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A short story by W.H.D. Rouse |
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Lacknose |
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Title: Lacknose Author: W.H.D. Rouse [More Titles by Rouse] There was once a Gardener who had no nose, and he had a very nice garden full of beautiful flowers: roses, and pinks, and lilies, and violets, and all the prettiest flowers you can imagine. Three little boys thought they would like a bunch of flowers, but they did not know how to get it. So one of them went into the garden and said: "Good morning, Mr. Lacknose!" "Good morning, boy," said the Gardener. The boy thought the best thing he could do was to flatter the old fellow, so he had made up a verse of poetry that he thought very pretty, and so he said to the Gardener:
"Go away!" said he, "and get your posy somewhere else!" The boy went away disappointed; but the second boy thought he would try his luck too. Perhaps the first boy had not spoken nicely; and he had made a verse of poetry too, which he thought would just suit the old Gardener. So in he came with "Good morning, Mr. Lacknose!" "Good morning, boy," said the old man. "And what do you want?" Then the boy put on a coaxing smile, and said:
"Be off!" said he, "or I'll be after you with a stick! Plant a nose, indeed! You had better go somewhere and learn manners before you ask for my flowers!" So the second boy went away faster than the first. But the third boy was an honest little boy, and knew that there is nothing like the truth; so he determined to try what truth could do. He walked modestly into the garden and said: "Good morning, sir!" "What, another of 'em!" growled the Gardener to himself. "Another pack of lies, I suppose!" He would hardly look at the boy. But the boy, nothing daunted, repeated his verse:
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