{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_19994/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_19994","id":"gutenberg_19994","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19994","summary":null,"tags":["Aesop's fables -- Adaptations","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Fables","Folklore"],"text":"Produced by Jason Isbell Christine D. and the Online\nDistributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE \u00c6SOP FOR CHILDREN\n\n[Illustration: THE COCK AND THE FOX Fable, Page 58]\n\n\n\n\nThe \u00c6SOP for\n\nCHILDREN\n\nWITH PICTURES BY\n\nMILO WINTER\n\n[Illustration]\n\nRAND MCNALLY & CO.\n\nCHICAGO\n\n\n\n\n_Copyright, 1919, by_\nRAND MCNALLY & COMPANY\n\n\n\n\nA LIST OF THE FABLES\n\n PAGE\n The Wolf and the Kid 11\n The Tortoise and the Ducks 12\n The Young Crab and His Mother 13\n The Frogs and the Ox 13\n The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox 14\n Belling the Cat 15\n The Eagle and the Jackdaw 16\n The Boy and the Filberts 16\n Hercules and the Wagoner 17\n The Kid and the Wolf 17\n The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse 18\n The Fox and the Grapes 20\n The Bundle of Sticks 20\n The Wolf and the Crane 21\n The Ass and His Driver 22\n The Oxen and the Wheels 22\n The Lion and the Mouse 23\n The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf 24\n The Gnat and the Bull 25\n The Plane Tree 25\n The Farmer and the Stork 26\n The Sheep and the Pig 26\n The Travelers and the Purse 28\n The Lion and the Ass 28\n The Frogs Who Wished for a King 29\n The Owl and the Grasshopper 30\n The Wolf and His Shadow 31\n The Oak and the Reeds 32\n The Rat and the Elephant 33\n The Boys and the Frogs 33\n The Crow and the Pitcher 34\n The Ants and the Grasshopper 34\n The Ass Carrying the Image 35\n A Raven and a Swan 35\n The Two Goats 36\n The Ass and the Load of Salt 36\n The Lion and the Gnat 38\n The Leap at Rhodes 38\n The Cock and the Jewel 39\n The Monkey and the Camel 39\n The Wild Boar and the Fox 40\n The Ass, the Fox, and the Lion 40\n The Birds, the Beasts, and the Bat 41\n The Lion, the Bear, and the Fox 41\n The Wolf and the Lamb 42\n The Wolf and the Sheep 43\n The Hares and the Frogs 43\n The Fox and the Stork 44\n The Travelers and the Sea 45\n The Wolf and the Lion 45\n The Stag and His Reflection 46\n The Peacock 46\n The Mice and the Weasels 48\n The Wolf and the Lean Dog 48\n The Fox and the Lion 49\n The Lion and the Ass 50\n The Dog and His Master's Dinner 50\n The Vain Jackdaw and his Borrowed Feathers 51\n The Monkey and the Dolphin 52\n The Wolf and the Ass 53\n The Monkey and the Cat 54\n The Dogs and the Fox 54\n The Dogs and the Hides 55\n The Rabbit, the Weasel, and the Cat 55\n The Bear and the Bees 56\n The Fox and the Leopard 56\n The Heron 58\n The Cock and the Fox 58\n The Dog in the Manger 59\n The Wolf and the Goat 60\n The Ass and the Grasshoppers 60\n The Mule 61\n The Fox and the Goat 61\n The Cat, the Cock, and the Young Mouse 62\n The Wolf and the Shepherd 63\n The Peacock and the Crane 64\n The Farmer and the Cranes 64\n The Farmer and His Sons 65\n The Two Pots 66\n The Goose and the Golden Egg 66\n The Fighting Bulls and the Frog 68\n The Mouse and the Weasel 68\n The Farmer and the Snake 69\n The Goatherd and the Wild Goats 69\n The Spendthrift and the Swallow 70\n The Cat and the Birds 70\n The Dog and the Oyster 71\n The Astrologer 71\n Three Bullocks and a Lion 72\n Mercury and the Woodman 72\n The Frog and the Mouse 74\n The Fox and the Crab 74\n The Serpent and the Eagle 75\n The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing 75\n The Bull and the Goat 76\n The Eagle and the Beetle 76\n The Old Lion and the Fox 78\n The Man and the Lion 78\n The Ass and the Lap Dog 79\n The Milkmaid and Her Pail 80\n The Wolf and the Shepherd 80\n The Goatherd and the Goat 81\n The Miser 81\n The Wolf and the House Dog 82\n The Fox and the Hedgehog 83\n The Bat and the Weasels 84\n The Quack Toad 84\n The Fox Without a Tail 85\n The Mischievous Dog 86\n The Rose and the Butterfly 86\n The Cat and the Fox 88\n The Boy and the Nettles 88\n The Old Lion 89\n The Fox and the Pheasants 89\n Two Travelers and a Bear 90\n The Porcupine and the Snakes 91\n The Fox and the Monkey 91\n The Mother and the Wolf 92\n The Flies and the Honey 92\n The Eagle and the Kite 93\n The Stag, the Sheep, and the Wolf 93\n The Animals and the Plague 94\n The Shepherd and the Lion 95\n The Dog and His Reflection 96\n The Hare and the Tortoise 96\n The Bees and Wasps, and the Hornet 98\n The Lark and Her Young Ones 99\n The Cat and the Old Rat 100\n The Fox and the Crow 101\n The Ass and His Shadow 102\n The Miller, His Son, and the Ass 102\n The Ant and the Dove 104\n The Man and the Satyr 104\n The Wolf, the Kid, and the Goat 106\n The Swallow and the Crow 106\n Jupiter and the Monkey 107\n The Lion, the Ass, and the Fox 107\n The Lion's Share 108\n The Mole and his Mother 108\n The North Wind and the Sun 109\n The Hare and His Ears 110\n The Wolves and the Sheep 110\n The Fox and the Cock 111\n The Ass in the Lion's Skin 111\n The Fisherman and the Little Fish 112\n The Fighting Cocks and the Eagle 112\n\n[Illustration: THE WOLF AND THE KID]\n\n\n\n\nTHE \u00c6SOP FOR CHILDREN\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF AND THE KID\n\n\nThere was once a little Kid whose growing horns made him think he\nwas a grown-up Billy Goat and able to take care of himself. So\none evening when the flock started home from the pasture and his\nmother called, the Kid paid no heed and kept right on nibbling\nthe tender grass. A little later when he lifted his head, the\nflock was gone.\n\nHe was all alone. The sun was sinking. Long shadows came creeping\nover the ground. A chilly little wind came creeping with them\nmaking scary noises in the grass. The Kid shivered as he thought\nof the terrible Wolf. Then he started wildly over the field,\nbleating for his mother. But not half-way, near a clump of trees,\nthere was the Wolf!\n\nThe Kid knew there was little hope for him.\n\n\"Please, Mr. Wolf,\" he said trembling, \"I know you are going to\neat me. But first please pipe me a tune, for I want to dance and\nbe merry as long as I can.\"\n\nThe Wolf liked the idea of a little music before eating, so he\nstruck up a merry tune and the Kid leaped and frisked gaily.\n\nMeanwhile, the flock was moving slowly homeward. In the still\nevening air the Wolf's piping carried far. The Shepherd Dogs\npricked up their ears. They recognized the song the Wolf sings\nbefore a feast, and in a moment they were racing back to the\npasture. The Wolf's song ended suddenly, and as he ran, with the\nDogs at his heels, he called himself a fool for turning piper to\nplease a Kid, when he should have stuck to his butcher's trade.\n\n_Do not let anything turn you from your purpose._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE TORTOISE AND THE DUCKS\n\n\nThe Tortoise, you know, carries his house on his back. No matter\nhow hard he tries, he cannot leave home. They say that Jupiter\npunished him so, because he was such a lazy stay-at-home that he\nwould not go to Jupiter's wedding, even when especially invited.\n\nAfter many years, Tortoise began to wish he had gone to that\nwedding. When he saw how gaily the birds flew about and how the\nHare and the Chipmunk and all the other animals ran nimbly by,\nalways eager to see everything there was to be seen, the Tortoise\nfelt very sad and discontented. He wanted to see the world too,\nand there he was with a house on his back and little short legs\nthat could hardly drag him along.\n\nOne day he met a pair of Ducks and told them all his trouble.\n\n\"We can help you to see the world,\" said the Ducks. \"Take hold of\nthis stick with your teeth and we will carry you far up in the\nair where you can see the whole countryside. But keep quiet or\nyou will be sorry.\"\n\nThe Tortoise was very glad indeed. He seized the stick firmly\nwith his teeth, the two Ducks took hold of it one at each end,\nand away they sailed up toward the clouds.\n\nJust then a Crow flew by. He was very much astonished at the\nstrange sight and cried:\n\n\"This must surely be the King of Tortoises!\"\n\n\"Why certainly----\" began the Tortoise.\n\nBut as he opened his mouth to say these foolish words he lost his\nhold on the stick, and down he fell to the ground, where he was\ndashed to pieces on a rock.\n\n_Foolish curiosity and vanity often lead to misfortune._\n\n\n\n\nTHE YOUNG CRAB AND HIS MOTHER\n\n\n\"Why in the world do you walk sideways like that?\" said a Mother\nCrab to her son. \"You should always walk straight forward with\nyour toes turned out.\"\n\n\"Show me how to walk, mother dear,\" answered the little Crab\nobediently, \"I want to learn.\"\n\nSo the old Crab tried and _tried_ to walk straight forward. But\nshe could walk sideways only, like her son. And when she wanted\nto turn her toes out she tripped and fell on her nose.\n\n_Do not tell others how to act unless you can set a good\nexample._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE FROGS AND THE OX\n\n\nAn Ox came down to a reedy pool to drink. As he splashed heavily\ninto the water, he crushed a young Frog into the mud. The old\nFrog soon missed the little one and asked his brothers and\nsisters what had become of him.\n\n\"A _great big_ monster,\" said one of them, \"stepped on little\nbrother with one of his huge feet!\"\n\n\"Big, was he!\" said the old Frog, puffing herself up. \"Was he as\nbig as this?\"\n\n\"Oh, _much_ bigger!\" they cried.\n\nThe Frog puffed up still more.\n\n\"He could not have been bigger than this,\" she said. But the\nlittle Frogs all declared that the monster was _much, much_\nbigger and the old Frog kept puffing herself out more and more\nuntil, all at once, she burst.\n\n_Do not attempt the impossible._\n\n[Illustration:]\n\n\n\n\nTHE DOG, THE COCK, AND THE FOX\n\n\nA Dog and a Cock, who were the best of friends, wished very much\nto see something of the world. So they decided to leave the\nfarmyard and to set out into the world along the road that led to\nthe woods. The two comrades traveled along in the very best of\nspirits and without meeting any adventure to speak of.\n\nAt nightfall the Cock, looking for a place to roost, as was his\ncustom, spied nearby a hollow tree that he thought would do very\nnicely for a night's lodging. The Dog could creep inside and the\nCock would fly up on one of the branches. So said, so done, and\nboth slept very comfortably.\n\nWith the first glimmer of dawn the Cock awoke. For the moment he\nforgot just where he was. He thought he was still in the farmyard\nwhere it had been his duty to arouse the household at daybreak.\nSo standing on tip-toes he flapped his wings and crowed lustily.\nBut instead of awakening the farmer, he awakened a Fox not far\noff in the wood. The Fox immediately had rosy visions of a very\ndelicious breakfast. Hurrying to the tree where the Cock was\nroosting, he said very politely:\n\n\"A hearty welcome to our woods, honored sir. I cannot tell you\nhow glad I am to see you here. I am quite sure we shall become\nthe closest of friends.\"\n\n\"I feel highly flattered, kind sir,\" replied the Cock slyly. \"If\nyou will please go around to the door of my house at the foot of\nthe tree, my porter will let you in.\"\n\nThe hungry but unsuspecting Fox, went around the tree as he was\ntold, and in a twinkling the Dog had seized him.\n\n_Those who try to deceive may expect to be paid in their own\ncoin._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nBELLING THE CAT\n\n\nThe Mice once called a meeting to decide on a plan to free\nthemselves of their enemy, the Cat. At least they wished to find\nsome way of knowing when she was coming, so they might have time\nto run away. Indeed, something had to be done, for they lived in\nsuch constant fear of her claws that they hardly dared stir from\ntheir dens by night or day.\n\nMany plans were discussed, but none of them was thought good\nenough. At last a very young Mouse got up and said:\n\n\"I have a plan that seems very simple, but I know it will be\nsuccessful. All we have to do is to hang a bell about the Cat's\nneck. When we hear the bell ringing we will know immediately that\nour enemy is coming.\"\n\nAll the Mice were much surprised that they had not thought of\nsuch a plan before. But in the midst of the rejoicing over their\ngood fortune, an old Mouse arose and said:\n\n\"I will say that the plan of the young Mouse is very good. But\nlet me ask one question: Who will bell the Cat?\"\n\n_It is one thing to say that something should be done, but quite\na different matter to do it._\n\n\n\n\nTHE EAGLE AND THE JACKDAW\n\n\nAn Eagle, swooping down on powerful wings, seized a lamb in her\ntalons and made off with it to her nest. A Jackdaw saw the deed,\nand his silly head was filled with the idea that he was big and\nstrong enough to do as the Eagle had done. So with much rustling\nof feathers and a fierce air, he came down swiftly on the back of\na large Ram. But when he tried to rise again he found that he\ncould not get away, for his claws were tangled in the wool. And\nso far was he from carrying away the Ram, that the Ram hardly\nnoticed he was there.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Shepherd saw the fluttering Jackdaw and at once guessed what\nhad happened. Running up, he caught the bird and clipped its\nwings. That evening he gave the Jackdaw to his children.\n\n\"What a funny bird this is!\" they said laughing, \"what do you\ncall it, father?\"\n\n\"That is a Jackdaw, my children. But if you should ask him, _he_\nwould say he is an Eagle.\"\n\n_Do not let your vanity make you overestimate your powers._\n\n\n\n\nTHE BOY AND THE FILBERTS\n\n\nA Boy was given permission to put his hand into a pitcher to get\nsome filberts. But he took such a great fistful that he could not\ndraw his hand out again. There he stood, unwilling to give up a\nsingle filbert and yet unable to get them all out at once. Vexed\nand disappointed he began to cry.\n\n\"My boy,\" said his mother, \"be satisfied with half the nuts you\nhave taken and you will easily get your hand out. Then perhaps\nyou may have some more filberts some other time.\"\n\n_Do not attempt too much at once._\n\n\n\n\nHERCULES AND THE WAGONER\n\n\nA Farmer was driving his wagon along a miry country road after a\nheavy rain. The horses could hardly drag the load through the\ndeep mud, and at last came to a standstill when one of the wheels\nsank to the hub in a rut.\n\nThe farmer climbed down from his seat and stood beside the wagon\nlooking at it but without making the least effort to get it out\nof the rut. All he did was to curse his bad luck and call loudly\non Hercules to come to his aid. Then, it is said, Hercules really\ndid appear, saying:\n\n\"Put your shoulder to the wheel, man, and urge on your horses. Do\nyou think you can move the wagon by simply looking at it and\nwhining about it? Hercules will not help unless you make some\neffort to help yourself.\"\n\nAnd when the farmer put his shoulder to the wheel and urged on\nthe horses, the wagon moved very readily, and soon the Farmer was\nriding along in great content and with a good lesson learned.\n\n_Self help is the best help._\n\n_Heaven helps those who help themselves._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE KID AND THE WOLF\n\n\nA frisky young Kid had been left by the herdsman on the thatched\nroof of a sheep shelter to keep him out of harm's way. The Kid\nwas browsing near the edge of the roof, when he spied a Wolf and\nbegan to jeer at him, making faces and abusing him to his heart's\ncontent.\n\n\"I hear you,\" said the Wolf, \"and I haven't the least grudge\nagainst you for what you say or do. When you are up there it is\nthe roof that's talking, not you.