Teddy Roosevelt by Edd Winfield Parks

Author:Edd Winfield Parks
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aladdin
Published: 2003-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Young Mr.

Four-Eyes

ONE AFTERNOON in January, Teddy walked home wearing his new glasses. He read every sign above the stores. The lines of the buildings were clear and distinct. The bricks and stones looked much brighter.

He took off his glasses. The red bricks looked paler, the buildings darker.

He put them on again. His own brownstone house seemed cleaner and prettier than ever. He stopped suddenly to look more closely at it.

Someone bumped into him from behind. He turned around. “Keep moving,” said a little boy angrily. “You stopped right in front of me.”

The youngster doubled his right fist. “Out of my way,” he ordered, “or I’ll knock you out!” He looked up at Teddy. “Hey, Four-eyes! What you wearing those for? Only old folks wear glasses.”

Teddy’s grin showed his strong white teeth. “I can see better with them on,” he said. “That’s a mighty good reason.”

The boy undoubled his fist. “I can’t hit a kid who wears glasses,” he said. He darted around Teddy and ran up the street.

Mrs. Roosevelt opened the door. “Come on in, Theodore. You’ve been gone so long I was getting anxious.” She looked at her son. “Your glasses look very nice on you. Do they fit all right?”

“They feel funny,” Teddy answered, “but they’re just wonderful. Oh, Mother, it’s like living in a new world!”

“Don’t strain your eyes. Read as much as you like, but quit whenever your eyes get tired.” His mother’s voice was sympathetic. “It may take a few days to get used to your glasses.”

“I’m used to them now. Mother, a funny thing happened. Some boy ran into me and wanted to fight. When he saw my glasses he called me Four-eyes. I don’t like it.”

“You’ll have to get used to that, too, son. Many people make fun of physical weaknesses. It’s unkind, but they do.”

“I’m not going to be weak. I can chin myself ten times without stopping.” Teddy added thoughtfully, “I don’t think the boy meant to be mean. When he saw my glasses, he quit wanting to fight.”

“He was just thoughtless,” said Mrs. Roosevelt. “I don’t want you fighting, Theodore.”

“Mother, I’d better go skip the rope and punch on my bag. Then I’ll study. I don’t want to fight. But if I must, I want to be ready.”

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