Reading skills - THE STORY OF THE HEIR OF LINNE

     There lived long ago in the broad lands of Scotland a worthy lord who had an only son. And as he came to lie on his death bed, he sent for the lad and said:

     "My son, too well I know that when I am dead and gone, you will waste the money and the land that I shall leave you, and one day you will come to poverty".

     The Heir of Linne, as the youth was called, began to say that he would be careful, and do all that he could to obey the wishes of his father, whom he loved so dearly but the old man told him not to make promises which he might be tempted to break, but only to assure him of one thing.

     "Far away in the borders of our land", he said, "stands a deserted cottage known as the Lonesome Lodge. Promise that if you sell all else you have in the world, you will never part with this. Take the key, and hang it round your neck, and remember that when all your friends turn their backs upon you, and you have no place to go to, it is my desire that you should go to the Lonesome Lodge, and there you will find a friend in need".

     This seemed a very strange saying to the young man, but to satisfy his father, he hung the key round his neck, and soon after the old man died. The Heir of Linne was now quite alone in the world, for his mother had died long since. For a time he lived very quietly and sadly, but after a while his friends began to visit him again, and they brought others with them, so that the Heir began to lead a very gay life. He wasted his money right and left. He bought everything he wanted for himself, and for his friends, if they were only heard to admire a horse or a dog or a golden cup, it was at once presented to them.

     But money can not last forever, and after a time his servant told him there was no more left. Moreover, even the house itself did not belong to him any longer. As a matter of fact this servant of his, John O'Scales by name, was a very clever man, and to him the Heir of Linne had left the care of all his lands, never looking into his accounts. In this way John O'Scales became quite rich and it was he who had bought the house and all the lands y of the unfortunate heir and now that the money was at an end he even offered the young man a few pounds for the Lonesome Lodge, which, he said, was all now left of his father's great estate. The Heir was about to accept the offer when he felt the little key grow heavy as it lay on his heart and he remembered his father's words and the promises he made and he refused to part with it.

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