\"\n\n_Do not say anything at any time that you would not say at all\ntimes._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE TOWN MOUSE AND THE COUNTRY MOUSE\n\n\nA Town Mouse once visited a relative who lived in the country.\nFor lunch the Country Mouse served wheat stalks, roots, and\nacorns, with a dash of cold water for drink. The Town Mouse ate\nvery sparingly, nibbling a little of this and a little of that,\nand by her manner making it very plain that she ate the simple\nfood only to be polite.\n\nAfter the meal the friends had a long talk, or rather the Town\nMouse talked about her life in the city while the Country Mouse\nlistened. They then went to bed in a cozy nest in the hedgerow\nand slept in quiet and comfort until morning. In her sleep the\nCountry Mouse dreamed she was a Town Mouse with all the luxuries\nand delights of city life that her friend had described for her.\nSo the next day when the Town Mouse asked the Country Mouse to go\nhome with her to the city, she gladly said yes.\n\nWhen they reached the mansion in which the Town Mouse lived, they\nfound on the table in the dining room the leavings of a very fine\nbanquet. There were sweetmeats and jellies, pastries, delicious\ncheeses, indeed, the most tempting foods that a Mouse can\nimagine. But just as the Country Mouse was about to nibble a\ndainty bit of pastry, she heard a Cat mew loudly and scratch at\nthe door. In great fear the Mice scurried to a hiding place,\nwhere they lay quite still for a long time, hardly daring to\nbreathe. When at last they ventured back to the feast, the door\nopened suddenly and in came the servants to clear the table,\nfollowed by the House Dog.\n\nThe Country Mouse stopped in the Town Mouse's den only long\nenough to pick up her carpet bag and umbrella.\n\n\"You may have luxuries and dainties that I have not,\" she said as\nshe hurried away, \"but I prefer my plain food and simple life in\nthe country with the peace and security that go with it.\"\n\n_Poverty with security is better than plenty in the midst of fear\nand uncertainty._\n\n[Illustration: THE TOWN MOUSE AND THE COUNTRY MOUSE]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE GRAPES\n\n\nA Fox one day spied a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging from\na vine trained along the branches of a tree. The grapes seemed\nready to burst with juice, and the Fox's mouth watered as he\ngazed longingly at them.\n\nThe bunch hung from a high branch, and the Fox had to jump for\nit. The first time he jumped he missed it by a long way. So he\nwalked off a short distance and took a running leap at it, only\nto fall short once more. Again and again he tried, but in vain.\n\nNow he sat down and looked at the grapes in disgust.\n\n\"What a fool I am,\" he said. \"Here I am wearing myself out to get\na bunch of sour grapes that are not worth gaping for.\"\n\nAnd off he walked very, very scornfully.\n\n_There are many who pretend to despise and belittle that which is\nbeyond their reach._\n\n\n\n\nTHE BUNDLE OF STICKS\n\n\nA certain Father had a family of Sons, who were forever\nquarreling among themselves. No words he could say did the least\ngood, so he cast about in his mind for some very striking example\nthat should make them see that discord would lead them to\nmisfortune.\n\nOne day when the quarreling had been much more violent than usual\nand each of the Sons was moping in a surly manner, he asked one\nof them to bring him a bundle of sticks. Then handing the bundle\nto each of his Sons in turn he told them to try to break it. But\nalthough each one tried his best, none was able to do so.\n\nThe Father then untied the bundle and gave the sticks to his Sons\nto break one by one. This they did very easily.\n\n\"My Sons,\" said the Father, \"do you not see how certain it is\nthat if you agree with each other and help each other, it will be\nimpossible for your enemies to injure you? But if you are divided\namong yourselves, you will be no stronger than a single stick in\nthat bundle.\"\n\n_In unity is strength._\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF AND THE CRANE\n\n\nA Wolf had been feasting too greedily, and a bone had stuck\ncrosswise in his throat. He could get it neither up nor down, and\nof course he could not eat a thing. Naturally that was an awful\nstate of affairs for a greedy Wolf.\n\nSo away he hurried to the Crane. He was sure that she, with her\nlong neck and bill, would easily be able to reach the bone and\npull it out.\n\n\"I will reward you very handsomely,\" said the Wolf, \"if you pull\nthat bone out for me.\"\n\nThe Crane, as you can imagine, was very uneasy about putting her\nhead in a Wolf's throat. But she was grasping in nature, so she\ndid what the Wolf asked her to do.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen the Wolf felt that the bone was gone, he started to walk\naway.\n\n\"But what about my reward!\" called the Crane anxiously.\n\n\"What!\" snarled the Wolf, whirling around. \"Haven't you got it?\nIsn't it enough that I let you take your head out of my mouth\nwithout snapping it off?\"\n\n_Expect no reward for serving the wicked._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE ASS AND HIS DRIVER\n\n\nAn Ass was being driven along a road leading down the mountain\nside, when he suddenly took it into his silly head to choose his\nown path. He could see his stall at the foot of the mountain, and\nto him the quickest way down seemed to be over the edge of the\nnearest cliff. Just as he was about to leap over, his master\ncaught him by the tail and tried to pull him back, but the\nstubborn Ass would not yield and pulled with all his might.\n\n\"Very well,\" said his master, \"go your way, you willful beast,\nand see where it leads you.\"\n\nWith that he let go, and the foolish Ass tumbled head over heels\ndown the mountain side.\n\n_They who will not listen to reason but stubbornly go their own\nway against the friendly advice of those who are wiser than they,\nare on the road to misfortune._\n\n\n\n\nTHE OXEN AND THE WHEELS\n\n\nA pair of Oxen were drawing a heavily loaded wagon along a miry\ncountry road. They had to use all their strength to pull the\nwagon, but they did not complain.\n\nThe Wheels of the wagon were of a different sort. Though the task\nthey had to do was very light compared with that of the Oxen,\nthey creaked and groaned at every turn. The poor Oxen, pulling\nwith all their might to draw the wagon through the deep mud, had\ntheir ears filled with the loud complaining of the Wheels. And\nthis, you may well know, made their work so much the harder to\nendure.\n\n\"Silence!\" the Oxen cried at last, out of patience. \"What have\nyou Wheels to complain about so loudly? We are drawing all the\nweight, not you, and we are keeping still about it besides.\"\n\n_They complain most who suffer least._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE LION AND THE MOUSE\n\n\nA Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his\npaws. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her\nfright and haste to get away, ran across the Lion's nose. Roused\nfrom his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny\ncreature to kill her.\n\n\"Spare me!\" begged the poor Mouse. \"Please let me go and some day\nI will surely repay you.\"\n\nThe Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help\nhim. But he was generous and finally let the Mouse go.\n\nSome days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion\nwas caught in the toils of a hunter's net. Unable to free\nhimself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring. The Mouse\nknew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net.\nRunning to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it\nuntil it parted, and soon the Lion was free.\n\n\"You laughed when I said I would repay you,\" said the Mouse. \"Now\nyou see that even a Mouse can help a Lion.\"\n\n_A kindness is never wasted._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE SHEPHERD BOY AND THE WOLF\n\n\nA Shepherd Boy tended his master's Sheep near a dark forest not\nfar from the village. Soon he found life in the pasture very\ndull. All he could do to amuse himself was to talk to his dog or\nplay on his shepherd's pipe.\n\nOne day as he sat watching the Sheep and the quiet forest, and\nthinking what he would do should he see a Wolf, he thought of a\nplan to amuse himself.\n\nHis Master had told him to call for help should a Wolf attack the\nflock, and the Villagers would drive it away. So now, though he\nhad not seen anything that even looked like a Wolf, he ran toward\nthe village shouting at the top of his voice, \"Wolf! Wolf!\"\n\nAs he expected, the Villagers who heard the cry dropped their\nwork and ran in great excitement to the pasture. But when they\ngot there they found the Boy doubled up with laughter at the\ntrick he had played on them.\n\nA few days later the Shepherd Boy again shouted, \"Wolf! Wolf!\"\nAgain the Villagers ran to help him, only to be laughed at again.\n\nThen one evening as the sun was setting behind the forest and the\nshadows were creeping out over the pasture, a Wolf really did\nspring from the underbrush and fall upon the Sheep.\n\nIn terror the Boy ran toward the village shouting \"Wolf! Wolf!\"\nBut though the Villagers heard the cry, they did not run to help\nhim as they had before. \"He cannot fool us again,\" they said.\n\nThe Wolf killed a great many of the Boy's sheep and then slipped\naway into the forest.\n\n_Liars are not believed even when they speak the truth._\n\n\n\n\nTHE GNAT AND THE BULL\n\n\nA Gnat flew over the meadow with much buzzing for so small a\ncreature and settled on the tip of one of the horns of a Bull.\nAfter he had rested a short time, he made ready to fly away. But\nbefore he left he begged the Bull's pardon for having used his\nhorn for a resting place.\n\n\"You must be very glad to have me go now,\" he said.\n\n\"It's all the same to me,\" replied the Bull. \"I did not even know\nyou were there.\"\n\n_We are often of greater importance in our own eyes than in the\neyes of our neighbor._\n\n_The smaller the mind the greater the conceit._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE PLANE TREE\n\n\nTwo Travellers, walking in the noonday sun, sought the shade of a\nwidespreading tree to rest. As they lay looking up among the\npleasant leaves, they saw that it was a Plane Tree.\n\n\"How useless is the Plane!\" said one of them. \"It bears no fruit\nwhatever, and only serves to litter the ground with leaves.\"\n\n\"Ungrateful creatures!\" said a voice from the Plane Tree. \"You\nlie here in my cooling shade, and yet you say I am useless! Thus\nungratefully, O Jupiter, do men receive their blessings!\"\n\n_Our best blessings are often the least appreciated._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE FARMER AND THE STORK\n\n\nA Stork of a very simple and trusting nature had been asked by a\ngay party of Cranes to visit a field that had been newly planted.\nBut the party ended dismally with all the birds entangled in the\nmeshes of the Farmer's net.\n\nThe Stork begged the Farmer to spare him.\n\n\"Please let me go,\" he pleaded. \"I belong to the Stork family who\nyou know are honest and birds of good character. Besides, I did\nnot know the Cranes were going to steal.\"\n\n\"You may be a very good bird,\" answered the Farmer, \"but I caught\nyou with the thieving Cranes and you will have to share the same\npunishment with them.\"\n\n_You are judged by the company you keep._\n\n\n\n\nTHE SHEEP AND THE PIG\n\n\nOne day a shepherd discovered a fat Pig in the meadow where his\nSheep were pastured. He very quickly captured the porker, which\nsquealed at the top of its voice the moment the Shepherd laid his\nhands on it. You would have thought, to hear the loud squealing,\nthat the Pig was being cruelly hurt. But in spite of its squeals\nand struggles to escape, the Shepherd tucked his prize under his\narm and started off to the butcher's in the market place.\n\nThe Sheep in the pasture were much astonished and amused at the\nPig's behavior, and followed the Shepherd and his charge to the\npasture gate.\n\n\"What makes you squeal like that?\" asked one of the Sheep. \"The\nShepherd often catches and carries off one of us. But we should\nfeel very much ashamed to make such a terrible fuss about it like\nyou do.\"\n\n\"That is all very well,\" replied the Pig, with a squeal and a\nfrantic kick. \"When he catches you he is only after your wool.\nBut he wants my bacon! gree-ee-ee!\"\n\n_It is easy to be brave when there is no danger._\n\n[Illustration: THE SHEEP AND THE PIG]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE TRAVELERS AND THE PURSE\n\n\nTwo men were traveling in company along the road when one of them\npicked up a well-filled purse.\n\n\"How lucky I am!\" he said. \"I have found a purse. Judging by its\nweight it must be full of gold.\"\n\n\"Do not say '_I_ have found a purse,'\" said his companion. \"Say\nrather '_we_ have found a purse' and 'how lucky _we_ are.'\nTravelers ought to share alike the fortunes or misfortunes of the\nroad.\"\n\n\"No, no,\" replied the other angrily. \"_I_ found it and _I_ am\ngoing to keep it.\"\n\nJust then they heard a shout of \"Stop, thief!\" and looking\naround, saw a mob of people armed with clubs coming down the\nroad.\n\nThe man who had found the purse fell into a panic.\n\n\"We are lost if they find the purse on us,\" he cried.\n\n\"No, no,\" replied the other, \"You would not say 'we' before, so\nnow stick to your 'I'. Say '_I_ am lost.'\"\n\n_We cannot expect any one to share our misfortunes unless we are\nwilling to share our good fortune also._\n\n\n\n\nTHE LION AND THE ASS\n\n\nOne day as the Lion walked proudly down a forest aisle, and the\nanimals respectfully made way for him, an Ass brayed a scornful\nremark as he passed.\n\nThe Lion felt a flash of anger. But when he turned his head and\nsaw who had spoken, he walked quietly on. He would not honor the\nfool with even so much as a stroke of his claws.\n\n_Do not resent the remarks of a fool. Ignore them._\n\n\n\n\nTHE FROGS WHO WISHED FOR A KING\n\n\nThe Frogs were tired of governing themselves. They had so much\nfreedom that it had spoiled them, and they did nothing but sit\naround croaking in a bored manner and wishing for a government\nthat could entertain them with the pomp and display of royalty,\nand rule them in a way to make them know they were being ruled.\nNo milk and water government for them, they declared. So they\nsent a petition to Jupiter asking for a king.\n\nJupiter saw what simple and foolish creatures they were, but to\nkeep them quiet and make them think they had a king he threw down\na huge log, which fell into the water with a great splash. The\nFrogs hid themselves among the reeds and grasses, thinking the\nnew king to be some fearful giant. But they soon discovered how\ntame and peaceable King Log was. In a short time the younger\nFrogs were using him for a diving platform, while the older Frogs\nmade him a meeting place, where they complained loudly to Jupiter\nabout the government.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nTo teach the Frogs a lesson the ruler of the gods now sent a\nCrane to be king of Frogland. The Crane proved to be a very\ndifferent sort of king from old King Log. He gobbled up the poor\nFrogs right and left and they soon saw what fools they had been.\nIn mournful croaks they begged Jupiter to take away the cruel\ntyrant before they should all be destroyed.\n\n\"How now!\" cried Jupiter \"Are you not yet content? You have what\nyou asked for and so you have only yourselves to blame for your\nmisfortunes.