100个儿童英语小故事: The Woodcutter and Hermes 樵夫和赫尔墨斯

 

020 The Woodcutter and Hermes

A woodcutter was cutting trees next to a pond. Suddenly, he dropped his ax into the pond. He just sat down and cried because he couldn't get it out. "Oh, my ax!"

Then, Hermes, the guardian¹ God of the town, showed up. "Young man, why are you crying?" The woodcutter answered. "I dropped my ax into the pond while I was cutting trees."

Hermes took pity on the woodcutter. "I will help you. Wait for a moment." Hermes jumped into the pond with a splash². After a little while, he brought out a gold ax.

"Is this gold ax yours?" "No, that's not mine." Hermes jumped into the pond with a splash again. This time, he brought out a silver ax. "Is this silver ax yours?" "No, that's not mine, either." Hermes jumped into the pond with a splash again. 

He brought out an old and worn-out ax this time. "Is this yours?" "Yes. That's my ax."

Hermes like his honesty, so he gave all three axes to the woodcutter.

The woodcutter told his story to his friends. One of his friends went to the pond and dropped his ax on purpose into the water. "Oh gosh, What am I going to do? I lost my ax."

Then, Hermes appeared. Hermes listened to his story and jumped into the pond.

He came out with a gold ax. "Did you lose this gold ax?" The friend of the woodcutter was so happy when he saw the gold ax. "Yes, that's right. That gold ax is mine."

But Hermes already knew that he was lying. Hermes did not give him back not only the gold ax but also his own.

1 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

2 splash   

v.溅，泼；n.溅泼声，溅出的水等，斑点

参考例句：

• I fell into the water with a splash.我跌入水中，激起水花四溅。
• There's a splash of paint on the white wall.白墙上溅上了一片油漆。