"
Cap'n Bill and Trot were much astonished at this story
and felt grieved for the poor Ork, but the little man
Pessim seemed to think it a good joke. He began laughing
when he heard the story and laughed until he choked,
after which he lay down on the ground and rolled and
laughed again, while the tears of merriment coursed down
his wrinkled cheeks.
"Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" he finally gasped, sitting up and
wiping his eyes. "This is too rich! It's almost too
joyful to be true."
"I don't see anything funny about it," remarked Trot
indignantly.
"You would if you'd had my experience," said Pessim,
getting upon his feet and gradually resuming his solemn
and dissatisfied expression of countenance.
The same thing happened to me."
"Oh, did it? And how did you happen to come to this
island?" asked the girl.
"I didn't come; the neighbors brought me," replied the
little man, with a frown at the recollection. "They said
I was quarrelsome and fault-finding and blamed me because
I told them all the things that went wrong, or never were
right, and because I told them how things ought to be.
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