\"\n\n_Be sure you can better your condition before you seek to\nchange._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE OWL AND THE GRASSHOPPER\n\n\nThe Owl always takes her sleep during the day. Then after\nsundown, when the rosy light fades from the sky and the shadows\nrise slowly through the wood, out she comes ruffling and blinking\nfrom the old hollow tree. Now her weird \"hoo-hoo-hoo-oo-oo\"\nechoes through the quiet wood, and she begins her hunt for the\nbugs and beetles, frogs and mice she likes so well to eat.\n\nNow there was a certain old Owl who had become very cross and\nhard to please as she grew older, especially if anything\ndisturbed her daily slumbers. One warm summer afternoon as she\ndozed away in her den in the old oak tree, a Grasshopper nearby\nbegan a joyous but very raspy song. Out popped the old Owl's head\nfrom the opening in the tree that served her both for door and\nfor window.\n\n\"Get away from here, sir,\" she said to the Grasshopper. \"Have you\nno manners? You should at least respect my age and leave me to\nsleep in quiet!\"\n\nBut the Grasshopper answered saucily that he had as much right to\nhis place in the sun as the Owl had to her place in the old oak.\nThen he struck up a louder and still more rasping tune.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe wise old Owl knew quite well that it would do no good to\nargue with the Grasshopper, nor with anybody else for that\nmatter. Besides, her eyes were not sharp enough by day to permit\nher to punish the Grasshopper as he deserved. So she laid aside\nall hard words and spoke very kindly to him.\n\n\"Well sir,\" she said, \"if I must stay awake, I am going to settle\nright down to enjoy your singing. Now that I think of it, I have\na wonderful wine here, sent me from Olympus, of which I am told\nApollo drinks before he sings to the high gods. Please come up\nand taste this delicious drink with me. I know it will make you\nsing like Apollo himself.\"\n\nThe foolish Grasshopper was taken in by the Owl's flattering\nwords. Up he jumped to the Owl's den, but as soon as he was near\nenough so the old Owl could see him clearly, she pounced upon him\nand ate him up.\n\n_Flattery is not a proof of true admiration._\n\n_Do not let flattery throw you off your guard against an enemy._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF AND HIS SHADOW\n\n\nA Wolf left his lair one evening in fine spirits and an excellent\nappetite. As he ran, the setting sun cast his shadow far out on\nthe ground, and it looked as if the wolf were a hundred times\nbigger than he really was.\n\n\"Why,\" exclaimed the Wolf proudly, \"see how big I am! Fancy _me_\nrunning away from a puny Lion! I'll show him who is fit to be\nking, he or I.\"\n\nJust then an immense shadow blotted him out entirely, and the\nnext instant a Lion struck him down with a single blow.\n\n_Do not let your fancy make you forget realities._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE OAK AND THE REEDS\n\n\nA Giant Oak stood near a brook in which grew some slender Reeds.\nWhen the wind blew, the great Oak stood proudly upright with its\nhundred arms uplifted to the sky. But the Reeds bowed low in the\nwind and sang a sad and mournful song.\n\n\"You have reason to complain,\" said the Oak. \"The slightest\nbreeze that ruffles the surface of the water makes you bow your\nheads, while I, the mighty Oak, stand upright and firm before the\nhowling tempest.\"\n\n\"Do not worry about us,\" replied the Reeds. \"The winds do not\nharm us. We bow before them and so we do not break. You, in all\nyour pride and strength, have so far resisted their blows. But\nthe end is coming.\"\n\nAs the Reeds spoke a great hurricane rushed out of the north. The\nOak stood proudly and fought against the storm, while the\nyielding Reeds bowed low. The wind redoubled in fury, and all at\nonce the great tree fell, torn up by the roots, and lay among the\npitying Reeds.\n\n_Better to yield when it is folly to resist, than to resist\nstubbornly and be destroyed._\n\n\n\n\nTHE RAT AND THE ELEPHANT\n\n\nA Rat was traveling along the King's highway. He was a very proud\nRat, considering his small size and the bad reputation all Rats\nhave. As Mr. Rat walked along--he kept mostly to the ditch--he\nnoticed a great commotion up the road, and soon a grand\nprocession came in view. It was the King and his retinue.\n\nThe King rode on a huge Elephant adorned with the most gorgeous\ntrappings. With the King in his luxurious howdah were the royal\nDog and Cat. A great crowd of people followed the procession.\nThey were so taken up with admiration of the Elephant, that the\nRat was not noticed. His pride was hurt.\n\n\"What fools!\" he cried. \"Look at me, and you will soon forget\nthat clumsy Elephant! Is it his great size that makes your eyes\npop out? Or is it his wrinkled hide? Why, I have eyes and ears\nand as many legs as he! I am of just as much importance, and\"--\n\nBut just then the royal Cat spied him, and the next instant, the\nRat knew he was _not_ quite so important as an Elephant.\n\n_A resemblance to the great in some things does not make us\ngreat._\n\n\n\n\nTHE BOYS AND THE FROGS\n\n\nSome Boys were playing one day at the edge of a pond in which\nlived a family of Frogs. The Boys amused themselves by throwing\nstones into the pond so as to make them skip on top of the water.\n\nThe stones were flying thick and fast and the Boys were enjoying\nthemselves very much; but the poor Frogs in the pond were\ntrembling with fear.\n\nAt last one of the Frogs, the oldest and bravest, put his head\nout of the water, and said, \"Oh, please, dear children, stop your\ncruel play! Though it may be fun for you, it means death to us!\"\n\n_Always stop to think whether your fun may not be the cause of\nanother's unhappiness._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE CROW AND THE PITCHER\n\n\nIn a spell of dry weather, when the Birds could find very little\nto drink, a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in\nit. But the pitcher was high and had a narrow neck, and no matter\nhow he tried, the Crow could not reach the water. The poor thing\nfelt as if he must die of thirst.\n\nThen an idea came to him. Picking up some small pebbles, he\ndropped them into the pitcher one by one. With each pebble the\nwater rose a little higher until at last it was near enough so he\ncould drink.\n\n_In a pinch a good use of our wits may help us out._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE ANTS AND THE GRASSHOPPER\n\n\nOne bright day in late autumn a family of Ants were bustling\nabout in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored\nup during the summer, when a starving Grasshopper, his fiddle\nunder his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.\n\n\"What!\" cried the Ants in surprise, \"haven't you stored anything\naway for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last\nsummer?\"\n\n\"I didn't have time to store up any food,\" whined the\nGrasshopper; \"I was so busy making music that before I knew it\nthe summer was gone.\"\n\nThe Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.\n\n\"Making music, were you?\" they cried. \"Very well; now dance!\" And\nthey turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their\nwork.\n\n_There's a time for work and a time for play._\n\n\n\n\nTHE ASS CARRYING THE IMAGE\n\n\nA sacred Image was being carried to the temple. It was mounted on\nan Ass adorned with garlands and gorgeous trappings, and a grand\nprocession of priests and pages followed it through the streets.\nAs the Ass walked along, the people bowed their heads reverently\nor fell on their knees, and the Ass thought the honor was being\npaid to himself.\n\nWith his head full of this foolish idea, he became so puffed up\nwith pride and vanity that he halted and started to bray loudly.\nBut in the midst of his song, his driver guessed what the Ass had\ngot into his head, and began to beat him unmercifully with a\nstick.\n\n\"Go along with you, you stupid Ass,\" he cried. \"The honor is not\nmeant for you but for the image you are carrying.\"\n\n_Do not try to take the credit to yourself that is due to\nothers._\n\n\n\n\nA RAVEN AND A SWAN\n\n\nA Raven, which you know is black as coal, was envious of the\nSwan, because her feathers were as white as the purest snow. The\nfoolish bird got the idea that if he lived like the Swan,\nswimming and diving all day long and eating the weeds and plants\nthat grow in the water, his feathers would turn white like the\nSwan's.\n\nSo he left his home in the woods and fields and flew down to live\non the lakes and in the marshes. But though he washed and washed\nall day long, almost drowning himself at it, his feathers\nremained as black as ever. And as the water weeds he ate did not\nagree with him, he got thinner and thinner, and at last he died.\n\n_A change of habits will not alter nature._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE TWO GOATS\n\n\nTwo Goats, frisking gayly on the rocky steeps of a mountain\nvalley, chanced to meet, one on each side of a deep chasm through\nwhich poured a mighty mountain torrent. The trunk of a fallen\ntree formed the only means of crossing the chasm, and on this not\neven two squirrels could have passed each other in safety. The\nnarrow path would have made the bravest tremble. Not so our\nGoats. Their pride would not permit either to stand aside for the\nother.\n\nOne set her foot on the log. The other did likewise. In the\nmiddle they met horn to horn. Neither would give way, and so they\nboth fell, to be swept away by the roaring torrent below.\n\n_It is better to yield than to come to misfortune through\nstubbornness._\n\n\n\n\nTHE ASS AND THE LOAD OF SALT\n\n\nA Merchant, driving his Ass homeward from the seashore with a\nheavy load of salt, came to a river crossed by a shallow ford.\nThey had crossed this river many times before without accident,\nbut this time the Ass slipped and fell when halfway over. And\nwhen the Merchant at last got him to his feet, much of the salt\nhad melted away. Delighted to find how much lighter his burden\nhad become, the Ass finished the journey very gayly.\n\nNext day the Merchant went for another load of salt. On the way\nhome the Ass, remembering what had happened at the ford,\npurposely let himself fall into the water, and again got rid of\nmost of his burden.\n\nThe angry Merchant immediately turned about and drove the Ass\nback to the seashore, where he loaded him with two great baskets\nof sponges. At the ford the Ass again tumbled over; but when he\nhad scrambled to his feet, it was a very disconsolate Ass that\ndragged himself homeward under a load ten times heavier than\nbefore.\n\n_The same measures will not suit all circumstances._\n\n[Illustration: THE ASS AND THE LOAD OF SALT]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE LION AND THE GNAT\n\n\n\"Away with you, vile insect!\" said a Lion angrily to a Gnat that\nwas buzzing around his head. But the Gnat was not in the least\ndisturbed.\n\n\"Do you think,\" he said spitefully to the Lion, \"that I am afraid\nof you because they call you king?\"\n\nThe next instant he flew at the Lion and stung him sharply on the\nnose. Mad with rage, the Lion struck fiercely at the Gnat, but\nonly succeeded in tearing himself with his claws. Again and again\nthe Gnat stung the Lion, who now was roaring terribly. At last,\nworn out with rage and covered with wounds that his own teeth and\nclaws had made, the Lion gave up the fight.\n\nThe Gnat buzzed away to tell the whole world about his victory,\nbut instead he flew straight into a spider's web. And there, he\nwho had defeated the King of beasts came to a miserable end, the\nprey of a little spider.\n\n_The least of our enemies is often the most to be feared._\n\n_Pride over a success should not throw us off our guard._\n\n\n\n\nTHE LEAP AT RHODES\n\nA certain man who visited foreign lands could talk of little when\nhe returned to his home except the wonderful adventures he had\nmet with and the great deeds he had done abroad.\n\nOne of the feats he told about was a leap he had made in a city\nCalled Rhodes. That leap was so great, he said, that no other man\ncould leap anywhere near the distance. A great many persons in\nRhodes had seen him do it and would prove that what he told was\ntrue.\n\n\"No need of witnesses,\" said one of the hearers. \"Suppose this\ncity is Rhodes. Now show us how far you can jump.\"\n\n_Deeds count, not boasting words._\n\n\n\n\nTHE COCK AND THE JEWEL\n\nA Cock was busily scratching and scraping about to find something\nto eat for himself and his family, when he happened to turn up a\nprecious jewel that had been lost by its owner.\n\n\"Aha!\" said the Cock. \"No doubt you are very costly and he who\nlost you would give a great deal to find you. But as for me, I\nwould choose a single grain of barleycorn before all the jewels\nin the world.\"\n\n_Precious things are without value to those who cannot prize\nthem._\n\n\n\n\nTHE MONKEY AND THE CAMEL\n\n\nAt a great celebration in honor of King Lion, the Monkey was\nasked to dance for the company. His dancing was very clever\nindeed, and the animals were all highly pleased with his grace\nand lightness.\n\nThe praise that was showered on the Monkey made the Camel\nenvious. He was very sure that he could dance quite as well as\nthe Monkey, if not better, so he pushed his way into the crowd\nthat was gathered around the Monkey, and rising on his hind legs,\nbegan to dance. But the big hulking Camel made himself very\nridiculous as he kicked out his knotty legs and twisted his long\nclumsy neck. Besides, the animals found it hard to keep their\ntoes from under his heavy hoofs.\n\nAt last, when one of his huge feet came within an inch of King\nLion's nose, the animals were so disgusted that they set upon the\nCamel in a rage and drove him out into the desert.\n\nShortly afterward, refreshments, consisting mostly of Camel's\nhump and ribs, were served to the company.\n\n_Do not try to ape your betters._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE WILD BOAR AND THE FOX\n\n\nA Wild Boar was sharpening his tusks busily against the stump of\na tree, when a Fox happened by. Now the Fox was always looking\nfor a chance to make fun of his neighbors. So he made a great\nshow of looking anxiously about, as if in fear of some hidden\nenemy. But the Boar kept right on with his work.\n\n\"Why are you doing that?\" asked the Fox at last with a grin.\n\"There isn't any danger that I can see.\"\n\n\"True enough,\" replied the Boar, \"but when danger does come there\nwill not be time for such work as this. My weapons will have to\nbe ready for use then, or I shall suffer for it.\"\n\n_Preparedness for war is the best guarantee of peace._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE ASS, THE FOX, AND THE LION\n\n\nAn Ass and a Fox had become close comrades, and were constantly\nin each other's company. While the Ass cropped a fresh bit of\ngreens, the Fox would devour a chicken from the neighboring\nfarmyard or a bit of cheese filched from the dairy. One day the\npair unexpectedly met a Lion. The Ass was very much frightened,\nbut the Fox calmed his fears.\n\n\"I will talk to him,\" he said.\n\nSo the Fox walked boldly up to the Lion.\n\n\"Your highness,\" he said in an undertone, so the Ass could not\nhear him, \"I've got a fine scheme in my head. If you promise not\nto hurt me, I will lead that foolish creature yonder into a pit\nwhere he can't get out, and you can feast at your pleasure.\"\n\nThe Lion agreed and the Fox returned to the Ass.\n\n\"I made him promise not to hurt us,\" said the Fox. \"But come, I\nknow a good place to hide till he is gone.\"\n\nSo the Fox led the Ass into a deep pit. But when the Lion saw\nthat the Ass was his for the taking, he first of all struck down\nthe traitor Fox.