The day of the wedding drew near. The people still refused to believe that Bert intended to leave them. 'I'll only be thirty-five miles away,' he reminded them. 'And I'll come back to Grimsby often. It isn't as though I was going away for good.'

'It isn't the same,' the people insisted.

As luck would have it, Grandma Tompkins was away visiting her daughter in St. Louis, Missouri. She did not know any of the news about Bert and Ida. When she returned home to Grimsby, she found the entire town in a very depressed state. Grandma was the type always to get right down to business. 'Tell me what's wrong,' she demanded. The townspeople quickly explained.

'We've bent over backwards to persuade Bert he should stay,' they said.

The old lady sat thinking quietly for a long time before she spoke. Finally she said, 'Grimsby's real problem is that it isn't on its toes. It's quite behind the times. Bert's right to leave. If I were in his shoes, I'd leave too.'

They looked at Grandma as though they had not heard correctly.

'For many years,' she went on, 'we have been a quiet little village and have done very well without need of a municipal government. Now we're no longer a village. Grimsby is growing larger every year. We need a mayor. We should take steps to get one.'

'A mayor for Grimsby?'

'Certainly. And can you think of a better man for the job than Bert Carston?' 'But Bert is leaving!'

Grandma had a look of disgust on her face. 'Do you think he'd move away if he were elected mayor of Grimsby?'

Smiles returned to the faces of the citizens as they realized what she was suggesting. 'Of course! Bert can't move away if he's our mayor. Let's have an election right away!'

The problem was solved. The townspeople held a public meeting. Bert Carston was unanimously elected the first mayor of Grimsby. There was nothing he could do but agree to stay. Ida sold her house and moved to Grimsby. 'You can't leave Grimsby now,' she told Bert. 'You have to stay.

Besides, I like the idea of being a mayor's wife.'

Bert smiled. 'It might be fun to try my hand at being a mayor.'

Grandma Tompkins smiled, too. 'If there isn't one way to solve a problem,' she told the people of Grimsby, 'there's always another if you're really bent on finding a solution, that is. You just have to be patient and continue trying. In the long run you'll find a way.'

Questions about the reading

1.Why was Bert Carston called 'Mr. Fixit?'

2.What did the people of Grimsby keep telling Bert he should do?

3.Why did Bert know so many details about things?

4.Who was Grandma Tompkins? What did she tell Bert he should do?

5.Who was Ida Clark? Where did she live?

6.What did Bert tell his friends that shocked them?

7.Where was Grandma Tompkins when Bert decided to marry Ida?

8.What was Grandma's solution to Grimsby's problem?

9.Did Grandma's idea work? How?

10.Do you agree with Grandma that there's always a solution to every problem?

Drill 26

Dialogue

A: I always bite off more than I can chew. I agreed to speak at the club next Monday. Now I won't