Enid Blyton by MR. PINK-WHISTLE INTERFERES Page B

buy a present for yourself from a grateful old lady. I don't know what I should have done without you."
    "I don't want your money," said Pink-Whistle, smiling. "You keep it and buy yourself a new shawl and a new arm-chair."
    The old lady's eyes filled with tears. "I don't want anything for myself," she said. "I did so want you to have the money, Mr. Pink-Whistle. There is nothing I can do for you, nothing at all, in return for the happiness you have given to me—and I did think, I really did think this would be a little return for all your kindness."
    Pink-Whistle didn't know what to do. He felt as if he couldn't take money from the old lady—and yet she would be terribly unhappy if he didn't. After all, it is lovely to pay back kindness—and there was no other way she could do it.
    And then a grand idea came into Pink-Whistle's head, and he grinned his wide grin. He held out his hand. "I'll take the money," he said, "but on one condition, old friend—that I can do exactly as I like with it!"
    "Of course you can," said the old lady gladly, and gave him the money. Pink-Whistle trotted off quickly, full of his idea.
    He went to the farmer who lived in his farmhouse beside the pony's field. He asked him how much the old pony was.
    There was enough money to buy him. "May I keep him in the field when he is not in use?" asked Pink-Whistle. The farmer said yes. Pink-Whistle trotted back to the old lady's house. He pulled out her bath-chair, and went off with it. She didn't see him, because she was asleep.
    The little man took the chair to a leather-worker and asked him to fit it up so that it could be drawn along by a pony. "That's easy," said the man. "You'll want reins, of course—and little shafts put here— and this bit altered there. I can do it in two days."
    "Ill help you, Dad," said the man's small boy, a smiling, merry-eyed lad. "'Isn’t often we do a job like this, is it? I'd like to see a pony drawing this bath-chair. Is there a pony for it, Mister?"
    "Yes," said Pink-Whistle, and told the boy all about it. Then a good idea came to him. "I suppose you wouldn't like to fetch the pony from the field every day to the old lady's house, and harness him to the bath-chair for her, would you?" he said. "You're not very big and you could ride on the pony's back to and from the field."
    "Oooooh, yes," said the small boy, his eyes shining with delight. "I love horses, I'd just love that. Dad, may I do that?"
    Pink-Whistle left the workshop, feeling very pleased. He had spent the old lady's money well! He had done something that would make the old pony very happy, for now he would have a friend, a nice light job of work—and a-little boy to talk to him and even ride on his back a little each day. And the small boy would have some fun and feel quite important riding the pony, and harnessing him to the bath-chair each day.
    "Well, it's wonderful what can be done if you really think hard enough," said Pink-Whistle, trotting down the road very happily. "I do wonder what the old lady will say!"
    Well, you should have seen her face the first day that the little boy came into the garden riding the old pony! Pink-Whistle arrived too, with the altered bath-chair. The little boy jumped down, and fitted straps and reins as his father had shown him. They both smiled and waved at the astonished old lady.
    Then Pink-Whistle went into the house and helped the old lady to hobble slowly along to the bath-chair. She couldn't walk properly, she could only hobble a few steps. She got into the chair and Pink-Whistle tucked her up. He gave her the reins.

    "THAT'S A FINE SIGHT TO SEE," SAID PINK-WHISTLE, AS THE OLD LADY DROVE DOWN THE ROAD
    "Now, you said you know how to drive a horse," he said. "You needn't be afraid that the pony will go fast, because he won't. He's too old. He's so pleased to come and do a job of work like this for you. He's yours. I bought him with your money. Now—off you go!"
    And off they went, the old lady driving the