Mr White was a soldier when he was young.
He was brave and killed a lot of enemies and he was also hurt in the fights.
He lost his right eye, his nose and a leg.
But he was given much money for it and he nearly had all the things he wanted .
Only one thing troubled him :no girl would marry such a man like him though he was rich.
And when he was fifty, a friend of his brought a young woman to him.
She wasn't beautiful enough but stroung.
Her father died in an accident and she couldn't live any longer because
she could neither read nor write and nobody liked a woman like her.
Mr White was happy and married her. And two years later she had a son Mike.
Her hus band liked the boy very much and did his best to satisfy him.
The boy did nothing at home and he hated everything but playing.
Of course he learned nothing at school.
Mr White died when Mike was fifteen.
He left some money and the nice house to his son.
The young man spent all the money on beautiful clothes and nice food in two years
and then had nothing.
He began to beg in the street.
One day he was given some food and wasn't hungry.
And he began to go to an old, broken house in which he lived.
A kind-hearted woman stopped him and asked, "We have some leftovers here.
Do you want some?"
"I'm sorry, madam," said Mike,"Now I wanted only some cake."
"Oh? Why?"
"Because it's my birthday today!"