\n\n_Traitors may expect treachery._\n\n\n\n\nTHE BIRDS, THE BEASTS, AND THE BAT\n\nThe Birds and the Beasts declared war against each other. No\ncompromise was possible, and so they went at it tooth and claw.\nIt is said the quarrel grew out of the persecution the race of\nGeese suffered at the teeth of the Fox family. The Beasts, too,\nhad cause for fight. The Eagle was constantly pouncing on the\nHare, and the Owl dined daily on Mice.\n\nIt was a terrible battle. Many a Hare and many a Mouse died.\nChickens and Geese fell by the score--and the victor always\nstopped for a feast.\n\nNow the Bat family had not openly joined either side. They were a\nvery politic race. So when they saw the Birds getting the better\nof it, they were Birds for all there was in it. But when the tide\nof battle turned, they immediately sided with the Beasts.\n\nWhen the battle was over, the conduct of the Bats was discussed\nat the peace conference. Such deceit was unpardonable, and Birds\nand Beasts made common cause to drive out the Bats. And since\nthen the Bat family hides in dark towers and deserted ruins,\nflying out only in the night.\n\n_The deceitful have no friends._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE LION, THE BEAR, AND THE FOX\n\n\nJust as a great Bear rushed to seize a stray kid, a Lion leaped\nfrom another direction upon the same prey. The two fought\nfuriously for the prize until they had received so many wounds\nthat both sank down unable to continue the battle.\n\nJust then a Fox dashed up, and seizing the kid, made off with it\nas fast as he could go, while the Lion and the Bear looked on in\nhelpless rage.\n\n\"How much better it would have been,\" they said, \"to have shared\nin a friendly spirit.\"\n\n_Those who have all the toil do not always get the profit._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF AND THE LAMB\n\n\nA stray Lamb stood drinking early one morning on the bank of a\nwoodland stream. That very same morning a hungry Wolf came by\nfarther up the stream, hunting for something to eat. He soon got\nhis eyes on the Lamb. As a rule Mr. Wolf snapped up such\ndelicious morsels without making any bones about it, but this\nLamb looked so very helpless and innocent that the Wolf felt he\nought to have some kind of an excuse for taking its life.\n\n\"How dare you paddle around in my stream and stir up all the\nmud!\" he shouted fiercely. \"You deserve to be punished severely\nfor your rashness!\"\n\n\"But, your highness,\" replied the trembling Lamb, \"do not be\nangry! I cannot possibly muddy the water you are drinking up\nthere. Remember, you are upstream and I am downstream.\"\n\n\"You _do_ muddy it!\" retorted the Wolf savagely. \"And besides, I\nhave heard that you told lies about me last year!\"\n\n\"How could I have done so?\" pleaded the Lamb. \"I wasn't born\nuntil this year.\"\n\n\"If it wasn't you, it was your brother!\"\n\n\"I have no brothers.\"\n\n\"Well, then,\" snarled the Wolf, \"It was someone in your family\nanyway. But no matter who it was, I do not intend to be talked\nout of my breakfast.\"\n\nAnd without more words the Wolf seized the poor Lamb and carried\nher off to the forest.\n\n_The tyrant can always find an excuse for his tyranny._\n\n_The unjust will not listen to the reasoning of the innocent._\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF AND THE SHEEP\n\n\nA Wolf had been hurt in a fight with a Bear. He was unable to\nmove and could not satisfy his hunger and thirst. A Sheep passed\nby near his hiding place, and the Wolf called to him.\n\n\"Please fetch me a drink of water,\" he begged, \"that might give\nme strength enough so I can get me some solid food.\"\n\n\"Solid food!\" said the Sheep. \"That means me, I suppose. If I\nshould bring you a drink, it would only serve to wash me down\nyour throat. Don't talk to me about a drink!\"\n\n_A knave's hypocrisy is easily seen through._\n\n\n\n\nTHE HARES AND THE FROGS\n\n\nHares, as you know, are very timid. The least shadow, sends them\nscurrying in fright to a hiding place. Once they decided to die\nrather than live in such misery. But while they were debating how\nbest to meet death, they thought they heard a noise and in a\nflash were scampering off to the warren. On the way they passed a\npond where a family of Frogs was sitting among the reeds on the\nbank. In an instant the startled Frogs were seeking safety in the\nmud.\n\n\"Look,\" cried a Hare, \"things are not so bad after all, for here\nare creatures who are even afraid of us!\"\n\n_However unfortunate we may think we are there is always someone\nworse off than ourselves._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE STORK\n\n\nThe Fox one day thought of a plan to amuse himself at the expense\nof the Stork, at whose odd appearance he was always laughing.\n\n\"You must come and dine with me today,\" he said to the Stork,\nsmiling to himself at the trick he was going to play. The Stork\ngladly accepted the invitation and arrived in good time and with\na very good appetite.\n\nFor dinner the Fox served soup. But it was set out in a very\nshallow dish, and all the Stork could do was to wet the very tip\nof his bill. Not a drop of soup could he get. But the Fox lapped\nit up easily, and, to increase the disappointment of the Stork,\nmade a great show of enjoyment.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe hungry Stork was much displeased at the trick, but he was a\ncalm, even-tempered fellow and saw no good in flying into a rage.\nInstead, not long afterward, he invited the Fox to dine with him\nin turn. The Fox arrived promptly at the time that had been set,\nand the Stork served a fish dinner that had a very appetizing\nsmell. But it was served in a tall jar with a very narrow neck.\nThe Stork could easily get at the food with his long bill, but\nall the Fox could do was to lick the outside of the jar, and\nsniff at the delicious odor. And when the Fox lost his temper,\nthe Stork said calmly:\n\n_Do not play tricks on your neighbors unless you can stand the\nsame treatment yourself._\n\n\n\n\nTHE TRAVELERS AND THE SEA\n\n\nTwo Travelers were walking along the seashore. Far out they saw\nsomething riding on the waves.\n\n\"Look,\" said one, \"a great ship rides in from distant lands,\nbearing rich treasures!\"\n\nThe object they saw came ever nearer the shore.\n\n\"No,\" said the other, \"that is not a treasure ship. That is some\nfisherman's skiff, with the day's catch of savoury fish.\"\n\nStill nearer came the object. The waves washed it up on shore.\n\n\"It is a chest of gold lost from some wreck,\" they cried. Both\nTravelers rushed to the beach, but there they found nothing but a\nwater-soaked log.\n\n_Do not let your hopes carry you away from reality._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF AND THE LION\n\n\nA Wolf had stolen a Lamb and was carrying it off to his lair to\neat it. But his plans were very much changed when he met a Lion,\nwho, without making any excuses, took the Lamb away from him.\n\nThe Wolf made off to a safe distance, and then said in a much\ninjured tone:\n\n\"You have no right to take my property like that!\"\n\nThe Lion looked back, but as the Wolf was too far away to be\ntaught a lesson without too much inconvenience, he said:\n\n\"Your property? Did you buy it, or did the Shepherd make you a\ngift of it? Pray tell me, how did you get it?\"\n\n_What is evil won is evil lost._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE STAG AND HIS REFLECTION\n\n\nA Stag, drinking from a crystal spring, saw himself mirrored in\nthe clear water. He greatly admired the graceful arch of his\nantlers, but he was very much ashamed of his spindling legs.\n\n\"How can it be,\" he sighed, \"that I should be cursed with such\nlegs when I have so magnificent a crown.\"\n\nAt that moment he scented a panther and in an instant was bounding\naway through the forest. But as he ran his wide-spreading antlers\ncaught in the branches of the trees, and soon the Panther overtook\nhim. Then the Stag perceived that the legs of which he was so\nashamed would have saved him had it not been for the useless\nornaments on his head.\n\n_We often make much of the ornamental and despise the useful._\n\n\n\n\nTHE PEACOCK\n\n\nThe Peacock, they say, did not at first have the beautiful\nfeathers in which he now takes so much pride. These, Juno, whose\nfavorite he was, granted to him one day when he begged her for a\ntrain of feathers to distinguish him from the other birds. Then,\ndecked in his finery, gleaming with emerald, gold, purple, and\nazure, he strutted proudly among the birds. All regarded him with\nenvy. Even the most beautiful pheasant could see that his beauty\nwas surpassed.\n\nPresently the Peacock saw an Eagle soaring high up in the blue\nsky and felt a desire to fly, as he had been accustomed to do.\nLifting his wings he tried to rise from the ground. But the\nweight of his magnificent train held him down. Instead of flying\nup to greet the first rays of the morning sun or to bathe in the\nrosy light among the floating clouds at sunset, he would have to\nwalk the ground more encumbered and oppressed than any common\nbarnyard fowl.\n\n_Do not sacrifice your freedom for the sake of pomp and show._\n\n[Illustration: THE PEACOCK]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE MICE AND THE WEASELS\n\n\nThe Weasels and the Mice were always up in arms against each\nother. In every battle the Weasels carried off the victory, as\nwell as a large number of the Mice, which they ate for dinner\nnext day. In despair the Mice called a council, and there it was\ndecided that the Mouse army was always beaten because it had no\nleaders. So a large number of generals and commanders were\nappointed from among the most eminent Mice.\n\nTo distinguish themselves from the soldiers in the ranks, the new\nleaders proudly bound on their heads lofty crests and ornaments\nof feathers or straw. Then after long preparation of the Mouse\narmy in all the arts of war, they sent a challenge to the\nWeasels.\n\nThe Weasels accepted the challenge with eagerness, for they were\nalways ready for a fight when a meal was in sight. They\nimmediately attacked the Mouse army in large numbers. Soon the\nMouse line gave way before the attack and the whole army fled for\ncover. The privates easily slipped into their holes, but the\nMouse leaders could not squeeze through the narrow openings\nbecause of their head-dresses. Not one escaped the teeth of the\nhungry Weasels.\n\n_Greatness has its penalties._\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF AND THE LEAN DOG\n\n\nA Wolf prowling near a village one evening met a Dog. It happened\nto be a very lean and bony Dog, and Master Wolf would have turned\nup his nose at such meager fare had he not been more hungry than\nusual. So he began to edge toward the Dog, while the Dog backed\naway.\n\n\"Let me remind your lordship,\" said the Dog, his words\ninterrupted now and then as he dodged a snap of the Wolf's teeth,\n\"how unpleasant it would be to eat me now. Look at my ribs. I am\nnothing but skin and bone. But let me tell you something in\nprivate. In a few days my master will give a wedding feast for\nhis only daughter. You can guess how fine and fat I will grow on\nthe scraps from the table. _Then_ is the time to eat me.\"\n\nThe Wolf could not help thinking how nice it would be to have a\nfine fat Dog to eat instead of the scrawny object before him. So\nhe went away pulling in his belt and promising to return.\n\nSome days later the Wolf came back for the promised feast. He\nfound the Dog in his master's yard, and asked him to come out and\nbe eaten.\n\n\"Sir,\" said the Dog, with a grin, \"I shall be delighted to have\nyou eat me. I'll be out as soon as the porter opens the door.\"\n\nBut the \"porter\" was a huge Dog whom the Wolf knew by painful\nexperience to be very unkind toward wolves. So he decided not to\nwait and made off as fast as his legs could carry him.\n\n_Do not depend on the promises of those whose interest it is to\ndeceive you._\n\n_Take what you can get when you can get it._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE LION\n\n\nA very young Fox, who had never before seen a Lion, happened to\nmeet one in the forest. A single look was enough to send the Fox\noff at top speed for the nearest hiding place.\n\nThe second time the Fox saw the Lion he stopped behind a tree to\nlook at him a moment before slinking away. But the third time,\nthe Fox went boldly up to the Lion and, without turning a hair,\nsaid, \"Hello, there, old top.\"\n\n_Familiarity breeds contempt._\n\n_Acquaintance with evil blinds us to its dangers._\n\n\n\n\nTHE LION AND THE ASS\n\n\nA Lion and an Ass agreed to go hunting together. In their search\nfor game the hunters saw a number of Wild Goats run into a cave,\nand laid plans to catch them. The Ass was to go into the cave and\ndrive the Goats out, while the Lion would stand at the entrance\nto strike them down.\n\nThe plan worked beautifully. The Ass made such a frightful din in\nthe cave, kicking and braying with all his might, that the Goats\ncame running out in a panic of fear, only to fall victim to the\nLion.\n\nThe Ass came proudly out of the cave.\n\n\"Did you see how I made them run?\" he said.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\"Yes, indeed,\" answered the Lion, \"and if I had not known you and\nyour kind I should certainly have run, too.\"\n\n_The loud-mouthed boaster does not impress nor frighten those who\nknow him._\n\n\n\n\nTHE DOG AND HIS MASTER'S DINNER\n\n\nA Dog had learned to carry his master's dinner to him every day.\nHe was very faithful to his duty, though the smell of the good\nthings in the basket tempted him.\n\nThe Dogs in the neighborhood noticed him carrying the basket and\nsoon discovered what was in it. They made several attempts to\nsteal it from him. But he always guarded it faithfully.\n\nThen one day all the Dogs in the neighborhood got together and\nmet him on his way with the basket. The Dog tried to run away\nfrom them. But at last he stopped to argue.\n\nThat was his mistake. They soon made him feel so ridiculous that\nhe dropped the basket and seized a large piece of roast meat\nintended for his master's dinner.\n\n\"Very well,\" he said, \"you divide the rest.\"\n\n_Do not stop to argue with temptation._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE VAIN JACKDAW AND HIS BORROWED FEATHERS\n\n\nA Jackdaw chanced to fly over the garden of the King's palace.\nThere he saw with much wonder and envy a flock of royal Peacocks\nin all the glory of their splendid plumage.\n\nNow the black Jackdaw was not a very handsome bird, nor very\nrefined in manner. Yet he imagined that all he needed to make\nhimself fit for the society of the Peacocks was a dress like\ntheirs. So he picked up some castoff feathers of the Peacocks and\nstuck them among his own black plumes.\n\nDressed in his borrowed finery he strutted loftily among the\nbirds of his own kind. Then he flew down into the garden among\nthe Peacocks. But they soon saw who he was. Angry at the cheat,\nthey flew at him, plucking away the borrowed feathers and also\nsome of his own.\n\nThe poor Jackdaw returned sadly to his former companions. There\nanother unpleasant surprise awaited him. They had not forgotten\nhis superior airs toward them, and, to punish him, they drove him\naway with a rain of pecks and jeers.\n\n_Borrowed feathers do not make fine birds._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE MONKEY AND THE DOLPHIN\n\n\nIt happened once upon a time that a certain Greek ship bound for\nAthens was wrecked off the coast close to Piraeus, the port of\nAthens. Had it not been for the Dolphins, who at that time were\nvery friendly toward mankind and especially toward Athenians, all\nwould have perished. But the Dolphins took the shipwrecked people\non their backs and swam with them to shore.