The Lost Necklace.

 Narrated by Facundo Esquivel, a Tagalog, who heard the story from a friend from Cebu. The story is Visayan.

 

Once a crow bought a fine necklace from a merchant. He was very proud of his purchase, which he immediately put around his neck, so that everybody could see it. Then he flew away, and came to a beautiful little garden, where he met his old friend the hen strutting¹ about, with her chicks following her. The hen said to him, “Oh, what a fine necklace you have! May I borrow it? I will return it to you to-morrow without fail.”

 

[415]Now, the crow liked the hen: so he willingly lent her the necklace for a day. The next morning, when the crow returned for his property, he found the hen and her chicks scratching the ground near an old wall. “Where is my necklace?” said the crow.

 

“It is lost,” said the hen. “My chicks took it yesterday while I was asleep, and now they do not remember where they put it. We have been looking for it all day, and yet we have not been able to find it.”

 

“You must pay for it at once,” said the crow, “or else I shall go to the king and tell him that you stole my necklace.”

 

The hen was frightened at this reply, and she began to wonder how she could raise the necessary money. The crow, who was on his way to a fiesta, at last said impatiently², “I will take one of your chicks every day in payment³ of what you owe me. As soon as you find the necklace, give it to me, and then I will stop eating your chicks.” The hen had to be satisfied with this arrangement, for she feared that the crow would go to the king if she refused.

 

Unto this day, then, you can find hens and chicks together looking for the lost necklace by scratching the ground; and the crows are still exacting⁴ payment for the lost jewel by eating chicks. It is said that the hens and chickens will never cease⁵ scratching the ground until the lost necklace is found.

 

1 strutting   

加固，支撑物

参考例句：

• He, too, was exceedingly arrogant, strutting about the castle. 他也是非常自大，在城堡里大摇大摆地走。
• The pompous lecturer is strutting and forth across the stage. 这个演讲者在台上趾高气扬地来回走着。

2 impatiently   

adv.不耐烦地

参考例句：

• Impatiently he cut short what I was telling him. 他不耐烦地打断了我的话。
• The children wait impatiently for the vacation.孩子们焦急地等待着假期的来临。

3 payment   

n.付款，支付，偿还，偿还，报应

参考例句：

• I gave ten pounds in payment for the goods I bought.我买那些东西付了10英镑。
• This last payment will wipe out your debt to me.这最后一笔付款将了结你欠我的债务。

4 exacting   

adj.苛求的，要求严格的

参考例句：

• He must remember the letters and symbols with exacting precision.他必须以严格的精度记住每个字母和符号。
• The public has been more exacting in its demands as time has passed.随着时间的推移，公众的要求更趋严格。

5 cease   

n.停止，终止；v.停止

参考例句：

• The two parties made a bargain to cease fire.双方达成了停火协议。
• You will never cease to learn as long as you live.活到老，学到老。