"George Washington. He was a little boy, then, just like you. One day
his father--"
"Whose father?" demanded Clarence, with an encouraging expression of
interest.
"George Washington's; this great man we are telling you of. One day
George Washington's father gave him a little hatchet for a--"
"Gave who a little hatchet?" the dear child interrupted with a gleam
of bewitching intelligence. Most men would have got mad, or betrayed
signs of impatience, but we didn't. We know how to talk to children.
So we went on.
"George Washington."
"Who gave him the little hatchet?"
"His father. And his father--"
"Whose father?"
"George Washington's."
"Oh!"
"Yes, George Washington's. And his father told him--"
"Told who?"
"Told George."
"Oh, yes, George."
And we went on, just as patient and as pleasant as you could imagine.
We took up the story right where the boy interrupted, for we could
see he was just crazy to hear the end of it. We said:
"And he was told--"
"George told him?" queried Clarence.
"No, his father told George--"
"Oh!"
"Yes, told him he must be careful with the hatchet--"
"Who must be careful?"
"George must."
"Oh!"
"Yes, must be careful with his hatchet--"
"What hatchet?"
"Why, George's.
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