\n\nNow it was the custom among the Greeks to take their pet monkeys\nand dogs with them whenever they went on a voyage. So when one of\nthe Dolphins saw a Monkey struggling in the water, he thought it\nwas a man, and made the Monkey climb up on his back. Then off he\nswam with him toward the shore.\n\nThe Monkey sat up, grave and dignified, on the Dolphin's back.\n\n\"You are a citizen of illustrious Athens, are you not?\" asked the\nDolphin politely.\n\n\"Yes,\" answered the Monkey, proudly. \"My family is one of the\nnoblest in the city.\"\n\n\"Indeed,\" said the Dolphin. \"Then of course you often visit\nPiraeus.\"\n\n\"Yes, yes,\" replied the Monkey. \"Indeed, I do. I am with him\nconstantly. Piraeus is my very best friend.\"\n\nThis answer took the Dolphin by surprise, and, turning his head,\nhe now saw what it was he was carrying. Without more ado, he\ndived and left the foolish Monkey to take care of himself, while\nhe swam off in search of some human being to save.\n\n_One falsehood leads to another._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF AND THE ASS\n\n\nAn Ass was feeding in a pasture near a wood when he saw a Wolf\nlurking in the shadows along the hedge. He easily guessed what\nthe Wolf had in mind, and thought of a plan to save himself. So\nhe pretended he was lame, and began to hobble painfully.\n\nWhen the Wolf came up, he asked the Ass what had made him lame,\nand the Ass replied that he had stepped on a sharp thorn.\n\n\"Please pull it out,\" he pleaded, groaning as if in pain. \"If you\ndo not, it might stick in your throat when you eat me.\"\n\nThe Wolf saw the wisdom of the advice, for he wanted to enjoy his\nmeal without any danger of choking. So the Ass lifted up his foot\nand the Wolf began to search very closely and carefully for the\nthorn.\n\nJust then the Ass kicked out with all his might, tumbling the\nWolf a dozen paces away. And while the Wolf was getting very\nslowly and painfully to his feet, the Ass galloped away in\nsafety.\n\n\"Serves me right,\" growled the Wolf as he crept into the bushes.\n\"I'm a butcher by trade, not a doctor.\"\n\n_Stick to your trade._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE MONKEY AND THE CAT\n\n\nOnce upon a time a Cat and a Monkey lived as pets in the same\nhouse. They were great friends and were constantly in all sorts\nof mischief together. What they seemed to think of more than\nanything else was to get something to eat, and it did not matter\nmuch to them how they got it.\n\nOne day they were sitting by the fire, watching some chestnuts\nroasting on the hearth. How to get them was the question.\n\n\"I would gladly get them,\" said the cunning Monkey, \"but you are\nmuch more skillful at such things than I am. Pull them out and\nI'll divide them between us.\"\n\nPussy stretched out her paw very carefully, pushed aside some of\nthe cinders, and drew back her paw very quickly. Then she tried\nit again, this time pulling a chestnut half out of the fire. A\nthird time and she drew out the chestnut. This performance she\nwent through several times, each time singeing her paw severely.\nAs fast as she pulled the chestnuts out of the fire, the Monkey\nate them up.\n\nNow the master came in, and away scampered the rascals, Mistress\nCat with a burnt paw and no chestnuts. From that time on, they\nsay, she contented herself with mice and rats and had little to\ndo with Sir Monkey.\n\n_The flatterer seeks some benefit at your expense._\n\n\n\n\nTHE DOGS AND THE FOX\n\n\nSome Dogs found the skin of a Lion and furiously began to tear it\nwith their teeth. A Fox chanced to see them and laughed\nscornfully.\n\n\"If that Lion had been alive,\" he said, \"it would have been a\nvery different story. He would have made you feel how much\nsharper his claws are than your teeth.\"\n\n_It is easy and also contemptible to kick a man that is down._\n\n\n\n\nTHE DOGS AND THE HIDES\n\n\nSome hungry Dogs saw a number of hides at the bottom of a stream\nwhere the Tanner had put them to soak. A fine hide makes an\nexcellent meal for a hungry Dog, but the water was deep and the\nDogs could not reach the hides from the bank. So they held a\ncouncil and decided that the very best thing to do was to drink\nup the river.\n\nAll fell to lapping up the water as fast as they could. But\nthough they drank and drank until, one after another, all of them\nhad burst with drinking, still, for all their effort, the water\nin the river remained as high as ever.\n\n_Do not try to do impossible things._\n\n\n\n\nTHE RABBIT, THE WEASEL, AND THE CAT\n\n\nA Rabbit left his home one day for a dinner of clover. But he\nforgot to latch the door of his house and while he was gone a\nWeasel walked in and calmly made himself at home. When the Rabbit\nreturned, there was the Weasel's nose sticking out of the\nRabbit's own doorway, sniffing the fine air.\n\nThe Rabbit was quite angry--for a Rabbit--, and requested the\nWeasel to move out. But the Weasel was perfectly content. He was\nsettled down for good.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nA wise old Cat heard the dispute and offered to settle it.\n\n\"Come close to me,\" said the Cat, \"I am very deaf. Put your\nmouths close to my ears while you tell me the facts.\"\n\nThe unsuspecting pair did as they were told and in an instant the\nCat had them both under her claws. No one could deny that the\ndispute had been definitely settled.\n\n_The strong are apt to settle questions to their own advantage._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE BEAR AND THE BEES\n\n\nA Bear roaming the woods in search of berries happened on a\nfallen tree in which a swarm of Bees had stored their honey. The\nBear began to nose around the log very carefully to find out if\nthe Bees were at home. Just then one of the swarm came home from\nthe clover field with a load of sweets. Guessing what the Bear\nwas after, the Bee flew at him, stung him sharply and then\ndisappeared into the hollow log.\n\nThe Bear lost his temper in an instant, and sprang upon the log\ntooth and claw, to destroy the nest. But this only brought out\nthe whole swarm. The poor Bear had to take to his heels, and he\nwas able to save himself only by diving into a pool of water.\n\n_It is wiser to bear a single injury in silence than to provoke a\nthousand by flying into a rage._\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE LEOPARD\n\n\nA Fox and a Leopard, resting lazily after a generous dinner,\namused themselves by disputing about their good looks. The\nLeopard was very proud of his glossy, spotted coat and made\ndisdainful remarks about the Fox, whose appearance he declared\nwas quite ordinary.\n\nThe Fox prided himself on his fine bushy tail with its tip of\nwhite, but he was wise enough to see that he could not rival the\nLeopard in looks. Still he kept up a flow of sarcastic talk, just\nto exercise his wits and to have the fun of disputing. The\nLeopard was about to lose his temper when the Fox got up, yawning\nlazily.\n\n\"You may have a very smart coat,\" he said, \"but you would be a\ngreat deal better off if you had a little more smartness inside\nyour head and less on your ribs, the way I am. That's what I call\nreal beauty.\"\n\n_A fine coat is not always an indication of an attractive mind._\n\n[Illustration: THE FOX AND THE LEOPARD]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE HERON\n\n\nA Heron was walking sedately along the bank of a stream, his eyes\non the clear water, and his long neck and pointed bill ready to\nsnap up a likely morsel for his breakfast. The clear water\nswarmed with fish, but Master Heron was hard to please that\nmorning.\n\n\"No small fry for me,\" he said. \"Such scanty fare is not fit for\na Heron.\"\n\nNow a fine young Perch swam near.\n\n\"No indeed,\" said the Heron. \"I wouldn't even trouble to open my\nbeak for anything like that!\"\n\nAs the sun rose, the fish left the shallow water near the shore\nand swam below into the cool depths toward the middle. The Heron\nsaw no more fish, and very glad was he at last to breakfast on a\ntiny Snail.\n\n_Do not be too hard to suit or you may have to be content with\nthe worst or with nothing at all._\n\n\n\n\nTHE COCK AND THE FOX\n\n\nOne bright evening as the sun was sinking on a glorious world a\nwise old Cock flew into a tree to roost. Before he composed\nhimself to rest, he flapped his wings three times and crowed\nloudly. But just as he was about to put his head under his wing,\nhis beady eyes caught a flash of red and a glimpse of a long\npointed nose, and there just below him stood Master Fox.\n\n\"Have you heard the wonderful news?\" cried the Fox in a very\njoyful and excited manner.\n\n\"What news?\" asked the Cock very calmly. But he had a queer,\nfluttery feeling inside him, for, you know, he was very much\nafraid of the Fox.\n\n\"Your family and mine and all other animals have agreed to\nforget their differences and live in peace and friendship from\nnow on forever. Just think of it! I simply cannot wait to embrace\nyou! Do come down, dear friend, and let us celebrate the joyful\nevent.\"\n\n\"How grand!\" said the Cock. \"I certainly am delighted at the\nnews.\" But he spoke in an absent way, and stretching up on\ntiptoes, seemed to be looking at something afar off.\n\n\"What is it you see?\" asked the Fox a little anxiously.\n\n\"Why, it looks to me like a couple of Dogs coming this way. They\nmust have heard the good news and--\"\n\nBut the Fox did not wait to hear more. Off he started on a run.\n\n\"Wait,\" cried the Cock. \"Why do you run? The Dogs are friends of\nyours now!\"\n\n\"Yes,\" answered the Fox. \"But they might not have heard the news.\nBesides, I have a very important errand that I had almost\nforgotten about.\"\n\nThe Cock smiled as he buried his head in his feathers and went to\nsleep, for he had succeeded in outwitting a very crafty enemy.\n\n_The trickster is easily tricked._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE DOG IN THE MANGER\n\n\nA Dog asleep in a manger filled with hay, was awakened by the\nCattle, which came in tired and hungry from working in the field.\nBut the Dog would not let them get near the manger, and snarled\nand snapped as if it were filled with the best of meat and bones,\nall for himself.\n\nThe Cattle looked at the Dog in disgust. \"How selfish he is!\"\nsaid one. \"He cannot eat the hay and yet he will not let us eat\nit who are so hungry for it!\"\n\nNow the farmer came in. When he saw how the Dog was acting, he\nseized a stick and drove him out of the stable with many a blow\nfor his selfish behavior.\n\n_Do not grudge others what you cannot enjoy yourself._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF AND THE GOAT\n\n\nA hungry Wolf spied a Goat browsing at the top of a steep cliff\nwhere he could not possibly get at her.\n\n\"That is a very dangerous place for you,\" he called out,\npretending to be very anxious about the Goat's safety. \"What if\nyou should fall! Please listen to me and come down! Here you can\nget all you want of the finest, tenderest grass in the country.\"\n\nThe Goat looked over the edge of the cliff.\n\n\"How very, very anxious you are about me,\" she said, \"and how\ngenerous you are with your grass! But I know you! It's your _own_\nappetite you are thinking of, not mine!\"\n\n_An invitation prompted by selfishness is not to be accepted._\n\n\n\n\nTHE ASS AND THE GRASSHOPPERS\n\n\nOne day as an Ass was walking in the pasture, he found some\nGrasshoppers chirping merrily in a grassy corner of the field.\n\nHe listened with a great deal of admiration to the song of the\nGrasshoppers. It was such a joyful song that his pleasure-loving\nheart was filled with a wish to sing as they did.\n\n\"What is it?\" he asked very respectfully, \"that has given you\nsuch beautiful voices? Is there any special food you eat, or is\nit some divine nectar that makes you sing so wonderfully?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said the Grasshoppers, who were very fond of a joke; \"it\nis the dew we drink! Try some and see.\"\n\nSo thereafter the Ass would eat nothing and drink nothing but\ndew.\n\nNaturally, the poor foolish Ass soon died.\n\n_The laws of nature are unchangeable._\n\n\n\n\nTHE MULE\n\n\nA Mule had had a long rest and much good feeding. He was feeling\nvery vigorous indeed, and pranced around loftily, holding his\nhead high.\n\n\"My father certainly was a full-blooded racer,\" he said. \"I can\nfeel that distinctly.\"\n\nNext day he was put into harness again and that evening he was\nvery downhearted indeed.\n\n\"I was mistaken,\" he said. \"My father was an Ass after all.\"\n\n_Be sure of your pedigree before you boast of it._\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE GOAT\n\n\nA Fox fell into a well, and though it was not very deep, he found\nthat he could not get out again. After he had been in the well a\nlong time, a thirsty Goat came by. The Goat thought the Fox had\ngone down to drink, and so he asked if the water was good.\n\n\"The finest in the whole country,\" said the crafty Fox, \"jump in\nand try it. There is more than enough for both of us.\"\n\nThe thirsty Goat immediately jumped in and began to drink. The\nFox just as quickly jumped on the Goat's back and leaped from the\ntip of the Goat's horns out of the well.\n\nThe foolish Goat now saw what a plight he had got into, and\nbegged the Fox to help him out. But the Fox was already on his\nway to the woods.\n\n\"If you had as much sense as you have beard, old fellow,\" he said\nas he ran, \"you would have been more cautious about finding a way\nto get out again before you jumped in.\"\n\n_Look before you leap._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE CAT, THE COCK, AND THE YOUNG MOUSE\n\n\nA very young Mouse, who had never seen anything of the world,\nalmost came to grief the very first time he ventured out. And\nthis is the story he told his mother about his adventures.\n\n\"I was strolling along very peaceably when, just as I turned the\ncorner into the next yard, I saw two strange creatures. One of\nthem had a very kind and gracious look, but the other was the\nmost fearful monster you can imagine. You should have seen him.\n\n\"On top of his head and in front of his neck hung pieces of raw\nred meat. He walked about restlessly, tearing up the ground with\nhis toes, and beating his arms savagely against his sides. The\nmoment he caught sight of me he opened his pointed mouth as if to\nswallow me, and then he let out a piercing roar that frightened\nme almost to death.\"\n\nCan you guess who it was that our young Mouse was trying to\ndescribe to his mother? It was nobody but the Barnyard Cock and\nthe first one the little Mouse had ever seen.\n\n\"If it had not been for that terrible monster,\" the Mouse went\non, \"I should have made the acquaintance of the pretty creature,\nwho looked so good and gentle. He had thick, velvety fur, a meek\nface, and a look that was very modest, though his eyes were\nbright and shining. As he looked at me he waved his fine long\ntail and smiled.\n\n\"I am sure he was just about to speak to me when the monster I\nhave told you about let out a screaming yell, and I ran for my\nlife.\"\n\n\"My son,\" said the Mother Mouse, \"that gentle creature you saw\nwas none other than the Cat. Under his kindly appearance, he\nbears a grudge against every one of us. The other was nothing but\na bird who wouldn't harm you in the least. As for the Cat, he\neats us. So be thankful, my child, that you escaped with your\nlife, and, as long as you live, never judge people by their\nlooks.