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town, they used the canals. In summer they went along the canals in boats, in winter they skated on them.
On a cold December morning, two poorly dressed children were on the canal in a small Dutch town. The two children who were brother and sister wanted to skate a little before school. They were so poor that they only had wooden skates which they tied to their feet with strings.2. "Come quick, Gretel!" cried her brother who was already on the ice. "We haven't much time to skate."
"Oh, Hans. I can't tie this string. It's too short," cried the little girl.
Hans, who was a good brother, ran back to his sister and helped her.
They skated well but the wooden skates were not good and first Gretel and then Hans fell down. They didn't skate any more and went home.
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•к ft *
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3. School was over and there were many children on the ice of the canal. They wore nice clothes and had good steel skates on their feet. Hans and Gretel were, there, too, with their wooden skates. Some boys and girls began to laugh at them.
"They are good children, but they are poor. Their father is very ill and he can't work. You mustn't laugh at them," said Hilda, a big girl. Then Hilda went up to the brother and sister.
"Do you know that there will be a skating race at the end of the month?" asked Hilda. "You skate well, so you can take part in it. The prize is a pair of silver skates with little bells on them."
"But we only have wooden skates. We can't take part in the race," said Hans sadly.
4. Hilda smiled. "Here is some money for one pair of skates. Buy them and decide yourselves which of you will take part in the race."
"Thank you very much, Miss Hilda," said Hans. "But we can't take the money. We haven't earned it."
Hilda thought a little and then she said, "Gretel has a nice wooden necklace. Did you make it, Hans?"
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