The Watchmaker and the Baseball Player

2 The Watchmaker and the Baseball Player I live in a little town in Switzerland. I'm very old now, but when I was a boy of about twelve, there was an old watch- maker who made watches in his house. Every day, you would see him working at his table in his front window, making his watches. He made only a few watches every year because he made every piece himself. His name was Mr. Steinmach. He kept to himself and was not very popular because he was not very friendly. One day, some kids and I were playing baseball, and I hit a ball right through his front window where he worked. He came running from his house screaming that the watch he was working on was smashed! I was so scared that I didn't have the courage to confess.

Months passed. Then one day, when I was walking by his house, the baseball I had hit through his window rolled by my feet. “ There's your ball back! " I heard him call. “ Keep it away from my house! You boys are lucky I was able to fix the watch. " I couldn't take it any longer. I walked up to him and said, “ Mr. Steinmach, it was me. I hit that ball through your window. " " Are you interested in paying for the damage?" he asked. I was shocked. I could never repay the price of one of his watches. “ Not in money, but in work, " he said. I agreed. From that day on, I volunteered at the old watchmaker's shop. And over the next year, he taught me the basics about making watches. Within a couple of years, I was working for him after school. I was learning to be a watchmaker. That was 60 years ago. Now, I'm the old watchmaker. When the young boys and girls play baseball, I do get a little nervous. But I go out there and take a turn. And I always think of old Mr. Steinmach and the lessons he taught me all those years ago.