(MUSIC)Our story today is, "The Devil and Tom Walker. " It was written byWashington Irving. Here is Shep O'Neal with our story.
(MUSIC)Storyteller: Before we begin our story, let us go back three hundredyears to the late sixteen hundreds. In those years, one of the mostfamous men in the world was Captain William Kidd. Captain Kidd was apirate. He sailed the seas, capturing any ships he found. He and hismen took money from these ships. Captain Kidd hid this money indifferent places.
Captain Kidd was captured by the English in Boston, Massachusetts andexecuted in the year seventeen-oh-one.
From that time on, people all over the world searched in many placesfor Captain Kidd's stolen money.
The people who lived in Massachusetts in the seventeen hundredsbelieved Captain Kidd buried some of his treasure near Boston. Not farfrom Boston was a small river which ran into the Atlantic Ocean. Anold story said that Captain Kidd had come up this river from theocean. Then he buried his gold and silver and jewels under a big tree.
The story said that this treasure was protected by the devil himself,who was a good friend of Captain Kidd.
In the year seventeen twenty-seven, a man named Tom Walker lived nearthis place. Tom Walker was not a pleasant man. He loved only one thing-- money. There was only one person worse than Tom. That was his wife.
She also loved money. These two were so hungry for money that theyeven stole things from each other.
One day, Tom Walker was returning home through a dark forest. Hewalked slowly and carefully, so that he would not fall into a pool ofmud.
At last, he reached a piece of dry ground. Tom sat down on a tree thathad fallen. As he rested, he dug into the earth with a stick. He knewthe story that Indians had killed prisoners here as sacrifices to theDevil. But this did not trouble him. The only devil Tom was afraid ofwas his wife.
Tom's stick hit something hard. He dug it out of the earth. It was ahuman skull. In the skull was an Indian ax.
Suddenly, Tom Walker heard an angry voice: "Don't touch that skull!"Tom looked up. He saw a giant sitting on a broken tree. Tom had neverseen such a man. He wore the clothes of an Indian. His skin was almostblack and covered with ashes. His eyes were big and red. His blackhair stood up from his head. He carried a large ax.
The giant asked, "What are you doing on my land?" But Tom Walker wasnot afraid. He answered, "What do you mean? This land belongs toMister Peabody."The strange man laughed and pointed to the tall trees. Tom saw thatone of the trees had been cut by an ax. He looked more closely and sawthat the name Peabody had been cut into the tree. Mr. Peabody was aman who got rich by stealing from Indians.
Tom looked at the other trees. Every one had the name of some rich,important man from Massachusetts. Tom looked at the tree on which hewas sitting. It also had a name cut into it -- the name of AbsalomCrowninshield. Tom remembered that Mister Crowninshield was a veryrich man. People said he got his money as Captain Kidd did -- bystealing ships.
Suddenly, the giant shouted: "Crowninshield is ready to be burned! I'mgoing to burn many trees this winter!"Tom told the man that he had no right to cut Mister Peabody's trees.
The stranger laughed and said, "I have every right to cut these trees.
This land belonged to me a long time before Englishmen came toMassachusetts. The Indians were here. Then you Englishmen killed theIndians. Now I show Englishmen how to buy and sell slaves. And I teachtheir women how to be witches."Tom Walker now knew that the giant was the Devil himself. But TomWalker was still not afraid.
The giant said Captain Kidd had buried great treasures under thetrees, but nobody could have them unless the giant permitted it. Hesaid Tom could have these treasures. But Tom had to agree to give thegiant what he demanded.
Tom Walker loved money as much as he loved life. But he asked for timeto think.
Tom went home. He told his wife what had happened. She wanted CaptainKidd's treasure. She urged him to give the Devil what he wanted. Tomsaid no.
At last, Misses Walker decided to do what Tom refused to do. She putall her silver in a large piece of cloth and went to see the darkgiant. Two days passed. She did not return home. She was never seenagain.
People said later that Tom went to the place where he had met thegiant. He saw his wife's cloth hanging in a tree. He was happy,because he wanted to get her silver. But when he opened the cloth,there was no silver in it -- only a human heart.
Tom was sorry he lost the silver, but not sorry he lost his wife. Hewanted to thank the giant for this. And so, every day he looked forthe giant. Tom finally decided that he would give the giant what hewanted in exchange for Captain Kidd's treasure.
One night, Tom Walker met the giant and offered his soul in exchangefor Captain Kidd's treasure. The Devil now wanted more than that. Hesaid that Tom would have to use the treasure to do the Devil's work.
He wanted Tom to buy a ship and bring slaves to America.
As we have said, Tom Walker was a hard man who loved nothing butmoney. But even he could not agree to buy and sell human beings asslaves. He refused to do this.
The Devil then said that his second most important work was lendingmoney. The men who did this work for the Devil forced poor people whoborrowed money to pay back much more than they had received.
Tom said he would like this kind of work. So the Devil gave himCaptain Kidd's treasure.
A few days later, Tom Walker was a lender of money in Boston. Everyonewho needed help -- and there were many who did -- came to him. TomWalker became the richest man in Boston. When people were not able topay him, he took away their farms, their horses, and their houses.
As he got older and richer, Tom began to worry. What would happen whenhe died? He had promised his soul to the Devil. Maybe. . .maybe. . .
he could break that promise.
Tom then became very religious. He went to church every week. Hethought that if he prayed enough, he could escape from the Devil.
One day, Tom took the land of a man who had borrowed money. The poorman asked for more time to pay. "Please do not destroy me!" he said.
"You have already taken all my money!"Tom got angry and started to shout, "Let the Devil take me if I havetaken any money from you!"That was the end of Tom Walker. For just then, he heard a noise. Heopened the door. There was the black giant, holding a black horse. Thegiant said, "Tom, I have come for you." He picked up Tom and put himon the horse. Then he hit the horse, which ran off, carrying Tom.
Nobody ever saw Tom Walker again. A farmer said that he saw the blackhorse, with a man on it, running wildly into the forest.
After Tom Walker disappeared, the government decided to take Tom'sproperty. But there was nothing to take. All the papers which showedthat Tom owned land and houses were burned to ashes. His boxes of goldand silver had nothing in them but small pieces of wood. The wood camefrom newly cut trees. Tom's horses died, and his house suddenly burnedto ashes.
(MUSIC)Announcer: You have heard the story, "The Devil and Tom Walker." Itwas written by Washington Irving. Our storyteller was Shep O'Neal.
Listen again next week at this same time for another AMERICAN STORYtold in Special English on the Voice of America. This is ShirleyGriffith. |