The Greedy Toy Clown
The Greedy Toy Clown
Once there was a toy clown. He lived in the nursery cupboard with all the other toys, but nobody liked him very much. For one thing he was very thin, and for another he was greedy.
If ever the toys had a tea party he was sure to eat most of the cakes, and once he even put some sandwiches in his pocked when he even put some sandwiches in his pocket when he thought no one was looking. He meant to eat them all by himself in the night.
He was proud of his blue trousers and red coat, and proudest of all of a lovely glittering brooch that Ann was the little girl the toys belonged to. They liked her very much because she played every day with them, and was gentle and kind.
One day Ann had a lovely present given to her. It was a proper little stove! It had an oven inside and saucepans and kettles on top. You could really light it cook with it. Ann loved it and cooked little puddings for herself of biscuits and sugar.
Now when everything was dark and still one night, the clown awoke and stretched himself. He was hungry. He remembered the little stove. What fun it he could creep out and cook himself a meal on it! None of the other toys were about. Ann had been playing with him them so such a lot that day that they were all feeling too tired to stir out of the cupboard.
So the clown tiptoed out alone. He went to the little gas stove and looked at it. How lovely it was! He was sure he could cook with it. But what could he cook?
He looked around. He couldn’t really see anything to cook for his supper – and then he suddenly saw the little toy sweet shot that Ann had. There were little bottles of sweets in it, and packets of chocolate and lozenges. He would take some of those and cook them.
So he went to the shop, opened the door and went behind the counter. Wasn’t it naughty of him? He took some sweets out of a bottle, a packet of chocolate and shook some lozenges into his hand. What a fine meal he would cook with all those mixed in a saucepan together!
He tiptoed back to the stove and emptied the sweets into a saucepan. He took it to the doll’s house, turned on the bathroom tap there and half-filled the saucepan with water. That was to cook the sweets in. He thought it would make a lovely sweet- pudding!
Then he found some matches in a box by the fireplace and lit the stove. The flame shot up, and he put the saucepan over it. Now his dinner would cook!
The clown was pleased with himself. Ha, he would have a fine meal while all the other toys were asleep. The saucepan was nearly boiling, his supper would soon be ready. How good it smelt!
He did a little dance round the stove – and then a dreadful thing happened His sleeve caught the handle of the saucepan and over it went!
Splish-splash! The boiling water shot out and some of it fell on the clown’s legs. Goodness, how he squealed!
His shrieks woke up all the other toys, of course. They came pouring out of the cupboard wondering whatever the matter was. When they saw they saw the clown holding his leg, and discovered the spilt saucepan, with all the sticky mess on the carpet, they guessed what he had been doing!
‘It serves you right!’ said the teddy bear.
‘You’re far too sly and greedy. How dare you take sweets from the shop and use Ann’s stove?
Stop making that noise. Go and get some Vaseline out of the box on the shelf and tie up your leg with your handkerchief. If you’ve scalded it, it is a good punishment for you!’
The clown hopped off, crying. The wooden doll tried to scrape up the hot, sticky mess from the nursery carpet – and, oh dear me, it came away with a bit of the carpet and left a hole there!
The toys stared at it in dismay. Whatever could be done about that? Ann would see it, and perhaps Ann would be scolded for something she hadn’t done! It must be mended somehow.
‘What shall we do?’ asked the teddy bear, quite upset.
‘We’d better ask the elf who lives in the lavender bed outside if she’ll come and mend the hole,’ said the clockwork duck. ‘I sometimes see her when Ann takes me down the path, and she’s always sewing, so I expect she could easily mend that hole.’
‘Good idea!’ said the bear. So he went to the window and called the elf softly. She soon came – and when she heard what they wanted her to do, she went back to get her needle and threads. She sat down on the carpet and began to sew. All the toys watched her. You wouldn’t believe how beautifully she did it! Her threads were fine but strong, and she matched up the carpet perfectly.
‘There!’ she said, when it was done. ‘Is that all right?’
‘It’s beautiful!’ cried all the toys. ‘What would you like for a reward?’
‘I should love a little brooch,’ said elf, shyly. ‘I haven’t one, you know.’
‘Clown! Give the elf your glittering brooch!’ said the teddy bear, at once, beckoning the clown forward.
‘But I don’t want to,’ he said. ‘I like it.’
‘That doesn’t matter,’ said the wooden doll. ‘You caused damaged by your greediness, and so must suffer for it. The elf has put things right and you must reward her. Give her your brooch, quickly!’
The clown undid it, with tears in his eyes. The elf took it gladly and pinned it at her neck. It looked fine! She was most delighted.
‘Goodbye!’ she said. ‘I hope nobody will ever notice the mend.’ Nobody did – but Ann soon saw that the clown had lost his brooch. She hunted for it everywhere, but of course she never found it. As for the clown, he isn’t vain or greedy any more. Fancy that!
