English Original
Paddy
A young boy received a little terrier as his own. He named it Paddy and loved it dearly. He was saddened that he could not take his pet with him on holiday to visit relatives in the countryside.
While the boy was away, Paddy's young life was tragically cut short in an accident with a motorcar. Fearing her son would take the news very hard upon his return, the mother broke it to him gently. She was surprised that the boy did not seem much perturbed.
Later, however, she heard him weeping bitterly in his bed. Overcome with grief, he was inarticulate, but his brother explained, "He is crying about Paddy."
"But," said the mother, "I told him about it this morning, and he did not seem to mind!"
The brother replied, "Yes, but he thought you said 'Daddy.'"
中文翻译
帕蒂
一个小男孩得到了一只属于自己的小猎犬。他给它取名帕蒂，对它宠爱有加。他要去乡下亲戚家度假，却无法带上他的宠物，为此他非常伤心。
男孩不在家时，帕蒂在一次不幸的车祸中失去了幼小的生命。母亲担心儿子回家后听到这个消息会难以承受，于是小心翼翼地告诉了他。令她惊讶的是，小男孩似乎并不怎么在意。
然而，后来她听见他在床上痛哭。他伤心得说不出话来，但他的哥哥解释说：“他在为帕蒂哭。”
“可是，”母亲说，“我今天早上告诉他了，他好像根本不在乎啊！”
哥哥回答道：“是的，可他以为你说的是‘爸爸’。”