Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter four of and Iiron Tales by John Bangs. This
LibriVox recording is in the public domain. The poker tells
his story, I suppose, said the poker, after the Andirons
had passed out of hearing distance. I suppose you think
it's a very extraordinary thing that I, who am nothing
but a poker, should be satisfied with my lot. Eh
(00:24):
oh I dunno, said Tom, snuggling down on the cloud,
which he found to be deliciously soft and comfortable. If
you were a poker who could only poke, it might
seem queer, but you can talk and sing and travel about.
You don't have to do any work in summer time,
and in winter you have a nice warm spot to
stay in all the day long. I don't think it's
(00:46):
very strange, but I'm not different from any other poker,
said Tom's companion. They all do pretty much what I do,
except that most of them are always growling at their
hard lot. Well, I do very little but sing and
rejoice that I am what I am. And the story
I was going to tell you was how I came
to be so well satisfied to be a poker. Would
(01:08):
you like to have me do that? Dormy, Yes, said
Tom very much. Were you always a poker? Not? I,
said the poker with a shake of his head. I've
been a poker only two years. Before that, I had
been a little of everything. What do you suppose I
began life as a railroad track, said Tom, bound to
(01:29):
have a guess at the right answer, though he really
hadn't the slightest notion that he was correct. You came
pretty near it, said the poker with a smile. I
begin life as a boy. I don't see how a
boy is pretty near a railroad track, said Tom. The
boy I begin life as lived right next door to
a railroad, explained the poker. See now, yes, said Tom.
(01:53):
But why didn't you stay a boy? Because I wasn't contented,
said the poker with a sigh. I ought to have been, though.
I had everything in the world that a boy could want.
My parents were as good to me as they could
possibly be. I had all the toys I wanted, all
I could eat, plenty of pudding and other good things
as often as they were to be had. I had
(02:14):
two little sisters who used to do everything in the
world for me, plenty of boyfriends to play with, and
as I said, before a railroad right next door. And
oh the trains and trains and trains I used to see.
It was great fun, I can see now that I
look back on it. And yet I was never satisfied.
(02:36):
I used to cry my eyes out sometimes because I
hadn't wings like a bird so that I could fly.
At other times I get discontented that I couldn't run
as fast as a dog. I never went to bed
without feeling envious of somebody or something. Finally, one night,
i'd gone to bed feeling particularly unhappy because a big
(02:58):
eagle I had seen flying about in the sky could
do things I couldn't. My nurse, thinking I had fallen asleep,
went out of the night nursery and left me alone.
Just as she went out of one door, the other
door opened, and a very beautiful lady came in. Is
that you, mamma, I asked, No, said she, I am
(03:20):
not your mother. I am a fairy. I have been
crying pretty hard, I can tell you, said the poker
with a shake of his head. But as soon as
I heard the ladies say she was a fairy, my
tears dried up as quick as lightning. I am a fairy.
She repeated, coming to the side of my little bed
and stroking my forehead kindly. My duty is to seek
(03:41):
out one discontented person each year and see if I
can't do something to help him. I have come to
help you if I can. Don't you like being a boy?
Not very much? Said I. It's awfully hard work. I
have to go to school every day and learn lots
of things I don't care to know of, and most
of the time I'm kept in an hour or two
(04:04):
just because I can't remember how much seven times too
are or whether C A T spells dog or horse.
And I don't like it. But you are strong and well.
Your father and mother are very good to you, and
you have more good times than unhappy ones, don't you
I never counted? Said I. I don't believe I do,
(04:25):
though I'm strong and well. But so is that eagle
I saw to day, and he can fly and I can't.
Then there's my little dog. He's as well as can be,
and my father and mother are kind to him, just
as they are kind to me. He doesn't have to
bother with school. He's allowed to go anywhere he wants
to and never gets scolded for it. Besides, he doesn't
(04:49):
have to be dressed up all the time and live
in a bathtub the way I do. Then you think
you would be happier as Rollo than you are as yourself,
said she very much, said I. Then it shall be so,
said she good bye. She went out as quietly as
she had come, and I turned over, and after thinking
(05:09):
over what she had said, I fell asleep. Then the
queerest thing happened. I slept right through until the morning,
dreaming the strangest dream you ever heard of. I dreamed
that I had been changed into Rollo, and oh the
fun I had. Life was nothing but play and liberty.
And then I waked. I tried to call my father
(05:30):
and tell him I was ready for the morning story.
But what do you suppose I did? Instead? Give it up,
said Tom. What I barked, said the poker. And when
I barked, I looked down at my feet. Sure enough
I was Rollo, and Rollo was I lying asleep in
my bed. I was on the floor at the foot
of the bed. Then the nurse came in and slapped
(05:52):
me for barking, and I had the pleasure of being
sent down stairs to the cellar while Rollo himself, who
had been changed me, went into my father's room and
got the story. Mercy, said Tom, I guess you were
sorry about that. I was a little, said the poker.
