Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories Page 2

  “Now, boys,” said the worm, “you’ve been bragging a lot.

  You both think you’re great. But I think you are not.

  You’re not half as good as a fellow like me.

  You hear and you smell. But how far can you SEE?

  Now, I’m here to prove to you big boasting guys

  That your nose and your ears aren’t as good as my eyes!”

  And the little old worm cocked his head to one side

  And he opened his eyes and he opened them wide.

  And they looked far away with a strange sort of stare.

  As if they were burning two holes in the air.

  The eyes of that worm almost popped from his head.

  He stared half an hour till his eyelids got red.

  “That’s enough!” growled the bear.

  “Tell the rabbit and me

  How far did you look and just what did you see?”

  “Well, boys,” the worm answered, “that look that I took

  Was a look that looked farther than you’ll ever look!

  I looked ’cross the ocean, ’way out to Japan.

  For I can see farther than anyone can.

  There’s no one on earth who has eyesight that’s finer.

  I looked past Japan. Then I looked across China.

  I looked across Egypt; then took a quick glance

  Across the two countries of Holland and France.

  Then I looked across England and, also, Brazil.

  But I didn’t stop there. I looked much farther still.

  “And I kept right on looking and looking until

  I’d looked ’round the world and right back to this hill!

  And I saw on this hill, since my eyesight’s so keen,

  The two biggest fools that have ever been seen!

  And the fools that I saw were none other than you,

  Who seem to have nothing else better to do

  Than sit here and argue who’s better than who!”

  Then the little old worm gave his head a small jerk

  And he dived in his hole and went back to his work.