很久以前，有两个人是一对很要好的朋友，可他们的性格却大相径庭。Muddlehead是一个懒惰成性的人，Clearhead为了帮助他成为一个勤劳的人都采用了哪些方法呢？
Long, long ago, there lived two men in a village far away in
The lazy man, whose name was Muddlehead, admired his clever friend. “Clearhead is so clever,” Muddlehead thought. “He is clever enough for both of us.” Muddlehead stopped working and began to steal what he needed from his friend. At first Clearhead did not mind. After a while, however, he GREw tired of his friend’s dishonest ways.
One day Clearhead saw his old friend coming down the path. He suddenly decided the time had come to teach his friend a lesson. A pretty young cousin happened to be visiting Clearhead and his wife. Clearhead called to the girl and asked her to hide. Then, when Muddlehead reached the door, Clearhead pretended to be scolding(责骂) his wife.
“You lazy, good-for-nothing creature!” Clear-
head bellowed. “If you cannot do your work properly, you can at least be young and beautiful. Here. Take my walking cane(杖) and go into the kitchen. Jump over the cane fifty times and chant ‘I will be young; I will be beautiful.’ Then return to this room at once.”
Smiling, Clearhead turned to his astonished friend. He whispered, “It will be very pleasant to have a young wife again.”
In a few minutes, the wife sent the young, pretty cousin into the room where the two friends were sitting.
“A most remarkable thing,” Muddlehead said in amazement(惊异). He said nothing more, but that night he crept(蹑手蹑脚) back to his friend’s house and stole the cane. Then he ran home in GREat glee(欢乐) and shouted to his wife, “Jump over the cane fifty times and chant ‘I will be young; I will be beautiful.’”
The poor woman did as she was instructed. She jumped until she was exhausted, but nothing happened. She was still gray and wrinkled.
The next day Muddlehead ran to visit his friend, who said nothing about the missing cane. Instead, he invited Muddlehead to go hunting. Before the men left, Clearhead called his wife aside. “Go and buy a rabbit. Keep it here until I return.” Then Clearhead whistled for his dog. Now, this dog was almost as lazy as Muddlehead. He was not the least bit interested in hunting rabbits, but since Clearhead put the dog on a leash, the dog was forced to go along.
Before long, the two men spotted a rabbit. Instantly Clearhead let the dog go. “Be quick!” Clearhead shouted. “Chase the rabbit straight to the house.” The minute the dog was free, he ran home. There he promptly curled up in the shade of a tree and fell fast asleep. The two men followed far behind. As soon as Clearhead’s wife saw them coming, she ran to the door and held up a rabbit.
“A most remarkable thing,” Muddlehead said, amazed.
That night, Muddlehead crept to his friend’s house and stole the dog. He had to carry the lazy creature, for the dog did not once open his eyes.
