Page 57 - English Class 04

But, after nearly bursting himself with blowing the conch in every conceivable
way, he was obliged to give up the secret as a bad job. However, being

determined to succeed he went back to the farmer and said calmly, “Look here;
I’ve got your conch, but I can’t use it; you haven’t got it, so it’s clear you can’t use

it either. The matter is at a stand-still unless we make a bargain. Now, I promise
to give you back your conch and never to interfere with you using it on one

condition, which is this — whatever you get from it, I am to get double.”

“Never!” cried the farmer; “That would be the old business all over again!”

“Not at all!” replied the wily moneylender; “You will have your share! Now,

don’t be a dog in the manger , for if you get all you want, how can it matter to

you if I am rich or poor?”

At last, though it went sorely against the grain to be of any benefit to a
moneylender, the farmer was forced to yield and from that time, no matter what

he gained by the power of the conch, the moneylender gained double. And this

knowledge was so preyed upon the farmer’s mind day and night, that he had no
satisfaction out of anything.

At last, there came a very dry season — so dry that the farmer’s crops

withered for want of rain. Then he blew his conch, and wished for a well to
water them, and Lo! There was the well, but the moneylender had two! — two

beautiful new wells! This was too much for any farmer to stand; and our friend

brooded over it, and brooded over it, till at last a bright idea came into his head.
He seized the conch, blew it loudly, and cried out, “Oh, Ram! I wish to be blind in

one eye.” And so he was, in a twinkling, but the moneylender of course was blind
in both, and in trying to steer his way between the two new wells, he fell into

one, and was drowned.

Now this true story shows that a farmer once got the better of a

moneylender — but only by losing one of his eyes.

bursting : break open violently

conceivable : that is possible or imaginable
manger : an open box for feeding animals
brood : think over something

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