Page 82 - English Expedition Class 4

12 The Cherry Tree

Have you ever planted a seed or a sapling and watched it grow? If yes, share your experience
with your classmates.
Now, read a story about a little boy who plants a cherry seed and grows up with it over
the years.

One day, when Rakesh was six, he walked home from the Mussoorie bazaar eating
cherries. They were a little sweet, a little sour; small, bright red cherries, which had
come all the way from the Kashmir Valley.
1
Rakesh lived with his grandfather on the outskirts of Mussoorie, just where the
forest began. His father and mother lived in a small village fifty miles away, where

2
they grew maize, rice and barley in narrow terraced fields on the lower slopes of
the mountain. But there were no schools in
the village and Rakesh’s parents were keen

that he should go to school. So they
sent him to stay with his grandfather in
Mussoorie.
Grandfather was a retired forest
3
ranger . He had a little cottage outside
the town.
Rakesh was on his way home from
school when he bought the cherries.

He paid fifty paise for the bunch. It
took him about half an hour to walk
home, and by the time he reached the
cottage, there were only three cherries
left.

‘Have a cherry, Dada,’ he said, as
soon as he saw his grandfather in the
garden.

1 outskirts: the outer parts of a town or city 3 forest ranger: an offi cer who guards the forest
2 terraced: having a series of fl at areas like steps
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