英语小故事第022期：The Loose Button

George wore a pair of blue shorts around the house. They were old, faded, and ugly, but they were comfortable. And when you are at home, you want to be comfortable. It wouldn't be called "Home, Sweet Home" if you didn't feel comfortable there.

But when he put on his blue shorts one morning, the button was just hanging on by a thread. That single button was the only thing that held his shorts up.

George could do two things. He could wait until the button fell off. When that happened, it would probably roll under the sofa and be lost forever. Or, he could sew the button on securely before it fell off.

He found his sewing kit. He threaded the needle and tied a knot at the end of the thread. Then he started the needle through the cloth. He directed it through one of the holes in the button. Then he reversed direction. He put the needle back through a different hole, and then through the cloth again.

He repeated this motion through all four button holes until the button was tight. Then he tied a bunch of knots in the last bit of thread and snipped off the excess thread. He put on the shorts and buttoned the button. It was strong.

Good for another ten years, he smiled to himself.