up and saw many monkeys on the branches of the trees. Each monkey had a red woolen cap on its head. He wanted to make them give his caps back, but they did not want to obey him. At last he pulled off the cap which he had on his head and threw it on the ground crying out, “Here, you little rogues, if you have taken the rest, you may take this one, too!”

To his great surprise the little animals did the same. Each took the cap off its head and threw it on the ground. The sailor got his caps back and went away in triumph.

Supplement

I. Read and retell the following stories. Pay attention to the use of modal verbs.

The Shirt

The king of an oriental country was rich and powerful., but he was not happy. He therefore went to consult a wise old man on this subject. The old man said:

“Happiness is a very rare thing in this world, but I know the way to find it.”

“How shall I find it?” asked the king.

“Oh, it is quite simple,” answered the old man, “you have only to put on the shirt of a happy man.”

The king thanked the old man and began to look for the talisman. He visited most of the capitals of the world, met kings, writers, professors, actors, doctors, and others, but they were not happy.

At last he came back to his country.

One day he saw a poor peasant with a happy look on his face who was working in a field and singing. He went up to the peasant and said: “My good fellow, are you happy?”

“Quite happy,” answered the peasant.

“Would you like to change places with a king?”

“Not for the world.”

“Well, then,” said the king, “sell me your shirt.”

“My shirt?” answered the peasant in astonishment. “I haven’t got one.”

The Doctor’s Advice

Once an old gentleman went to see a doctor. The doctor examined him and said: “Medicine won’t help you. You must have a complete rest. Go to a quiet country place for a month, go to bed early, drink milk, walk a lot, and smoke just one cigar a day.”

“Thank you very much,” said the old gentleman, “I shall do everything you say.”

A month later the gentleman came to the doctor again. “How do you do!” said the doctor, “I am very glad to see you. You look much younger.”

“Oh, doctor,” said the gentleman, “I feel quite well now. I had a good rest. I went to bed early, I drank a lot of milk, I walked a lot. Your advice certainly helped me. But you told me to smoke one cigar a day, and that one cigar a day almost killed me at first. It’s no joke to start smoking at my age.”