Once upon a time there was a little boy and he was almost five years old. And there weren't any other children near for him to play with, so he used to play happily all by himself.
He had his cat and his cart and his shovel and his hoe, and he always wore his overalls when he was playing. And his name was David.
They were building a house in a field near David's house; and, one morning, he heard a curious sound, and he wondered what they were doing, and he asked his mother.
"Mother," he said, "what are they doing? What are they? It sounds as if they were pickaxing the dirt."
His mother laughed. "Well," she answered, "perhaps they are. I don't know what they are doing. I think you'll have to go and see."
"Think I'll have to go and see," David repeated; "but I'll have my breakfast first."
So he had his breakfast first, and he hurried a little because he wanted to know what the noise was.
And when he was through his breakfast he took off his napkin and slipped down from his chair and went around to kiss his mother.
His father had gone off to town in the early train.
"Good-bye," said David.