But after I had been down in this cellar an
(06:13):
hour or two, I saw a beautiful piece of steak
in the ice box, and I ate it all up.
It wasn't cooked at all, but being a little dog,
I liked it all the better for that. Then I
drank up a panful of milk and had a lovely
time teasing the cat until the cook came down, when
my troubles began. I never knew when I was a
(06:34):
boy that Rollo had troubles, but I found out that
day that he had. The cook gave me a terrible
whipping because I had eaten the steak, and I had
hardly recovered from that when Rollo, who was now what
I had been, took me up into the nursery and
played with me just as I had always played with him.
He held me up by the tail, he flicked me
(06:56):
with his handkerchief, He harnessed me up to a small cart,
and made me drag his sisters, his doll babies about
the room for one whole hour, and then when lunch
time came, the waitress forgot me, and I had to
go hungry all the afternoon. Every time i'd try to
go into the kitchen, the cook would drive me out,
but the stick for fear, I would eat the other
(07:17):
things in the cellar, and oh dear, I had a
miserable time of it. The worst of it came two
or three days later, continued the poker. It was Rollo's
bath day, and as I was Rollo, of course I
had to take Rollo's bath, And my, wasn't it awful.
I'd rather take a hundred such baths as I had
(07:37):
when I was a boy, than one like Rollo's. The
soap got into my eyes and I couldn't say a word.
Then it got into my mouth, and bah, how fearful
it was. After that, I was grabbed by all four
of my legs and soust into the water until I
thought I should drown, and rubbed until my fur nearly
came off. I wished then that I had asked Fairy
(08:00):
to leave her address so that I could send for
her and have her come back and let me be
a boy again. All the fun of being Rollo was spoiled.
By the woes that were his to bear wolves. I
had never dreamed of his having until I took his place.
I must have been Rollo a month when the fairy
came back one night to see how I was getting along.
(08:21):
Rollo layeth asleep in my crib while I was curled
up in a dog basket at the foot of it. Well,
said the fairy as she entered the room. How do
you both do I like it first rate, said Rollo.
Being a boy is ever so much nicer than being
a dog. I think so, too, said I. And if
you don't mind, I'd like to be a boy again.
(08:43):
What boy do you want to be? She asked? What boy?
Said I why myself, of course, who else? What has
Rollo to say about that? Said the fairy, turning to him,
and I tell you, dormy, it made my heart sick
to hear that Rollo had anything to say about it,
for there couldn't be much doubt as to how he
(09:03):
would decide. End of Chapter four
Chapter four of and Iiron Tales by John Bangs. This
LibriVox recording is in the public domain. The poker tells
his story, I suppose, said the poker, after the Andirons
had passed out of hearing distance. I suppose you think
it's a very extraordinary thing that I, who am nothing
but a poker, should be satisfied with my lot. Eh
(00:24):
oh I dunno, said Tom, snuggling down on the cloud,
which he found to be deliciously soft and comfortable. If
you were a poker who could only poke, it might
seem queer, but you can talk and sing and travel about.
You don't have to do any work in summer time,
and in winter you have a nice warm spot to
stay in all the day long. I don't think it's
(00:46):
very strange, but I'm not different from any other poker,
said Tom's companion. They all do pretty much what I do,
except that most of them are always growling at their
hard lot. Well, I do very little but sing and
rejoice that I am what I am. And the story
I was going to tell you was how I came
to be so well satisfied to be a poker. Would
(01:08):
you like to have me do that? Dormy, Yes, said
Tom very much. Were you always a poker? Not? I,
said the poker with a shake of his head. I've
been a poker only two years. Before that, I had
been a little of everything. What do you suppose I
began life as a railroad track, said Tom, bound to
(01:29):
have a guess at the right answer, though he really
hadn't the slightest notion that he was correct. You came
pretty near it, said the poker with a smile. I
begin life as a boy. I don't see how a
boy is pretty near a railroad track, said Tom. The
boy I begin life as lived right next door to
a railroad, explained the poker. See now, yes, said Tom.
(01:53):
But why didn't you stay a boy? Because I wasn't contented,
said the poker with a sigh. I ought to have been, though.
I had everything in the world that a boy could want.
My parents were as good to me as they could
possibly be. I had all the toys I wanted, all
I could eat, plenty of pudding and other good things
as often as they were to be had. I had
(02:14):
two little sisters who used to do everything in the
world for me, plenty of boyfriends to play with, and
as I said, before a railroad right next door. And
oh the trains and trains and trains I used to see.
It was great fun, I can see now that I
look back on it. And yet I was never satisfied.
(02:36):
I used to cry my eyes out sometimes because I
hadn't wings like a bird so that I could fly.
At other times I get discontented that I couldn't run
as fast as a dog. I never went to bed
without feeling envious of somebody or something. Finally, one night,
i'd gone to bed feeling particularly unhappy because a big
(02:58):
eagle I had seen flying about in the sky could
do things I couldn't. My nurse, thinking I had fallen asleep,
went out of the night nursery and left me alone.
