William

 

In this book we shall tell you about a little English schoolboy.

His name is William Brown.

William lives in England, in a small town near London. He lives with his mother, father, sister and brother. William is eleven. He goes to school every day, but he likes vacation better than school. William has many friends at school. His friends are Ginger, Douglas, Henry and Joan. Ginger, Douglas and Henry are schoolboys, and Joan is a schoolgirl.

Every morning the children go to school. In England school begins at nine o'clock. At twelve o'clock the children come home to eat. They go back to school at two o'clock. From two o'clock they have lessons at school again. At half past five they come home from school.

 

The Browns

The Browns live near London William's father, Mr. Brown, works in London. He goes to work at half past eight every morning and comes back at six o'clock in the evening. On Saturday Mr. Brown comes home at one o'clock. He does not go to work on Sundays.

Mrs. Brown, William's .mother, works very hard at home. She looks after her children. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have three children: Robert, Ethel and William. Robert is twenty-one, Ethel is eighteen and William is eleven.

 

William and white cat

Ethel's Present

It is breakfast time. Mr. and Mrs. Brown, Robert, Ethel and William are in the dining-room. .They are having their breakfast. After breakfast Mr. Brown reads his morning newspaper and Mrs. Brown reads her letters. Robert and Ethel are talking about football. William likes to listen to Robert and Ethel when they are talking about football.

SttetteHty Ethel says, "Tomorrow is my birthday and my friend Mr. Romford wants to give me a beautiful white cat for a birthday present." Mother puts down her letter and says, "Oh, how nice! I like cats, they are such gentle animals." Robert laughs and says, "What will William's white mouse do when the cat is here?"

William runs out of the room. He knows that his dog Jumble and his little white mouse will not like Ethel's cat. William goes out into the street. He wants to tell his friends about the white cat and ask them what to do with his poor dog and mouse.

 

William Meets Mr. Romford

William is in the street. On the corner of the street he sees a man with a basket in his hand. It is Mr. Romford, Ethel's friend. Mr. Romford comes up to William.

"Are you going home, William?" he asks.

"Yes," says William.

"Will you take this to your sister? It is a present for Ethel. I want to give her this present for her birthday. But you must not open the sket, William. A very val­uable white cat is in the basket. If you open it, the cat will scratch you and run away." William takes the basket. "All right," he says.

"Now, William you must not forget what I tell you," says Mr. Romford again. "You must not open the basket. The cat is rather wild, you know, it can bite you."

 

William Meets Ginger

William is walking down the street, he has the basket in his hand and the cat is scratching and mewing inside it. Soon he meets his friend Ginger. When Ginger comes up to William, William asks him: "What do you think I have here, Ginger?"

"I don't know."

"It's a present for my sister, Ethel. Mr. Romford is giving this present to her for her birthday. It is a beautiful white cat" says William. "Let's have a look at it," says Ginger.

"No, no," says William. "Please, William, let's look at it," Ginger asks.

"All right, Ginger, look at it. It's such a gentle animal. Oh, yes!" says William.

Ginger; cautiously opens the basket. Then he quickly shuts it again, and puts his finger in his mouth.

"Oh!" he cries with his finger in his mouth.

 

The White Cat Runs Away

"Oh, Ginger," says William, "the cat is wild, it will bite you. Please don't open the basket again."

Ginger says, "It is not a big scratch. Let's have a look at it again." Ginger opens the basket very cautiously. A white ball jumps out of the basket, scratches William on the face, nearly scratches Ginger's eyes out, and then jumps over the nearest wall.

"Well," says William, "what are you going to do now, Ginger?"

"Who? I?" asks Ginger.

"Yes, you. Please tell me now how you will get another valuable white cat. And, please, tell me what to do. Must I go home with the basket and say that I have no cat in it? Well, you let the cat out and you must catch it again."

 

The Boys Try to Catch the Cat

"Well, what can I do now?" says Ginger. "I don't know where the cat is. I..."

But at this .time, the white ball jumps over the wall again and runs, down the street. William takes up the basket and runs after it. "Come on!" he shouts as he runs. "Come on! Catch it! Catch it!"

They run down the street after the white ball, first the cat, then William, then Ginger. They run through a garden and frighten the gardener. They run in and out of a house, first the cat, then William, then Ginger. The cat jumps on a wall. William and Ginger run after the cat. The cat falls into some dirty water, but when William and Ginger want to catch it and put it into the basket, it runs away again! It is not a white ball now; it is a dirty grey ball!

 

The Cat with a Broken Ear

Suddenly when they run round a corner, they see a cat with a broken ear, who is sitting in the street. The cat is washing its face. The dirty grey ball runs at it..."Get it now!" William shouts. "Get it!"

Ginger takes the basket and runs up to the cats. The cats are fighting and scratching and mewing. Ginger runs round them and then puts the basket over the grey ball.

"Well," says Ginger, "here is the cat in the basket again.

William is very happy. He says, "Oh, come on, Ginger, let us take it home. I want to take it home quickly and give it to my sister."

William takes the basket, and the boys go home. Soon Ginger says, "William, let's look at the cat again. "I want to see if it is very dirty."

"I shall look at it this time," says William, "and I shall not let it out."'

Cautiously William opens the basket. And then William sits down on the grass, and looks at the cat in the basket with his mouth open. It is not their cat! The cat with a broken ear is sitting in the basket and washing its face!

"Why, William, .what is the matter?" asks Ginger.

"Oh," says William, "what shall I do now? This is not our cat, this is the cat with a broken ear! What shall I say to my sister now? Will Ethel believe me when I say that this is a very valuable cat and a very beautiful white cat?"