“Haw! Haw! Haw! I can’t digest straw!”
“Then eat the hay!” answered his master, who understood the Donkey perfectly.
“Haw! Haw! Haw! Hay gives me a headache!”
“Do you pretend, by any chance, that I should feed you duck or chicken?” asked the man again, and, angrier than ever, he gave poor Pinocchio another lashing.
At that second beating, Pinocchio became very quiet and said no more.
After that, the door of the stable was closed and he was left alone.
It was many hours since he had eaten anything and he started to yawn from hunger.
As he yawned, he opened a mouth as big as an oven.
Finally, not finding anything else in the manger, he tasted the hay.
After tasting it, he chewed it well, closed his eyes, and swallowed it.
“This hay is not bad,” he said to himself. “But how much happier I should be if I had studied!
Just now, instead of hay, I should be eating some good bread and butter.
Patience!”
Next morning, when he awoke, Pinocchio looked in the manger for more hay, but it was all gone.
He had eaten it all during the night.
He tried the straw, but, as he chewed away at it, he noticed to his great disappointment that it tasted neither like rice nor like macaroni.
“Patience!” he repeated as he chewed.
“If only my misfortune might serve as a lesson to disobedient boys who refuse to study!
Patience!
Have patience!”
“Patience indeed!” shouted his master just then, as he came into the stable.
“Do you think, perhaps, my little Donkey, that I have brought you here only to give you food and drink?
Oh, no! You are to help me earn some fine gold pieces, do you hear?
Come along, now.
I am going to teach you to jump and bow, to dance a waltz and a polka, and even to stand on your head.”
Poor Pinocchio, whether he liked it or not, had to learn all these wonderful things; but it took him three long months and cost him many, many lashings before he was pronounced perfect.
The day came at last when Pinocchio’s master was able to announce an extraordinary performance.
The announcements, posted all around the town, and written in large letters, read thus:
GREAT SPECTACLE TONIGHT LEAPS AND EXERCISES BY THE GREAT ARTISTS AND THE FAMOUS HORSES of the COMPANY
First Public Appearance of the FAMOUS DONKEY called PINOCCHIO
THE STAR OF THE DANCE ——
The Theater will be as Light as Day
That night, as you can well imagine, the theater was filled to overflowing one hour before the show was scheduled to start.
Not an orchestra chair could be had, not a balcony seat, nor a gallery seat; not even for their weight in gold.
The place swarmed with boys and girls of all ages and sizes, wriggling and dancing about in a fever of impatience to see the famous Donkey dance.
When the first part of the performance was over, the Owner and Manager of the circus, in a black coat, white knee breeches, and patent leather boots, presented himself to the public and in a loud, pompous voice made the following announcement:
“Most honored friends, Gentlemen and Ladies!
“Your humble servant, the Manager of this theater, presents himself before you tonight in order to introduce to you the greatest, the most famous Donkey in the world, a Donkey that has had the great honor in his short life of performing before the kings and queens and emperors of all the great courts of Europe.
“We thank you for your attention!”
This speech was greeted by much laughter and applause.
And the applause grew to a roar when Pinocchio, the famous Donkey, appeared in the circus ring.
He was handsomely arrayed. A new bridle of shining leather with buckles of polished brass was on his back; two white camellias were tied to his ears; ribbons and tassels of red silk adorned his mane, which was divided into many curls. A great sash of gold and silver was fastened around his waist and his tail was decorated with ribbons of many brilliant colors.
He was a handsome Donkey indeed!
The Manager, when introducing him to the public, added these words:
“Most honored audience!
I shall not take your time tonight to tell you of the great difficulties which I have encountered while trying to tame this animal, since I found him in the wilds of Africa.
Observe, I beg of you, the savage look of his eye.
All the means used by centuries of civilization in subduing wild beasts failed in this case. I had finally to resort to the gentle language of the whip in order to bring him to my will. With all my kindness, however, I never succeeded in gaining my Donkey’s love.
He is still today as savage as the day I found him. He still fears and hates me.
But I have found in him one great redeeming feature. Do you see this little bump on his forehead?