It Will Come

Note that this story is based on a classic tale by The Brothers Grimm


Many many years ago there lived an old man. He had become frail with the passing years and now that he could no longer work, he just sat in his arm chair. His eyesight and his hearing were no longer sharp and he became tired when he walked, even with the help of his old gnarled stick. His one delight was his little grandson who would sit on his knee and sing to him. Unfortunately his son and his shrewish wife were not so patient with him.
When he sat at the table with them in the evenings, his hands trembled and he would spill his food on the table.

'You cannot eat at the table with us if you are going to make such a mess'!said the shrewish wife cruely. 'You can eat your meals by the stove'. There you are! She handed the grandfather his food, and from then on the old man sat by the stove every evening, holding back tears of humiliation and pain. The following week as the shrewish wife gave the old man his bowl, it slipped from his shaking hands, fell on the stone floor and shattered.
'Now you will eat from a wooden bowl if you are going to break our crockery'! cried the angry wife.
And so the old man ate from a wooden bowl until one evening his little grandson gave his mother some scraps of wood which he had gathered.
'WHAT ARE THESE FOR'? asked his mother laughing.
'I AM MAKING A LITTLE TROUGH FOR YOU AND PAPA TO EAT OUT OF WHEN I AM GROWN', answered the little boy.
The shrewish wife looked at her husband. They hung their heads in shame. From that day on, every evening the old grandfather ate happily with the family.