PINOCCHIO
17
He Was Overjoyed When He Saw the Piece of Wood
He took up the axe and gave the wood a tremendous blow.
"Oh! Oh! You hurt me," cried the little voice, as if in great pain.
This time Master Cherry was dumb with fright. His eyes were nearly popping out of his head, his mouth was opened wide, and his tongue hung out like that of a thirsty dog. As soon as he could speak he said, trembling and stammering with fright, "But where does that little voice come from? There is nothing alive in this room. Can this piece of wood have learned to cry and scream like a baby? I cannot believe it. This is just an ordinary stick for the fireplace, like all the other pieces we use when boiling a pot of