\"\n\n_Do not trust alone to outward appearances._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF AND THE SHEPHERD\n\n\nA Wolf had been prowling around a flock of Sheep for a long time,\nand the Shepherd watched very anxiously to prevent him from\ncarrying off a Lamb. But the Wolf did not try to do any harm.\nInstead he seemed to be helping the Shepherd take care of the\nSheep. At last the Shepherd got so used to seeing the Wolf about\nthat he forgot how wicked he could be.\n\nOne day he even went so far as to leave his flock in the Wolf's\ncare while he went on an errand. But when he came back and saw\nhow many of the flock had been killed and carried off, he knew\nhow foolish to trust a Wolf.\n\n_Once a wolf, always a wolf._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE PEACOCK AND THE CRANE\n\n\nA Peacock, puffed up with vanity, met a Crane one day, and to\nimpress him spread his gorgeous tail in the Sun.\n\n\"Look,\" he said. \"What have you to compare with this? I am\ndressed in all the glory of the rainbow, while your feathers are\ngray as dust!\"\n\nThe Crane spread his broad wings and flew up toward the sun.\n\n\"Follow me if you can,\" he said. But the Peacock stood where he\nwas among the birds of the barnyard, while the Crane soared in\nfreedom far up into the blue sky.\n\n_The useful is of much more importance and value, than the\nornamental._\n\n\n\n\nTHE FARMER AND THE CRANES\n\n\nSome Cranes saw a farmer plowing a large field. When the work of\nplowing was done, they patiently watched him sow the seed. It was\ntheir feast, they thought.\n\nSo, as soon as the Farmer had finished planting and had gone\nhome, down they flew to the field, and began to eat as fast as\nthey could.\n\nThe Farmer, of course, knew the Cranes and their ways. He had had\nexperience with such birds before. He soon returned to the field\nwith a sling. But he did not bring any stones with him. He\nexpected to scare the Cranes just by swinging the sling in the\nair, and shouting loudly at them.\n\nAt first the Cranes flew away in great terror. But they soon\nbegan to see that none of them ever got hurt. They did not even\nhear the noise of stones whizzing through the air, and as for\nwords, they would kill nobody. At last they paid no attention\nwhatever to the Farmer.\n\nThe Farmer saw that he would have to take other measures. He\nwanted to save at least some of his grain. So he loaded his sling\nwith stones and killed several of the Cranes. This had the effect\nthe Farmer wanted, for from that day the Cranes visited his field\nno more.\n\n_Bluff and threatening words are of little value with rascals._\n\n_Bluff is no proof that hard fists are lacking._\n\n\n\n\nTHE FARMER AND HIS SONS\n\n\nA rich old farmer, who felt that he had not many more days to\nlive, called his sons to his bedside.\n\n\"My sons,\" he said, \"heed what I have to say to you. Do not on\nany account part with the estate that has belonged to our family\nfor so many generations. Somewhere on it is hidden a rich\ntreasure. I do not know the exact spot, but it is there, and you\nwill surely find it. Spare no energy and leave no spot unturned\nin your search.\"\n\nThe father died, and no sooner was he in his grave than the sons\nset to work digging with all their might, turning up every foot\nof ground with their spades, and going over the whole farm two or\nthree times.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nNo hidden gold did they find; but at harvest time when they had\nsettled their accounts and had pocketed a rich profit far greater\nthan that of any of their neighbors, they understood that the\ntreasure their father had told them about was the wealth of a\nbountiful crop, and that in their industry had they found the\ntreasure.\n\n_Industry is itself a treasure._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE TWO POTS\n\n\nTwo Pots, one of brass and the other of clay, stood together on\nthe hearthstone. One day the Brass Pot proposed to the Earthen\nPot that they go out into the world together. But the Earthen Pot\nexcused himself, saying that it would be wiser for him to stay in\nthe corner by the fire.\n\n\"It would take so little to break me,\" he said. \"You know how\nfragile I am. The least shock is sure to shatter me!\"\n\n\"Don't let that keep you at home,\" urged the Brass Pot. \"I shall\ntake very good care of you. If we should happen to meet anything\nhard I will step between and save you.\"\n\nSo the Earthen Pot at last consented, and the two set out side by\nside, jolting along on three stubby legs first to this side, then\nto that, and bumping into each other at every step.\n\nThe Earthen Pot could not survive that sort of companionship very\nlong. They had not gone ten paces before the Earthen Pot cracked,\nand at the next jolt he flew into a thousand pieces.\n\n_Equals make the best friends._\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOOSE AND THE GOLDEN EGG\n\n\nThere was once a Countryman who possessed the most wonderful\nGoose you can imagine, for every day when he visited the nest,\nthe Goose had laid a beautiful, glittering, golden egg.\n\nThe Countryman took the eggs to market and soon began to get\nrich. But it was not long before he grew impatient with the Goose\nbecause she gave him only a single golden egg a day. He was not\ngetting rich fast enough.\n\nThen one day, after he had finished counting his money, the idea\ncame to him that he could get all the golden eggs at once by\nkilling the Goose and cutting it open. But when the deed was\ndone, not a single golden egg did he find, and his precious Goose\nwas dead.\n\n_Those who have plenty want more and so lose all they have._\n\n[Illustration: THE GOOSE AND THE GOLDEN EGG]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE FIGHTING BULLS AND THE FROG\n\n\nTwo Bulls were fighting furiously in a field, at one side of\nwhich was a marsh. An old Frog living in the marsh, trembled as\nhe watched the fierce battle.\n\n\"What are _you_ afraid of?\" asked a young Frog.\n\n\"Do you not see,\" replied the old Frog, \"that the Bull who is\nbeaten, will be driven away from the good forage up there to the\nreeds of this marsh, and we shall all be trampled into the mud?\"\n\nIt turned out as the Frog had said. The beaten Bull was driven to\nthe marsh, where his great hoofs crushed the Frogs to death.\n\n_When the great fall out, the weak must suffer for it._\n\n\n\n\nTHE MOUSE AND THE WEASEL\n\n\nA little hungry Mouse found his way one day into a basket of\ncorn. He had to squeeze himself a good deal to get through the\nnarrow opening between the strips of the basket. But the corn was\ntempting and the Mouse was determined to get in. When at last he\nhad succeeded, he gorged himself to bursting. Indeed he became\nabout three times as big around the middle as he was when he went\nin.\n\nAt last he felt satisfied and dragged himself to the opening to\nget out again. But the best he could do was to get his head out.\nSo there he sat groaning and moaning, both from the discomfort\ninside him and his anxiety to escape from the basket.\n\nJust then a Weasel came by. He understood the situation quickly.\n\n\"My friend,\" he said, \"I know what you've been doing. You've been\nstuffing. That's what you get. You will have to stay there till\nyou feel just like you did when you went in. Good night, and good\nenough for you.\"\n\nAnd that was all the sympathy the poor Mouse got.\n\n_Greediness leads to misfortune._\n\n\n\n\nTHE FARMER AND THE SNAKE\n\n\nA Farmer walked through his field one cold winter morning. On the\nground lay a Snake, stiff and frozen with the cold. The Farmer\nknew how deadly the Snake could be, and yet he picked it up and\nput it in his bosom to warm it back to life.\n\nThe Snake soon revived, and when it had enough strength, bit the\nman who had been so kind to it. The bite was deadly and the\nFarmer felt that he must die. As he drew his last breath, he said\nto those standing around:\n\n_Learn from my fate not to take pity on a scoundrel._\n\n\n\n\nTHE SICK STAG\n\n\nA Stag had fallen sick. He had just strength enough to gather\nsome food and find a quiet clearing in the woods, where he lay\ndown to wait until his strength should return. The Animals heard\nabout the Stag's illness and came to ask after his health. Of\ncourse, they were all hungry, and helped themselves freely to the\nStag's food; and as you would expect, the Stag soon starved to\ndeath.\n\n_Good will is worth nothing unless it is accompanied by good\nacts._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOATHERD AND THE WILD GOATS\n\n\nOne cold stormy day a Goatherd drove his Goats for shelter into a\ncave, where a number of Wild Goats had also found their way. The\nShepherd wanted to make the Wild Goats part of his flock; so he\nfed them well. But to his own flock, he gave only just enough\nfood to keep them alive. When the weather cleared, and the\nShepherd led the Goats out to feed, the Wild Goats scampered off\nto the hills.\n\n\"Is that the thanks I get for feeding you and treating you so\nwell?\" complained the Shepherd.\n\n\"Do not expect us to join your flock,\" replied one of the Wild\nGoats. \"We know how you would treat us later on, if some\nstrangers should come as we did.\"\n\n_It is unwise to treat old friends badly for the sake of new\nones._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE SPENDTHRIFT AND THE SWALLOW\n\n\nA young fellow, who was very popular among his boon companions as\na good spender, quickly wasted his fortune trying to live up to\nhis reputation. Then one fine day in early spring he found\nhimself with not a penny left, and no property save the clothes\nhe wore.\n\nHe was to meet some jolly young men that morning, and he was at\nhis wits' end how to get enough money to keep up appearances.\nJust then a Swallow flew by, twittering merrily, and the young\nman, thinking summer had come, hastened off to a clothes dealer,\nto whom he sold all the clothes he wore down to his very tunic.\n\nA few days later a change in weather brought a severe frost; and\nthe poor swallow and that foolish young man in his light tunic,\nand with his arms and knees bare, could scarcely keep life in\ntheir shivering bodies.\n\n_One swallow does not make a summer._\n\n\n\n\nTHE CAT AND THE BIRDS\n\n\nA Cat was growing very thin. As you have guessed, he did not get\nenough to eat. One day he heard that some Birds in the neighborhood\nwere ailing and needed a doctor. So he put on a pair of spectacles,\nand with a leather box in his hand, knocked at the door of the\nBird's home.\n\nThe Birds peeped out, and Dr. Cat, with much solicitude, asked\nhow they were. He would be very happy to give them some medicine.\n\n\"Tweet, tweet,\" laughed the Birds. \"Very smart, aren't you? We\nare very well, thank you, and more so, if _you_ only keep away\nfrom here.\"\n\n_Be wise and shun the quack._\n\n\n\n\nTHE DOG AND THE OYSTER\n\n\nThere was once a Dog who was very fond of eggs. He visited the\nhen house very often and at last got so greedy that he would\nswallow the eggs whole.\n\nOne day the Dog wandered down to the seashore. There he spied an\nOyster. In a twinkling the Oyster was resting in the Dog's\nstomach, shell and all.\n\nIt pained the Dog a good deal, as you can guess.\n\n\"I've learned that all round things are not eggs,\" he said\ngroaning.\n\n_Act in haste and repent at leisure--and often in pain._\n\n\n\n\nTHE ASTROLOGER\n\n\nA man who lived a long time ago believed that he could read the\nfuture in the stars. He called himself an Astrologer, and spent\nhis time at night gazing at the sky.\n\nOne evening he was walking along the open road outside the\nvillage. His eyes were fixed on the stars. He thought he saw\nthere that the end of the world was at hand, when all at once,\ndown he went into a hole full of mud and water.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThere he stood up to his ears, in the muddy water, and madly\nclawing at the slippery sides of the hole in his effort to climb\nout.\n\nHis cries for help soon brought the villagers running. As they\npulled him out of the mud, one of them said:\n\n\"You pretend to read the future in the stars, and yet you fail to\nsee what is at your feet! This may teach you to pay more\nattention to what is right in front of you, and let the future\ntake care of itself.\"\n\n\"What use is it,\" said another, \"to read the stars, when you\ncan't see what's right here on the earth?\"\n\n_Take care of the little things and the big things will take care\nof themselves._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHREE BULLOCKS AND A LION\n\n\nA Lion had been watching three Bullocks feeding in an open field.\nHe had tried to attack them several times, but they had kept\ntogether, and helped each other to drive him off. The Lion had\nlittle hope of eating them, for he was no match for three strong\nBullocks with their sharp horns and hoofs. But he could not keep\naway from that field, for it is hard to resist watching a good\nmeal, even when there is little chance of getting it.\n\nThen one day the Bullocks had a quarrel, and when the hungry Lion\ncame to look at them and lick his chops as he was accustomed to\ndo, he found them in separate corners of the field, as far away\nfrom one another as they could get.\n\nIt was now an easy matter for the Lion to attack them one at a\ntime, and this he proceeded to do with the greatest satisfaction\nand relish.\n\n_In unity is strength._\n\n\n\n\nMERCURY AND THE WOODMAN\n\n\nA poor Woodman was cutting down a tree near the edge of a deep\npool in the forest. It was late in the day and the Woodman was\ntired. He had been working since sunrise and his strokes were not\nso sure as they had been early that morning. Thus it happened\nthat the axe slipped and flew out of his hands into the pool.\n\nThe Woodman was in despair. The axe was all he possessed with\nwhich to make a living, and he had not money enough to buy a new\none. As he stood wringing his hands and weeping, the god Mercury\nsuddenly appeared and asked what the trouble was. The Woodman\ntold what had happened, and straightway the kind Mercury dived\ninto the pool. When he came up again he held a wonderful golden\naxe.\n\n\"Is this your axe?\" Mercury asked the Woodman.\n\n\"No,\" answered the honest Woodman, \"that is not my axe.\"\n\nMercury laid the golden axe on the bank and sprang back into the\npool. This time he brought up an axe of silver, but the Woodman\ndeclared again that his axe was just an ordinary one with a\nwooden handle.\n\nMercury dived down for the third time, and when he came up again\nhe had the very axe that had been lost.\n\nThe poor Woodman was very glad that his axe had been found and\ncould not thank the kind god enough. Mercury was greatly pleased\nwith the Woodman's honesty.\n\n\"I admire your honesty,\" he said, \"and as a reward you may have\nall three axes, the gold and the silver as well as your own.\"\n\nThe happy Woodman returned to his home with his treasures, and\nsoon the story of his good fortune was known to everybody in the\nvillage. Now there were several Woodmen in the village who\nbelieved that they could easily win the same good fortune. They\nhurried out into the woods, one here, one there, and hiding their\naxes in the bushes, pretended they had lost them. Then they wept\nand wailed and called on Mercury to help them.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAnd indeed, Mercury did appear, first to this one, then to that.\nTo each one he showed an axe of gold, and each one eagerly\nclaimed it to be the one he had lost. But Mercury did not give\nthem the golden axe. Oh no! Instead he gave them each a hard\nwhack over the head with it and sent them home. And when they\nreturned next day to look for their own axes, they were nowhere\nto be found.