[1] Did I ever tell you how the ash-tree grew? No? Well, I will tell you now. Once upon a time there was a man who had many slaves, and among them was one who was so lazy you never could make him work. Every day his master used to ring the bell in the morning and every slave but the lazy one would go to work, and he would always find an excuse not to go. One day he had toothache; his master had his teeth fixed. One day he had a sore leg; his master had his leg treated. One day he had the stomach-ache; his master gave him physic. I must tell you that all masters were not bad; many took good care of their slaves.

When the lazy slave did not know what to say, he would say he had some inside sickness that neither the doctor nor his master could see. But all patience comes to an end. The master put some one to watch what the slave did when he remained at home.

What do you think he saw? the lazy slave, who was no more sick than you or me. He was quietly sitting in his room working, toe, toe, toe, on a pair of shoes that he was making to sell to the poor white folks who lived in the neighborhood.

When the master heard that, he was so angry that he ordered all his men to pile straw and wood around the house. He put it on fire and threw some barbed wire into it so that the slave could not run through the flames. He was, however, so busy with his toe, toe, toe, that he did not see or hear anything before it was too late. All this, you say, has nothing to do with how the ash tree grew, but wait a minute. As I told you, everything in the house was burned and the slave also. One day the master saw a little tree grow on the spot where the house had stood, and the tree grew and grew and became a large tree. As it was a new tree which no one knew they called it ash tree, as it grew from the ashes of a man, and as that man was a shoemaker all the shoemakers' lasts are made of ash wood.