Just as she went out of one door, the other
door opened, and a very beautiful lady came in. Is
that you, mamma, I asked, No, said she, I am
(03:20):
not your mother. I am a fairy. I have been
crying pretty hard, I can tell you, said the poker
with a shake of his head. But as soon as
I heard the ladies say she was a fairy, my
tears dried up as quick as lightning. I am a fairy.
She repeated, coming to the side of my little bed
and stroking my forehead kindly. My duty is to seek
(03:41):
out one discontented person each year and see if I
can't do something to help him. I have come to
help you if I can. Don't you like being a boy?
Not very much? Said I. It's awfully hard work. I
have to go to school every day and learn lots
of things I don't care to know of, and most
of the time I'm kept in an hour or two
(04:04):
just because I can't remember how much seven times too
are or whether C A T spells dog or horse.
And I don't like it. But you are strong and well.
Your father and mother are very good to you, and
you have more good times than unhappy ones, don't you
I never counted? Said I. I don't believe I do,
(04:25):
though I'm strong and well. But so is that eagle
I saw to day, and he can fly and I can't.
Then there's my little dog. He's as well as can be,
and my father and mother are kind to him, just
as they are kind to me. He doesn't have to
bother with school. He's allowed to go anywhere he wants
to and never gets scolded for it. Besides, he doesn't
(04:49):
have to be dressed up all the time and live
in a bathtub the way I do. Then you think
you would be happier as Rollo than you are as yourself,
said she very much, said I. Then it shall be so,
said she good bye. She went out as quietly as
she had come, and I turned over, and after thinking
(05:09):
over what she had said, I fell asleep. Then the
queerest thing happened. I slept right through until the morning,
dreaming the strangest dream you ever heard of. I dreamed
that I had been changed into Rollo, and oh the
fun I had. Life was nothing but play and liberty.
And then I waked. I tried to call my father
(05:30):
and tell him I was ready for the morning story.
But what do you suppose I did? Instead? Give it up,
said Tom. What I barked, said the poker. And when
I barked, I looked down at my feet. Sure enough
I was Rollo, and Rollo was I lying asleep in
my bed. I was on the floor at the foot
of the bed. Then the nurse came in and slapped
(05:52):
me for barking, and I had the pleasure of being
sent down stairs to the cellar while Rollo himself, who
had been changed me, went into my father's room and
got the story. Mercy, said Tom, I guess you were
sorry about that. I was a little, said the poker.
But after I had been down in this cellar an
(06:13):
hour or two, I saw a beautiful piece of steak
in the ice box, and I ate it all up.
It wasn't cooked at all, but being a little dog,
I liked it all the better for that. Then I
drank up a panful of milk and had a lovely
time teasing the cat until the cook came down, when
my troubles began. I never knew when I was a
(06:34):
boy that Rollo had troubles, but I found out that
day that he had. The cook gave me a terrible
whipping because I had eaten the steak, and I had
hardly recovered from that when Rollo, who was now what
I had been, took me up into the nursery and
played with me just as I had always played with him.
He held me up by the tail, he flicked me
(06:56):
with his handkerchief, He harnessed me up to a small cart,
and made me drag his sisters, his doll babies about
the room for one whole hour, and then when lunch
time came, the waitress forgot me, and I had to
go hungry all the afternoon. Every time i'd try to
go into the kitchen, the cook would drive me out,
but the stick for fear, I would eat the other
(07:17):
things in the cellar, and oh dear, I had a
miserable time of it. The worst of it came two
or three days later, continued the poker. It was Rollo's
bath day, and as I was Rollo, of course I
had to take Rollo's bath, And my, wasn't it awful.
I'd rather take a hundred such baths as I had
(07:37):
when I was a boy, than one like Rollo's. The
soap got into my eyes and I couldn't say a word.
Then it got into my mouth, and bah, how fearful
it was. After that, I was grabbed by all four
of my legs and soust into the water until I
thought I should drown, and rubbed until my fur nearly
came off. I wished then that I had asked Fairy
(08:00):
to leave her address so that I could send for
her and have her come back and let me be
a boy again. All the fun of being Rollo was spoiled.
By the woes that were his to bear wolves. I
had never dreamed of his having until I took his place.
I must have been Rollo a month when the fairy
came back one night to see how I was getting along.
(08:21):
Rollo layeth asleep in my crib while I was curled
up in a dog basket at the foot of it. Well,
said the fairy as she entered the room. How do
you both do I like it first rate, said Rollo.
Being a boy is ever so much nicer than being
a dog. I think so, too, said I. And if
you don't mind, I'd like to be a boy again.
(08:43):
What boy do you want to be? She asked? What boy?
Said I why myself, of course, who else? What has
Rollo to say about that? Said the fairy, turning to him,
and I tell you, dormy, it made my heart sick
to hear that Rollo had anything to say about it,
for there couldn't be much doubt as to how he
(09:03):
would decide. End of Chapter four
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.