The Moneybox

Listen Ad Free https://www.solgoodmedia.com - Listen to hundreds of audiobooks, thousands of short stories, and ambient sounds all ad free!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The money box. In a nursery where a number of
toys lay scattered about, a money box stood on the
top of a very high wardrobe. It was made of
clay in the shape of a pig, and had been
bought of the potter. In the back of the pig
was a slit, and this slit had been enlarged with

(00:23):
a knife so that dollars or crown pieces might slip through,
and indeed there were two in the box besides a
number of pence. The money pig was stuffed so full
that it could no longer rattle, which is the highest
state of perfection to which a money pig can attain.

(00:47):
There he stood upon the cupboard, high and lofty, looking
down upon everything else in the room. He knew very
well that he had enough inside him to buy up
all the other toys, and this gave him a very
good opinion of his own value. The rest thought of

(01:10):
this fact also, although they did not express it, for
there were so many other things to talk about. A
large doll, still handsome, though rather old, for her neck
had been mended, lay inside one of the drawers, which
was partly open. She called out to the others, let

(01:32):
us have a game at being men and women, that
is something worth playing at. Upon this there was a
great uproar. Even the engravings which hung in frames on
the wall turned round in their excitement and showed that
they had a wrong side to them, although they had

(01:55):
not the least intention to expose themselves in this way
or to object to the game. It was late at night,
but as the moon shone through the windows, they had
light at a cheap rate. And as the game was
now to begin, all were invited to take part in it,

(02:20):
even the children's wagon, which certainly belonged to the coarser playthings.
Each has its own value, said the wagon. We cannot
all be noblemen. There must be some to do the work.
The money pig was the only one who received a
written invitation. He stood so high that they were afraid

(02:43):
he would not accept a verbal message. But in his
reply he said, if he had to take a part,
he must enjoy the sport from his own home. They
were to arrange for him to do so, and so
they did. The little toy theater was there, were put
up in such a way that the money Pig could

(03:03):
look directly into it. Some wanted to begin with a comedy,
and afterwards to have a tea party and a discussion
for mental improvement. But they commenced with the latter first.
The rocking horse spoke of training and races, the wagon
of railways and steam power. For these subjects belonged to

(03:28):
each of their professions, and it was right they should
talk of them. The clock talked politics, tick. He professed
to know what was the time of day, but there
was a whisper that he did not go correctly. The

(03:49):
bamboo cane stood by, looking stiff and proud. He was
vain of his brass furl and silver top. And on
the sofa lay two worked cushions, pretty but stupid. When
the play at the little theater began, the rest sat

(04:10):
and looked on. They were requested to applaud and stamp
or crack when they felt gratified with what they saw.
But the riding whip said he never cracked for old people,
only for the young who were not yet married. I
crack for everybody, said the cracker. Yes, and a fine

(04:32):
noise you make, thought the audience. As the play went on.
It was not worth much, but it was very well played,
and all the characters turned their painted sides to the audience,
for they were made only to be seen on one side.

(04:53):
The acting was wonderful, excepting that sometimes they came out
beyond the lamps because the wires were a little too long.
The doll whose neck had been darned was so excited
that the place on her neck burst, and the money
pig declared he must do something for one of the players,

(05:18):
as they had all pleased him so much so he
made up his mind to remember one of them in
his will as the one to be buried with him
in the family vault, whenever that event should happen. They
all enjoyed the comedy so much that they gave up

(05:38):
all thoughts of the tea party and only carried out
their idea of intellectual amusement, which they called playing at
men and women. And there was nothing wrong about it,
for it was only play. All the while, each one
thought most of himself, or of what the money pig

(06:01):
could be thinking. His thoughts were on, as he supposed,
a very distant time of making his will and of
his burial, and of when it might all come to pass,
certainly sooner than he expected. For all at once down

(06:23):
he came from the top of the press, fell on
the ground and was broken to pieces. Then the pennies
hopped and danced about in the most amusing manner. The
little ones twirled round like tops, and the large ones
rolled away as far as they could, especially the one

(06:43):
great silver crown piece, who had often to go out
into the world, and now he had his wish as
well as the rest of the money. The pieces of
the money pig were thrown into the dust spin, and
the next day there stood a new money pig on
the cupboard. But it had not a farthing in its

(07:06):
inside yent, and therefore, like the old one, they could
not rattle. This was the beginning with him, and we
will make it the end of our story. End of
the money Box.