THE ROBBERS RUN AFTER PINOCCHIO

Pinocchio ran and ran. Then he looked back.
He saw the two robbers behind him.

“What can I do?” he thought.

Suddenly he saw a small house. It was as white
as snow. He ran to the door of the house and
knocked.

Nobody answered. He knocked again. Then the
window opened, and a beautiful child looked out of
it. She had blue hair and a face as white as snow.

“There is nobody in this house,” she said and
shut the window.

“Oh, Beautiful Child with the Blue Hair,” cried
Pinocchio. “Open the door! Open the door!
Please!”

But the robbers caught him and hung him on a
big tree in the forest.

Then they sat down on the grass and waited.
They waited and waited, but Pinocchio’s eyes were
open and his mouth was shut.

The robbers didn’t want to stay so long. They
looked at Pinocchio and said:

“We shall come back tomorrow. Then you’ll be
dead, and your mouth will be open.”

And they went away.

Nobody came to save Pinocchio. He waited and
waited, but nobody came. Then he thought of his
poor father, shut his eyes and opened his mouth.

Did the gold pieces fall out of Pinocchio’s
mouth? What do you think, my little readers?