The Youngsters' Corner — The Adventures of Tamar

The Youngsters' Corner

The Adventures of Tamar

Edited by "Nono"

"Tamar," the friend of little ones in every land, carries to them in his satchel sweet tales, merry jokes, and gentle, kindly laughter.

"Tamar" is an old man. He has a big white beard and a hunched back; on his head he wears a cap of red, yellow, and green, and in his hand he carries a stick to lean on as he goes... He is forever walking and never tires, for he roams every country to visit his friends in it; but he will not ride an automobile, or a train, or an airplane, or a ship, because he prefers to walk on his own two feet.

Yesterday, "Tamar" passed by my house and knocked at the door. I opened to him — I knew him by his beard and his perpetual laugh — and when I invited him in, he said: No, my dear little one, I would rather stay sitting in the shade of this old oak, listening to the twittering of the birds and the humming of the bees passing from flower to flower among the trees of your garden!...

I was delighted with "Tamar's" talk and his visit, and I sat down beside him, after asking him to tell me what news he had of our friends in all the lands. He cleared his throat, laid his hand on the knob of his stick, and began to speak. He said:

I spent last summer at the resort of "Ruba" in the far mountains, and I was living in a small, clean hotel surrounded by pine trees and lovely gardens... One day, I was strolling on the hotel terrace when I caught sight of a small boy shining shoes at the entrance. I love little ones, especially when I see them doing grown-up work; so I left the terrace and went down to make a new friend... He looked at me and said cheerfully: Come, sit on this chair, grandfather — won't you have us shine your shoes?... I asked his name and he said: My name is "Ren," and I always work here. If you need anything, I am always ready to answer your call.

So he said, and set nimbly to work polishing my shoes, singing to himself in a low voice.

I went out of the hotel to buy a few things, and when I came back at noon, my friend "Ren" was standing in the same place with a bundle of newspapers, which he was offering to the customers quietly and politely; and in the evening he brought with him bouquets of flowers and a basket of fruit to sell to the guests. Everyone loved him, and they bought all the goods he offered...

Nor did "Ren" rest at night; he went swiftly back and forth between the hotel and the market, buying things for the lodgers. And though he was clean, his clothes were always old and his shoes split at the seams; and I puzzled over him — where did he spend his money, then?... I asked him about his parents, and he said he had lost them in a collision, and fell silent.

We became two faithful friends, and one morning "Ren" came and said: Would you like to go on an outing?

— Where to?

— To the wood nearby.

A few minutes later the two of us were walking, and "Ren's" face kept growing redder and brighter; and in the middle of the wood we caught sight of a large white building. "Ren" turned to me and said:

We've arrived.

— Arrived where, my friend?

— At the hospital.

So he said, and ran off, while I stood gazing after him in astonishment.

I called him, but he did not answer; so I took up my stick and walked after him. At the door I was met by a young woman in a white apron and a white cap. I asked her about "Ren," and she said: — He has gone in to visit his sister.

— And what is his sister doing here?

— She has been ill for a year; and he is the only person who visits her, brings her presents, and pays her doctor's fee and the price of her medicine...

The nurse said that "Lama" — for that was his sister's name — was a fair-haired girl of twenty, who used to work sewing clothes to help "Ren" after their parents' death; but she fell ill a year ago and would have died but for this small boy... For he went boldly to the doctor and said to him:

"Save my sister from death, doctor; help her to live, and I will work to pay you all her expenses..." And the doctor admired him, sent his own private car, and brought the girl to the hospital; and now she is cured, and in a few days she will go out to her work.

So the nurse said, and she led me to a small door, then left me there and went back to her post!...

I looked inside, and I saw my friend "Ren" sitting beside a white, clean bed, in which slept a girl like a beautiful angel; the two were talking and laughing. Then "Ren" rose, saying: I've forgotten my friend "Tamar" outside — I'm going to bring him in to you... My friend had not finished speaking before I was in the middle of the room, sharing with him and with "Lama" their gaiety and their happiness.

"Tamar" finished his tale, wiped his white beard, and rose to continue his journey, saying: Soon I shall come back, with a new story...