Henry and Aldred were the best of friends.
On days when Aldred wasn’t helping his dad in the bakery, they would go down to the river with their fishing rods and sit by the bank and try to catch the black fish.
They loved fishing, but one day Aldred was called away to war. Henry was worried, and he didn’t know if he would ever see his friend again.
While Aldred was gone, Henry helped out at the bakery as much as he could. Henry was a little fellow, and it was hard to reach the counter, but he did his best. He would load up his bike basket with bread and deliver it down the street, stopping off at Bill the butcher's and visiting Charles at the grain store.
A cat named Nell lived at the grain store. She chased the mice away, and she would sit in her basket with one eye open just in case a little mouse scurried by. Henry loved to sit with Nell, patting her soft grey fur. The days went by, then the years went by. One day, Aldred returned. Henry was so happy, the whole town was happy. Aldred and Henry once more were able to go to the river to fish.