Jerry’s Lost Temper
Jerry’s Lost Temper
Once upon a time there lived a little boy who was always losing his temper. He lost it about six times a day and that made him most unpleasant to live with.
He lost his temper at breakfast time when his mother made him eat his porridge, and threw his spoon at her. He lost it in the middle of the morning when spade broke. He lost it at dinner time when he wanted a third helping of jelly and there wasn’t any. He lost it twice at tea time because his mother wanted him to finish up his bread-and-butter, and he lost it when he was in a bath, because his duck wouldn’t float properly.
So you can see what a bad-tempered child he was! It was really dreadful to see him and hear him.
‘One of these days, Jerry,’ said his mother, ‘you’ll lose your temper and not be able to find it again! That will be great shock to you, because little boys and girls who lose your tempers for always, can never smile or laugh, but can only sulk, frown and cry, and talk in a cross-patch voice! You really should be careful!’
Now, one day, Jerry went to spend the day with his Aunt Marigold, who lived at the very end of Foxglove Village. His mother told him to be sure and behave nicely and to keep his temper, not to lose it.
But he hadn’t been at his aunt’s for five minutes before he flew into a terrible rage, quite lost his temper, and threw a saucepan lid at the big black cat sitting peacefully by the fire! That was the worst of jerry. He always threw things when the lost his temper.
The saucepan lid hit the cat on the head. She hissed and jumped aside. Then she turned on the little boy and scratched him hard.
‘Oh, dear!’ said his aunt. ‘Cinders is a queer cat, and whenever he scratches anybody something unpleasant happens. Now, Jerry, don’t look so cross. Go out into the garden and don’t come in again until you’ve found that temper you’ve lost!’
She pushed the angry little boy out of doors, and shut the kitchen door firmly. Jerry wandered round the kitchen door firmly. Jerry wandered round the garden, scowling. Suddenly he heard a call and, looking up, he saw the little girl next door holding out an apple to him.
‘Hello, Jerry!’ she said. ‘Have an apple!’ Jerry tried to smile his thanks – but, to his horror, a smile wouldn’t come! Instead a terrible frown puckered up his forehead and his lips pouted into a sulk.
‘Oh, all right!’ said the little girl, offended at Jerry’s black looks. ‘If you don’t want a nice apple, I’ll eat it!’
She dug her teeth into it, slid off the wall and disappeared. Jerry was dreadfully disappointed. He wondered what was wrong with his face. No matter how hard he tried to smile, he couldn’t make his lips go up – they always went down. And his forehead kept wrinkling into a frown – but, worst of all, when he tried to speak he found that his voice changed into a fierce growl, like a dog’s!
‘Oh goodness gracious!’ thought poor Jerry to himself. ‘What Mother said would happen has come true! I’ve really and truly lost my temper this time and it hasn’t come back!’
Jerry ran into a corner and cried bitterly. He tried again and again to speak, but he could only growl. He tried to stop frowning but he couldn’t. Then he heard his aunt calling him.
‘Jerry! Jerry! Here is a piece of chocolate cake for you!’
Jerry loved chocolate cake! Ha forgot his tears and ran eagerly to the kitchen door, where his Aunt Marigold stood holding an enormous piece of iced chocolate cake. But, when she saw the scowling, frowning face of the little boy, and heard his growling, angry voice, she stared in surprise.
‘What a dreadful, cross face!’ she said. ‘No, Jerry – you can’t have the cake it you look like that!’
She went indoors, and shut the door, talking the cake with her. Jerry banged on the door, trying to say that he didn’t mean to look cross and to growl – but his aunt was annoyed with him and wouldn’t open the door. So the little boy ran off to the bottom of the garden, more miserable and more frightened than he had ever been in his life before.
When would happen if he never found his temper again, if it was always lost? How people would hate him! He would never get any treats, but would always be left out of everything. Jerry was very, very sad.
‘What’s the matter?’ suddenly asked a high voice just beside him. Jerry looked down and saw a sharp-faced little man looking up at him.
He was not a fairy, but looked more like a funny little dwarf.
‘I’ve lost my temper, and I can’t find it again,’ said Jerry, in a strange, snarling voice, frowning at the little dwarf.
‘Ho, ho! said the little creature, laughing, ‘So that’s what’s the matter! Well, I’ve got your temper, little boy! I collect bad tempers, when I find them, and sell them to a cross old witch, who lives on the edge of the world. She pays me well for them. I found yours flying round the garden this morning, and I’ve got it safely in my pocket!’
‘Please give it back to me!’ begged Jerry, in the same growly voice. ‘I can’t bear to be like this, all frowns voice. ‘I can’t bear to be like this, all frowns, sulks and snarls! It’s horrid!’
‘But you’re like it a dozen times a day!’ said the dwarf, grinning. ‘I know you are! I’ve been close to you for a long time, though you didn’t know it – and I knew I should be able to find that bad temper of yours, one day, when you lost it – and I knew I should be able to find that bad temper of yours, one day, when you lost it. And now I’ve got it!’
‘Please,’ said Jerry, still in his snarly voice. ‘Please do give it back to me. I promise you that if I lose it again you may have it for good. I do promise you! But let me have it back again, just this once.’
‘Well,’ said the little dwarf, putting his hand into his pocket, ‘I’m pretty sure you’ll lose it again in the next ten minutes, so I don’t mind letting you have it. Here you are. Swallow it – but, mind, I shall get it again before very long!’
Jerry took from the dwarf’s hand a small, soft, yellow thing, rather the shape of an egg, with bright red ends that gleamed. He popped it into his mouth and swallowed it down – his lost temper!
At once he began to smile, and his own proper voice came back. His terrible frown went, and he looked friendly and pleasant.
‘Goodness! That’s made a difference to you!’ said the dwarf, in surprise. ‘Well, well – you’ll get your frowns back in a minute or two, I expect, when you lose your temper again. And I shall catch that temper of yours and keep it to sell to the old witch! Ho, ho!’
Jerry said no more to the little dwarf. He ran straight to the kitchen door and opened it.
‘Aunt Marigold, Aunt Marigold!’ he cried. ‘I’ve come to say I’m sorry I lost my temper this morning, and you may be sure I shall never do such a thing again. Please forgive me!’
And do you know, from that day to this Jerry never has lost his temper. He’s so afraid the little dwarf will find it and keep it to sell to the witch. I do hope you won’t ever lose yours when he’s about – wouldn’t it be dreadful if he found it and didn’t give it back!