\n\n_Honesty is the best policy._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE FROG AND THE MOUSE\n\n\nA young Mouse in search of adventure was running along the bank\nof a pond where lived a Frog. When the Frog saw the Mouse, he\nswam to the bank and croaked:\n\n\"Won't you pay me a visit? I can promise you a good time if you\ndo.\"\n\nThe Mouse did not need much coaxing, for he was very anxious to\nsee the world and everything in it. But though he could swim a\nlittle, he did not dare risk going into the pond without some\nhelp.\n\nThe Frog had a plan. He tied the Mouse's leg to his own with a\ntough reed. Then into the pond he jumped, dragging his foolish\ncompanion with him.\n\nThe Mouse soon had enough of it and wanted to return to shore;\nbut the treacherous Frog had other plans. He pulled the Mouse\ndown under the water and drowned him. But before he could untie\nthe reed that bound him to the dead Mouse, a Hawk came sailing\nover the pond. Seeing the body of the Mouse floating on the\nwater, the Hawk swooped down, seized the Mouse and carried it\noff, with the Frog dangling from its leg. Thus at one swoop he\nhad caught both meat and fish for his dinner.\n\n_Those who seek to harm others often come to harm themselves\nthrough their own deceit._\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE CRAB\n\n\nA Crab one day grew disgusted with the sands in which he lived.\nHe decided to take a stroll to the meadow not far inland. There\nhe would find better fare than briny water and sand mites. So off\nhe crawled to the meadow. But there a hungry Fox spied him, and\nin a twinkling, ate him up, both shell and claw.\n\n_Be content with your lot._\n\n\n\n\nTHE SERPENT AND THE EAGLE\n\n\nA Serpent had succeeded in surprising an Eagle and had wrapped\nhimself around the Eagle's neck. The Eagle could not reach the\nSerpent, neither with beak nor claws. Far into the sky he soared\ntrying to shake off his enemy. But the Serpent's hold only\ntightened, and slowly the Eagle sank back to earth, gasping for\nbreath.\n\nA Countryman chanced to see the unequal combat. In pity for the\nnoble Eagle he rushed up and soon had loosened the coiling\nSerpent and freed the Eagle.\n\nThe Serpent was furious. He had no chance to bite the watchful\nCountryman. Instead he struck at the drinking horn, hanging at\nthe Countryman's belt, and into it let fly the poison of his\nfangs.\n\nThe Countryman now went on toward home. Becoming thirsty on the\nway, he filled his horn at a spring, and was about to drink.\nThere was a sudden rush of great wings. Sweeping down, the Eagle\nseized the poisoned horn from out his savior's hands, and flew\naway with it to hide it where it could never be found.\n\n_An act of kindness is well repaid._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING\n\n\nA certain Wolf could not get enough to eat because of the\nwatchfulness of the Shepherds. But one night he found a sheep\nskin that had been cast aside and forgotten. The next day,\ndressed in the skin, the Wolf strolled into the pasture with the\nSheep. Soon a little Lamb was following him about and was quickly\nled away to slaughter.\n\nThat evening the Wolf entered the fold with the flock. But it\nhappened that the Shepherd took a fancy for mutton broth that\nvery evening, and, picking up a knife, went to the fold. There\nthe first he laid hands on and killed was the Wolf.\n\n_The evil doer often comes to harm through his own deceit._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE BULL AND THE GOAT\n\n\nA Bull once escaped from a Lion by entering a cave which the\nGoatherds used to house their flocks in stormy weather and at\nnight. It happened that one of the Goats had been left behind,\nand the Bull had no sooner got inside than this Goat lowered his\nhead and made a rush at him, butting him with his horns. As the\nLion was still prowling outside the entrance to the cave, the\nBull had to submit to the insult.\n\n\"Do not think,\" he said, \"that I submit to your cowardly\ntreatment because I am afraid of you. When that Lion leaves, I'll\nteach you a lesson you won't forget.\"\n\n_It is wicked to take advantage of another's distress._\n\n\n\n\nTHE EAGLE AND THE BEETLE\n\n\nA Beetle once begged the Eagle to spare a Hare which had run to\nher for protection. But the Eagle pounced upon her prey, the\nsweep of her great wings tumbling the Beetle a dozen feet away.\nFurious at the disrespect shown her, the Beetle flew to the\nEagle's nest and rolled out the eggs. Not one did she spare. The\nEagle's grief and anger knew no bounds, but who had done the\ncruel deed she did not know.\n\nNext year the Eagle built her nest far up on a mountain crag; but\nthe Beetle found it and again destroyed the eggs. In despair the\nEagle now implored great Jupiter to let her place her eggs in his\nlap. There none would dare harm them. But the Beetle buzzed about\nJupiter's head, and made him rise to drive her away; and the eggs\nrolled from his lap.\n\nNow the Beetle told the reason for her action, and Jupiter had to\nacknowledge the justice of her cause. And they say that ever\nafter, while the Eagle's eggs lie in the nest in spring, the\nBeetle still sleeps in the ground. For so Jupiter commanded.\n\n_Even the weakest may find means to avenge a wrong._\n\n[Illustration: THE EAGLE AND THE BEETLE]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE OLD LION AND THE FOX\n\n\nAn old Lion, whose teeth and claws were so worn that it was not\nso easy for him to get food as in his younger days, pretended\nthat he was sick. He took care to let all his neighbors know\nabout it, and then lay down in his cave to wait for visitors. And\nwhen they came to offer him their sympathy, he ate them up one by\none.\n\nThe Fox came too, but he was very cautious about it. Standing at\na safe distance from the cave, he inquired politely after the\nLion's health. The Lion replied that he was very ill indeed, and\nasked the Fox to step in for a moment. But Master Fox very wisely\nstayed outside, thanking the Lion very kindly for the invitation.\n\n\"I should be glad to do as you ask,\" he added, \"but I have\nnoticed that there are many footprints leading into your cave and\nnone coming out. Pray tell me, how do your visitors find their\nway out again?\"\n\n_Take warning from the misfortunes of others._\n\n\n\n\nTHE MAN AND THE LION\n\n\nA Lion and a Man chanced to travel in company through the forest.\nThey soon began to quarrel, for each of them boasted that he and\nhis kind were far superior to the other both in strength and\nmind.\n\nNow they reached a clearing in the forest and there stood a\nstatue. It was a representation of Heracles in the act of tearing\nthe jaws of the Nemean Lion.\n\n\"See,\" said the man, \"that's how strong _we_ are! The King of\nBeasts is like wax in our hands!\"\n\n\"Ho!\" laughed the Lion, \"a Man made that statue. It would have\nbeen quite a different scene had a Lion made it!\"\n\n_It all depends on the point of view, and who tells the story._\n\n\n\n\nTHE ASS AND THE LAP DOG\n\n\nThere was once an Ass whose Master also owned a Lap Dog. This Dog\nwas a favorite and received many a pat and kind word from his\nMaster, as well as choice bits from his plate. Every day the Dog\nwould run to meet the Master, frisking playfully about and\nleaping up to lick his hands and face.\n\nAll this the Ass saw with much discontent. Though he was well\nfed, he had much work to do; besides, the Master hardly ever took\nany notice of him.\n\nNow the jealous Ass got it into his silly head that all he had to\ndo to win his Master's favor was to act like the Dog. So one day\nhe left his stable and clattered eagerly into the house.\n\nFinding his Master seated at the dinner table, he kicked up his\nheels and, with a loud bray, pranced giddily around the table,\nupsetting it as he did so. Then he planted his forefeet on his\nMaster's knees and rolled out his tongue to lick the Master's\nface, as he had seen the Dog do. But his weight upset the chair,\nand Ass and man rolled over together in the pile of broken dishes\nfrom the table.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Master was much alarmed at the strange behavior of the Ass,\nand calling for help, soon attracted the attention of the\nservants. When they saw the danger the Master was in from the\nclumsy beast, they set upon the Ass and drove him with kicks and\nblows back to the stable. There they left him to mourn the\nfoolishness that had brought him nothing but a sound beating.\n\n_Behavior that is regarded as agreeable in one is very rude and\nimpertinent in another._\n\n_Do not try to gain favor by acting in a way that is contrary to\nyour own nature and character._\n\n\n\n\nTHE MILKMAID AND HER PAIL\n\n\nA Milkmaid had been out to milk the cows and was returning from\nthe field with the shining milk pail balanced nicely on her head.\nAs she walked along, her pretty head was busy with plans for the\ndays to come.\n\n\"This good, rich milk,\" she mused, \"will give me plenty of cream\nto churn. The butter I make I will take to market, and with the\nmoney I get for it I will buy a lot of eggs for hatching. How\nnice it will be when they are all hatched and the yard is full of\nfine young chicks. Then when May day comes I will sell them, and\nwith the money I'll buy a lovely new dress to wear to the fair.\nAll the young men will look at me. They will come and try to make\nlove to me,--but I shall very quickly send them about their\nbusiness!\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nAs she thought of how she would settle that matter, she tossed\nher head scornfully, and down fell the pail of milk to the\nground. And all the milk flowed out, and with it vanished butter\nand eggs and chicks and new dress and all the milkmaid's pride.\n\n_Do not count your chickens before they are hatched._\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF AND THE SHEPHERD\n\n\nA Wolf, lurking near the Shepherd's hut, saw the Shepherd and his\nfamily feasting on a roasted lamb.\n\n\"Aha!\" he muttered. \"What a great shouting and running about\nthere would have been, had they caught me at just the very thing\nthey are doing with so much enjoyment!\"\n\n_Men often condemn others for what they see no wrong in doing\nthemselves._\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOATHERD AND THE GOAT\n\n\nA Goat strayed away from the flock, tempted by a patch of clover.\nThe Goatherd tried to call it back, but in vain. It would not\nobey him. Then he picked up a stone and threw it, breaking the\nGoat's horn.\n\nThe Goatherd was frightened.\n\n\"Do not tell the master,\" he begged the Goat.\n\n\"No,\" said the Goat, \"that broken horn can speak for itself!\"\n\n_Wicked deeds will not stay hid._\n\n\n\n\nTHE MISER\n\n\nA Miser had buried his gold in a secret place in his garden.\nEvery day he went to the spot, dug up the treasure and counted it\npiece by piece to make sure it was all there. He made so many\ntrips that a Thief, who had been observing him, guessed what it\nwas the Miser had hidden, and one night quietly dug up the\ntreasure and made off with it.\n\nWhen the Miser discovered his loss, he was overcome with grief\nand despair. He groaned and cried and tore his hair.\n\nA passerby heard his cries and asked what had happened.\n\n\"My gold! O my gold!\" cried the Miser, wildly, \"someone has\nrobbed me!\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\"Your gold! There in that hole? Why did you put it there? Why did\nyou not keep it in the house where you could easily get it when\nyou had to buy things?\"\n\n\"Buy!\" screamed the Miser angrily. \"Why, I never touched the\ngold. I couldn't think of spending any of it.\"\n\nThe stranger picked up a large stone and threw it into the hole.\n\n\"If that is the case,\" he said, \"cover up that stone. It is worth\njust as much to you as the treasure you lost!\"\n\n_A possession is worth no more than the use we make of it._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF AND THE HOUSE DOG\n\n\nThere was once a Wolf who got very little to eat because the Dogs\nof the village were so wide awake and watchful. He was really\nnothing but skin and bones, and it made him very downhearted to\nthink of it.\n\nOne night this Wolf happened to fall in with a fine fat House Dog\nwho had wandered a little too far from home. The Wolf would\ngladly have eaten him then and there, but the House Dog looked\nstrong enough to leave his marks should he try it. So the Wolf\nspoke very humbly to the Dog, complimenting him on his fine\nappearance.\n\n\"You can be as well-fed as I am if you want to,\" replied the Dog.\n\"Leave the woods; there you live miserably. Why, you have to\nfight hard for every bite you get. Follow my example and you will\nget along beautifully.\"\n\n\"What must I do?\" asked the Wolf.\n\n\"Hardly anything,\" answered the House Dog. \"Chase people who\ncarry canes, bark at beggars, and fawn on the people of the\nhouse. In return you will get tidbits of every kind, chicken\nbones, choice bits of meat, sugar, cake, and much more beside,\nnot to speak of kind words and caresses.\"\n\nThe Wolf had such a beautiful vision of his coming happiness that\nhe almost wept. But just then he noticed that the hair on the\nDog's neck was worn and the skin was chafed.\n\n\"What is that on your neck?\"\n\n\"Nothing at all,\" replied the Dog.\n\n\"What! nothing!\"\n\n\"Oh, just a trifle!\"\n\n\"But please tell me.\"\n\n\"Perhaps you see the mark of the collar to which my chain is\nfastened.\"\n\n\"What! A chain!\" cried the Wolf. \"Don't you go wherever you\nplease?\"\n\n\"Not always! But what's the difference?\" replied the Dog.\n\n\"All the difference in the world! I don't care a rap for your\nfeasts and I wouldn't take all the tender young lambs in the\nworld at that price.\" And away ran the Wolf to the woods.\n\n_There is nothing worth so much as liberty._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE HEDGEHOG\n\n\nA Fox, swimming across a river, was barely able to reach the\nbank, where he lay bruised and exhausted from his struggle with\nthe swift current. Soon a swarm of blood-sucking flies settled on\nhim; but he lay quietly, still too weak to run away from them.\n\nA Hedgehog happened by. \"Let me drive the flies away,\" he said\nkindly.\n\n\"No, no!\" exclaimed the Fox, \"do not disturb them! They have\ntaken all they can hold. If you drive them away, another greedy\nswarm will come and take the little blood I have left.\"\n\n_Better to bear a lesser evil than to risk a greater in removing\nit._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE BAT AND THE WEASELS\n\n\nA Bat blundered into the nest of a Weasel, who ran up to catch\nand eat him. The Bat begged for his life, but the Weasel would\nnot listen.\n\n\"You are a Mouse,\" he said, \"and I am a sworn enemy of Mice.\nEvery Mouse I catch, I am going to eat!\"\n\n\"But I am not a Mouse!\" cried the Bat. \"Look at my wings. Can\nMice fly? Why, I am only a Bird! Please let me go!\"\n\nThe Weasel had to admit that the Bat was not a Mouse, so he let\nhim go. But a few days later, the foolish Bat went blindly into\nthe nest of another Weasel. This Weasel happened to be a bitter\nenemy of Birds, and he soon had the Bat under his claws, ready to\neat him.\n\n\"You are a Bird,\" he said, \"and I am going to eat you!\"\n\n\"What,\" cried the Bat, \"I, a Bird! Why, all Birds have feathers!\nI am nothing but a Mouse. 'Down with all Cats,' is _my_ motto!\"\n\nAnd so the Bat escaped with his life a second time.\n\n_Set your sails with the wind._\n\n\n\n\nTHE QUACK TOAD\n\n\nAn old Toad once informed all his neighbors that he was a learned\ndoctor. In fact he could cure anything. The Fox heard the news\nand hurried to see the Toad. He looked the Toad over very\ncarefully.