"Children's Books - White, E.B. - Charlotte's Web" - читать интересную книгу автора (Children's Books)

sticky and oozy.

Every day was a happy day, and every night was peaceful.

Wilbur was what farmers call a spring pig, which simply means that he
was born in springtime. When he was five weeks old, Mr. Arable said he
was now big enough to sell, and would have to be sold. Fern broke down
and wept. But her father was firm about it. Wilbur's appetite had
increased; he was beginning to eat scraps of food in addition to milk.
Mr. Arable was not willing to provide for him any longer. He had
already sold Wilbur's ten brothers and sisters.

"He's got to go, Fern," he said. "You have had your fun raising a baby
pig, but Wilbur is not a baby any longer and he has got to be sold."

"Call up the Zuckermans," suggested Mrs. Arable to Fern. "Your Uncle
Homer sometimes raises a pig. And if Wilbur goes there to live, you can
walk down the road and visit him as often as you like."

"How much money should I ask for him?" Fern wanted to know.

"Well," said her father, "he's a runt. Tell your Uncle Homer you've got
a pig you'll sell for six dollars, and see what he says."

It was soon arranged. Fern phoned and got her Aunt Edith, and her Aunt
Edith hollered for Uncle Homer, and Uncle Homer came in from the barn
and talked to Fern. When he heard that the price was only six dollars,
he said he would buy the pig. Next day Wilbur was taken from his home
under the apple tree and went to live in a manure pile in the cellar of
Zuckerman's barn.

CHAPTER 3

Escape

The barn was very large. It was very old. It smelled of hay and it
smelled of manure. It smelled of the perspiration of tired horses and
the wonderful sweet breath of patient cows. It often had a sort of
peaceful smell - as though nothing bad could happen ever again in the
world. It smelled of grain and of harness dressing and of axle grease
and of rubber boots and of new rope. And whenever the cat was given a
fish-head to eat, the barn would smell of fish. But mostly it smelled
of hay, for there was always hay in the great loft up overhead. And
there was always hay being pitched down to the cows and the horses and
the sheep.

The barn was pleasantly warm in winter when the animals spent most of
their time indoors, and it was pleasantly cool in summer when the big
doors stood wide open to the breeze. The barn had stalls on the main
floor for the work horses, tie-ups on the main floor for the cows, a