Read "Windmills and wooden shoes" by Maude M. Grant online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
Jan and Katrina were down at Bram's house. Bram's house is by the canal.
Down the canal came a man in a boat. Now and then the man would call / "Fire" in a loud voice. Then he would call "Water."
He was the Fire-and-Water Man. He sells fire and water to the people by / the canal.
Bram's mother called, "Quick, Bram! Here comes the Fire-and-Water Man! / Run for the shovel and buy some coals of fire from him. I need water, / too. Take the big blue pail with the cover, then you will not spill any / of the water. Hurry, Bram!"
"I will take your pail to the man," said Jan. "I will carry the water / and Bram can carry the fire."
So Bram and Jan ran down to the boat and bought hot coals and fresh / water from the man.
Then the man sailed on down the canal in his boat. They could hear him / calling "Fire" and "Water." He was going to sell fire and water to / other Dutch mothers.