From my Writer’s Class NINE AT A BLOW. Once upon a time there was a tailor and whenever he hadn’t a job he used to spend his time mending stockings. One day after dinner the table was covered with flies. The tailor struck at them with a stocking and killed nine of them at a blow. As he hadn’t any job at hand he started out to see the world and his belt had written on it, Nine at a Blow. On his way he met a boy who asked the tailor to buy some things from him. He bought a few things, put them in his knapsack and went on his way. Then he came to a farm where the farmer’s wife was making tea. He asked her for something to eat so she gave him some sour milk and cup of Yorkshire cheese. The tailor drank the milk and he put the cheese in his knapsack and went on his way. At last he reached a town. It was a hot day so he lay down and fell asleep. Now a giant happened to pass that way and he saw written in golden letters Nine at a Blow so he wakened the tailor and asked him “Have you really killed nine at a blow?” The tailor answered that he had and the giant said “Let’s have a try to see which of us is the stronger. I’ll cast a stone and it will be an hour before it comes down.” The tailor said “I will cast a stone and it won’t come down at all.” So the giant cast a stone and it was a full hour before it came down. Instead of casting a stone the tailor let a fish go and of course it didn’t come back. The giant said “Let’s have another try. I’ll crush a stone to powder. The tailor said “I’ll squeeze water from a stone.” So the giant tool a pebble and crushed it to powder. The tailor took the key and squeezed it till the water oozed out of it. The giant gave in and acknowledge the tailor was the stronger of the two. So they went along together till they came to a cherry tree growing near a meadow. The cherries were ripe. They wanted to pick some of the cherries for themselves. The tailor climbed the cherry tree but the giant simply bent down the top of the tree and began to pluck the cherries. When he was finished he let go and the tailor was thrown onto a heap of dry grass piled up in the meadow. So the tailor said “If it hadn’t been for the dry grass I should have broken my neck.” So he decided to teach the giant how to fly. Away they went on their way again and they came to a town. The town was all on mourning. They asked the reason and were told that a dragon had taken up his headquarters in the church and was killing the people. The king would give five thousand pounds to whoever could kill the dragon. So they told the king they would kill the dragon. They ordered a big hammer and a big pair of tongs to be made for them. When they were made the giant took the tongs and gave the hammer to the tailor to carry. The tailor protested and the giant kept the hammer. When they came to the church door the tailor gave the hammer to the tailor who stuck fast to it. Then the dragon came dashing out and flung the tailor behind him and the giant split him clean. The tailor protested “A nice mess you’ve made, I meant to take the dragon alive we could have gotten more money for him. Then he said “Now I will teach you how to fly.” So they climbed up the church steeple and the tailor said “When I say one, two, three, you must jump.” And the giant jumped and broke his neck. The tailor told the king that the dragon had killed the giant. So he pocketed the five thousand pounds himself.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 10:22:07 +0000
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