One day Rubi’s father was hurt by falling from a mountain side, and was laid up for a long time with a broken leg. The poor mother made very little by her lace making, and the winter was coming on. Rubi, by this time, had made a little money by selling his carved animals in the village. Every one he had was eagerly bought by a dealer; but the dealer did not pay the boy much. Rubi gave the money to his mother to help pay expenses.
One day, while Rubi was working in his shed, a traveler came to the door. In his hand was a beautifully carved chamois climbing a rock. He said:
“I am looking for the man who carved this chamois; I was told that he lived here.” But Rubi’s father looked at the carving and said:
“No, sir, none of us here can do such carving as that.”
Just then Rubi came in and seeing the chamois in the man’s hand, said: “I did that myself a year ago, but I can do better now.”
Everybody was astonished, especially when Rubi showed them other things he had made. There were goats, and bears, and dogs, and little horses, and all kinds of toys that Rubi had carved and stored away in the box his mother had given him.
The traveler was found to be one of the great dealers in carved woods. “You must go with me and work in my shop,” said the dealer.
And it so happened that Rubi went with the dealer and became one of the finest workmen he had ever known. So we see that even a crippled boy can become famous if he only tries.