What's a Corner?

Today is Moe's birthday!  (He's my husband.)  In his honor I'm going to tell one of his mother's favorite stories about when he was a little boy.  Funny thing, I've heard this story told by a bunch of people over the years, but Moe's parents swear it happened to him, first. 

Little Moe had just been given his first tricycle.  He was so cute, trying to reach his little legs all the way out to the pedals, and learning to push them down one after the other so his little tricycle could slowly toddle over the sidewalk.

It wasn't long before he got the pedaling down right, and before you know it that little boy was speeding all over the place,  a big grin spread across his face, blue eyes twinkling under a shock of red hair ruffling in the breeze he'd created.

Daddy stayed around for awhile after teaching his first son how to ride, glorying in the fun, but there were chores to be done and soon he had to get to them.  First he warned his little boy, though.

"Moe, you can ride all around our house and in front of the neighbors, but you mustn't go down to the corner.  OK?"

"Yes, daddy," little Moe promised as he zoomed around the driveway.

Daddy turned for one more look before he stepped inside the front door, just in time to see Little Moe heading toward the intersection of their sleepy little neighborhood street and the larger main street in town.  Running, he reached his son just before he trundled his tricycle to the corner.

"Moe," daddy exclaimed.  "I told you you couldn't go to the corner!  You come home with me right now!"

"OK, daddy," Little Moe said unconcernedly, and he peddled his bike back up to their house.

"Now, promise me you won't go to the corner," daddy reiterated, and little Moe smiled and shook his head in agreement.

Daddy watched him ride around the driveway for a few moments, then went on into the house. 

Less than ten minutes later he went back out to check on his son, only to find him once again heading down the street for the intersection.  Daddy ran and caught up with him, turned him around, and scolded him all the way home. 

"I'm going to spank your bottom and take your tricycle away if you don't obey me!" he finally said.  "Now, don't you forget that!"

"I won't, daddy,  I promise," Little Moe assured him.

One more time Daddy turned to go into the house and finish his chores.  Mother passed him with a load of laundry to hang on the line.  "That boy is just not obeying today," Daddy complained.  "I don't know what's got into him."

"Why, that's not like Moe," said Mother in surprise.  "He's usually such a good little thing."

"I know," daddy said.  "I don't understand it at all.  I guess it's the excitement of the new tricycle, but if he goes down to the corner one more time I'm going to take it away from him.  He could get hurt."

Mother went on out the side door, just in time to see Little Moe riding his tricycle down the street towards the corner."

"Daddy," she called.  "You'd better come see this."

Hurrying outside, daddy exploded in frustration.  "I told that boy!"  he exclaimed.  Running down the street he picked up Little Moe, tricycle and all, and carried them home.  Dumping the tricycle on the lawn he turned the little boy over his knee and gave him a big swat.

"But daddy, why?"  Little Moe sobbed with tears running down his cheeks.

"Because you disobeyed me again!" daddy replied angrily, preparing to spank his son again.  "I told you and told you not to go down to the corner."

"But daddy," cried the little boy, "What's a corner?"