The Canary

 
 
 

Vocabulary

van	partner	appointment
stove	elderly	living room
brew	unload	just then
brush	canvas	ventilate
notice	birdcage	at that point
motion	my fault	motionless
budgie	poor (2)	suffocate
sue	panic	resume (2)
pet	furious	bury/buried
as if	anxious	worry/worried
whole	strange	come back

 
 

Marvin and Gary

Bartholomew and Gary were partners in a house painting business.

One morning, they had an appointment at Mrs. Webber’s house to paint her walls. So they drove over there in their van.

Mrs. Webber, an elderly woman, instructing them what to do, then left the house. She said that she would return in the afternoon.

The Kitchen

After she had left, Gary then went into the kitchen and turned on the gas stove to brew some coffee.

But just then, Bartholomew called Gary to help unload their equipment from the van.

So Gary went out and helped bring in the paint, brushes and canvases. Then they began painting the living room.

Sniff, Sniff, Sniff

“Sniff, sniff. I smell gas!” Bartholomew said suddenly.
“Oh, no!!!” Gary gasped and ran back into the kitchen.

He turned off the stove while Bartholomew opened all the doors and windows. Both men then ran outside.

“Let’s wait out here while the house gets ventilated!” said Bartholomew as he caught his breath.
“Gee, I had forgotten about the stove!” said Gary.

Ventilation

After about twenty minutes, they slowly went back inside Mrs. Webber’s home.

They couldn’t smell anything, so they began closing the windows and doors. At that point, they noticed a birdcage in the dining room.

The Canary

Inside there was blue canary. It was lying on the bottom — motionless.

“Oh no!” said Gary. “That poor canary must have suffocated from the gas! It’s all my fault! Mrs. Webber will be furious when she returns! She’ll sue us!”
“Now let’s not panic,” said Bartholomew. “I’ve got an idea.”

In the Garden

Gary and Bartholomew took the canary in the garden where they dug a hole and buried it. They then went to a pet store and bought another one identical to the first.

When they returned to Mrs. Webber’s house, they put the new canary into the bird cage and resumed painting as if nothing had happened. However Gary had a hard time concentrating on his work.

In the afternoon

Later in the afternoon Mrs. Webber returned home with a box just as Gary and Bartholomew finished up painting the third bedroom — and the whole house.

She went into her dining room.

“How strange”, said Mrs. Webber as she came into the bedroom, holding the birdcage with two canaries inside, one blue and one green. “My canary died last night, but . . . it has come back to life!”

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

 
 

  Questions

1. Gary and Bartholomew were artists who painted people’s portraits and landscapes. True or false?

2. Where did they go one day? What did they do there? Why did they go there?

3. Mrs. Webber stayed and supervised the men. Is this right or wrong?

4. Did both men immediately get to work? Did they start work immediately?

5. Their work was interrupted. Is this correct or incorrect?

6. What did they do? What did they see? What did they think?

7. Did they decide to tell Mrs. Webber everything that had happened when she returned home?

8. What happened in the end? In the end,

9. Is there a moral or lesson in this story?
 
 

A. I sometimes have renovations, restorations, remodelings or repairs done to my home. Yes or no? Do you or workmen do these jobs?

B. Do you know any repairmen, painters, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, telephone and computer technicians? Would you or your friends like to become one?

C. Do tradesmen and technicians make good money? Are these respected occupations?

D. Do people always confess or admit their own faults or mistakes; or do they try to cover them up?

E. Having pets is very popular in my city. Yes or no?