\n\n\"Mr. Toad,\" he said, \"I've been told that you cure anything! But\njust take a look at yourself, and then try some of your own\nmedicine. If you can cure yourself of that blotchy skin and that\nrheumatic gait, someone might believe you. Otherwise, I should\nadvise you to try some other profession.\"\n\n_Those who would mend others, should first mend themselves._\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX WITHOUT A TAIL\n\n\nA Fox that had been caught in a trap, succeeded at last, after\nmuch painful tugging, in getting away. But he had to leave his\nbeautiful bushy tail behind him.\n\nFor a long time he kept away from the other Foxes, for he knew\nwell enough that they would all make fun of him and crack jokes\nand laugh behind his back. But it was hard for him to live alone,\nand at last he thought of a plan that would perhaps help him out\nof his trouble.\n\nHe called a meeting of all the Foxes, saying that he had\nsomething of great importance to tell the tribe.\n\nWhen they were all gathered together, the Fox Without a Tail got\nup and made a long speech about those Foxes who had come to harm\nbecause of their tails.\n\nThis one had been caught by hounds when his tail had become\nentangled in the hedge. That one had not been able to run fast\nenough because of the weight of his brush. Besides, it was well\nknown, he said, that men hunt Foxes simply for their tails, which\nthey cut off as prizes of the hunt. With such proof of the danger\nand uselessness of having a tail, said Master Fox, he would\nadvise every Fox to cut it off, if he valued life and safety.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen he had finished talking, an old Fox arose, and said,\nsmiling:\n\n\"Master Fox, kindly turn around for a moment, and you shall have\nyour answer.\"\n\nWhen the poor Fox Without a Tail turned around, there arose such\na storm of jeers and hooting, that he saw how useless it was to\ntry any longer to persuade the Foxes to part with their tails.\n\n_Do not listen to the advice of him who seeks to lower you to his\nown level._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE MISCHIEVOUS DOG\n\n\nThere was once a Dog who was so ill-natured and mischievous that\nhis Master had to fasten a heavy wooden clog about his neck to\nkeep him from annoying visitors and neighbors. But the Dog seemed\nto be very proud of the clog and dragged it about noisily as if\nhe wished to attract everybody's attention. He was not able to\nimpress anyone.\n\n\"You would be wiser,\" said an old acquaintance, \"to keep quietly\nout of sight with that clog. Do you want everybody to know what a\ndisgraceful and ill-natured Dog you are?\"\n\n_Notoriety is not fame._\n\n\n\n\nTHE ROSE AND THE BUTTERFLY\n\n\nA Butterfly once fell in love with a beautiful Rose. The Rose was\nnot indifferent, for the Butterfly's wings were powdered in a\ncharming pattern of gold and silver. And so, when he fluttered\nnear and told how he loved her, she blushed rosily and said yes.\nAfter much pretty love-making and many whispered vows of\nconstancy, the Butterfly took a tender leave of his sweetheart.\n\nBut alas! It was a long time before he came back to her.\n\n\"Is this your constancy?\" she exclaimed tearfully. \"It is ages\nsince you went away, and all the time, you have been carrying on\nwith all sorts of flowers. I saw you kiss Miss Geranium, and you\nfluttered around Miss Mignonette until Honey Bee chased you away.\nI wish he had stung you!\"\n\n\"Constancy!\" laughed the Butterfly. \"I had no sooner left you\nthan I saw Zephyr kissing you. You carried on scandalously with\nMr. Bumble Bee and you made eyes at every single Bug you could\nsee. You can't expect any constancy from me!\"\n\n_Do not expect constancy in others if you have none yourself._\n\n[Illustration: THE ROSE AND THE BUTTERFLY]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE CAT AND THE FOX\n\n\nOnce a Cat and a Fox were traveling together. As they went along,\npicking up provisions on the way--a stray mouse here, a fat\nchicken there--they began an argument to while away the time\nbetween bites. And, as usually happens when comrades argue, the\ntalk began to get personal.\n\n\"You think you are extremely clever, don't you?\" said the Fox.\n\"Do you pretend to know more than I? Why, I know a whole sackful\nof tricks!\"\n\n\"Well,\" retorted the Cat, \"I admit I know one trick only, but\nthat one, let me tell you, is worth a thousand of yours!\"\n\nJust then, close by, they heard a hunter's horn and the yelping\nof a pack of hounds. In an instant the Cat was up a tree, hiding\namong the leaves.\n\n\"This is my trick,\" he called to the Fox. \"Now let me see what\nyours are worth.\"\n\nBut the Fox had so many plans for escape he could not decide\nwhich one to try first. He dodged here and there with the hounds\nat his heels. He doubled on his tracks, he ran at top speed, he\nentered a dozen burrows,--but all in vain. The hounds caught him,\nand soon put an end to the boaster and all his tricks.\n\n_Common sense is always worth more than cunning._\n\n\n\n\nTHE BOY AND THE NETTLE\n\n\nA Boy, stung by a Nettle, ran home crying, to get his mother to\nblow on the hurt and kiss it.\n\n\"Son,\" said the Boy's mother, when she had comforted him, \"the\nnext time you come near a Nettle, grasp it firmly, and it will be\nas soft as silk.\"\n\n_Whatever you do, do with all your might._\n\n\n\n\nTHE OLD LION\n\n\nA Lion had grown very old. His teeth were worn away. His limbs\ncould no longer bear him, and the King of Beasts was very pitiful\nindeed as he lay gasping on the ground, about to die.\n\nWhere now his strength and his former graceful beauty?\n\nNow a Boar spied him, and rushing at him, gored him with his\nyellow tusk. A Bull trampled him with his heavy hoofs. Even a\ncontemptible Ass let fly his heels and brayed his insults in the\nface of the Lion.\n\n_It is cowardly to attack the defenseless, though he be an\nenemy._\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE PHEASANTS\n\n\nOne moonlight evening as Master Fox was taking his usual stroll\nin the woods, he saw a number of Pheasants perched quite out of\nhis reach on a limb of a tall old tree. The sly Fox soon found a\nbright patch of moonlight, where the Pheasants could see him\nclearly; there he raised himself up on his hind legs, and began a\nwild dance. First he whirled 'round and 'round like a top, then\nhe hopped up and down, cutting all sorts of strange capers. The\nPheasants stared giddily. They hardly dared blink for fear of\nlosing him out of their sight a single instant.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nNow the Fox made as if to climb a tree, now he fell over and lay\nstill, playing dead, and the next instant he was hopping on all\nfours, his back in the air, and his bushy tail shaking so that it\nseemed to throw out silver sparks in the moonlight.\n\nBy this time the poor birds' heads were in a whirl. And when the\nFox began his performance all over again, so dazed did they\nbecome, that they lost their hold on the limb, and fell down one\nby one to the Fox.\n\n_Too much attention to danger may cause us to fall victims to\nit._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTWO TRAVELERS AND A BEAR\n\n\nTwo Men were traveling in company through a forest, when, all at\nonce, a huge Bear crashed out of the brush near them.\n\nOne of the Men, thinking of his own safety, climbed a tree.\n\nThe other, unable to fight the savage beast alone, threw himself\non the ground and lay still, as if he were dead. He had heard\nthat a Bear will not touch a dead body.\n\nIt must have been true, for the Bear snuffed at the Man's head\nawhile, and then, seeming to be satisfied that he was dead,\nwalked away.\n\nThe Man in the tree climbed down.\n\n\"It looked just as if that Bear whispered in your ear,\" he said.\n\"What did he tell you?\"\n\n\"He said,\" answered the other, \"that it was not at all wise to\nkeep company with a fellow who would desert his friend in a\nmoment of danger.\"\n\n_Misfortune is the test of true friendship._\n\n\n\n\nTHE PORCUPINE AND THE SNAKES\n\n\nA Porcupine was looking for a good home. At last he found a\nlittle sheltered cave, where lived a family of Snakes. He asked\nthem to let him share the cave with them, and the Snakes kindly\nconsented.\n\nThe Snakes soon wished they had not given him permission to stay.\nHis sharp quills pricked them at every turn, and at last they\npolitely asked him to leave.\n\n\"I am very well satisfied, thank you,\" said the Porcupine. \"I\nintend to stay right here.\" And with that, he politely escorted\nthe Snakes out of doors. And to save their skins, the Snakes had\nto look for another home.\n\n_Give a finger and lose a hand._\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE MONKEY\n\n\nAt a great meeting of the Animals, who had gathered to elect a\nnew ruler, the Monkey was asked to dance. This he did so well,\nwith a thousand funny capers and grimaces, that the Animals were\ncarried entirely off their feet with enthusiasm, and then and\nthere, elected him their king.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Fox did not vote for the Monkey and was much disgusted with\nthe Animals for electing so unworthy a ruler.\n\nOne day he found a trap with a bit of meat in it. Hurrying to\nKing Monkey, he told him he had found a rich treasure, which he\nhad not touched because it belonged by right to his majesty the\nMonkey.\n\nThe greedy Monkey followed the Fox to the trap. As soon as he saw\nthe meat he grasped eagerly for it, only to find himself held\nfast in the trap. The Fox stood off and laughed.\n\n\"You pretend to be our king,\" he said, \"and cannot even take care\nof yourself!\"\n\nShortly after that, another election among the Animals was held.\n\n_The true leader proves himself by his qualities._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE MOTHER AND THE WOLF\n\n\nEarly one morning a hungry Wolf was prowling around a cottage at\nthe edge of a village, when he heard a child crying in the house.\nThen he heard the Mother's voice say:\n\n\"Hush, child, hush! Stop your crying, or I will give you to the\nWolf!\"\n\nSurprised but delighted at the prospect of so delicious a meal,\nthe Wolf settled down under an open window, expecting every\nmoment to have the child handed out to him. But though the little\none continued to fret, the Wolf waited all day in vain. Then,\ntoward nightfall, he heard the Mother's voice again as she sat\ndown near the window to sing and rock her baby to sleep.\n\n\"There, child, there! The Wolf shall not get you. No, no! Daddy\nis watching and Daddy will kill him if he should come near!\"\n\nJust then the Father came within sight of the home, and the Wolf\nwas barely able to save himself from the Dogs by a clever bit of\nrunning.\n\n_Do not believe everything you hear._\n\n\n\n\nTHE FLIES AND THE HONEY\n\n\nA jar of honey was upset and the sticky sweetness flowed out on\nthe table. The sweet smell of the honey soon brought a large\nnumber of Flies buzzing around. They did not wait for an\ninvitation. No, indeed; they settled right down, feet and all, to\ngorge themselves. The Flies were quickly smeared from head to\nfoot with honey. Their wings stuck together. They could not pull\ntheir feet out of the sticky mass. And so they died, giving their\nlives for the sake of a taste of sweetness.\n\n_Be not greedy for a little passing pleasure. It may destroy\nyou._\n\n\n\n\nTHE EAGLE AND THE KITE\n\n\nAn Eagle sat high in the branches of a great Oak. She seemed very\nsad and drooping for an Eagle. A Kite saw her.\n\n\"Why do you look so woebegone?\" asked the Kite.\n\n\"I want to get married,\" replied the Eagle, \"and I can't find a\nmate who can provide for me as I should like.\"\n\n\"Take me,\" said the Kite; \"I am very strong, stronger even than\nyou!\"\n\n\"Do you really think you can provide for me?\" asked the Eagle\neagerly.\n\n\"Why, of course,\" replied the Kite. \"That would be a very simple\nmatter. I am so strong I can carry away an Ostrich in my talons\nas if it were a feather!\"\n\nThe Eagle accepted the Kite immediately. But after the wedding,\nwhen the Kite flew away to find something to eat for his bride,\nall he had when he returned, was a tiny Mouse.\n\n\"Is that the Ostrich you talked about?\" said the Eagle in\ndisgust.\n\n\"To win you I would have said and promised anything,\" replied the\nKite.\n\n_Everything is fair in love._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE STAG, THE SHEEP, AND THE WOLF\n\n\nOne day a Stag came to a Sheep and asked her to lend him a\nmeasure of wheat. The Sheep knew him for a very swift runner, who\ncould easily take himself out of reach, were he so inclined. So\nshe asked him if he knew someone who would answer for him.\n\n\"Yes, yes,\" answered the Stag confidently, \"the Wolf has promised\nto be my surety.\"\n\n\"The Wolf!\" exclaimed the Sheep indignantly. \"Do you think I\nwould trust you on such security? I know the Wolf! He takes what\nhe wants and runs off with it without paying. As for you, you can\nuse your legs so well that I should have little chance of\ncollecting the debt if I had to catch you for it!\"\n\n_Two blacks do not make a white._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE ANIMALS AND THE PLAGUE\n\n\nOnce upon a time a severe plague raged among the animals. Many\ndied, and those who lived were so ill, that they cared for\nneither food nor drink, and dragged themselves about listlessly.\nNo longer could a fat young hen tempt Master Fox to dinner, nor a\ntender lamb rouse greedy Sir Wolf's appetite.\n\nAt last the Lion decided to call a council. When all the animals\nwere gathered together he arose and said:\n\n\"Dear friends, I believe the gods have sent this plague upon us\nas a punishment for our sins. Therefore, the most guilty one of\nus must be offered in sacrifice. Perhaps we may thus obtain\nforgiveness and cure for all.\n\n\"I will confess all _my_ sins first. I admit that I have been\nvery greedy and have devoured many sheep. They had done me no\nharm. I have eaten goats and bulls and stags. To tell the truth,\nI even ate up a shepherd now and then.\n\n\"Now, if I am the most guilty, I am ready to be sacrificed. But I\nthink it best that each one confess his sins as I have done. Then\nwe can decide in all justice who is the most guilty.\"\n\n\"Your majesty,\" said the Fox, \"you are too good. Can it be a\ncrime to eat sheep, such stupid mutton heads? No, no, your\nmajesty. You have done them great honor by eating them up.\n\n\"And so far as shepherds are concerned, we all know they belong\nto that puny race that pretends to be our masters.\"\n\nAll the animals applauded the Fox loudly. Then, though the Tiger,\nthe Bear, the Wolf, and all the savage beasts recited the most\nwicked deeds, all were excused and made to appear very saint-like\nand innocent.\n\nIt was now the Ass's turn to confess.\n\n\"I remember,\" he said guiltily, \"that one day as I was passing a\nfield belonging to some priests, I was so tempted by the tender\ngrass and my hunger, that I could not resist nibbling a bit of\nit. I had no right to do it, I admit--\"\n\nA great uproar among the beasts interrupted him. Here was the\nculprit who had brought misfortune on all of them! What a\nhorrible crime it was to eat grass that belonged to someone else!\nIt was enough to hang anyone for, much more an Ass.\n\nImmediately they all fell upon him, the Wolf in the lead, and\nsoon had made an end to him, sacrificing him to the gods then and\nthere, and without the formality of an altar.\n\n_The weak are made to suffer for the misdeeds of the powerful._\n\n\n\n\nTHE SHEPHERD AND THE LION\n\n\nA Shepherd, counting his Sheep one day, discovered that a number\nof them were missing.\n\nMuch irritated, he very loudly and boastfully declared that he\nwould catch the thief and punish him as he deserved. The Shepherd\nsuspected a Wolf of the deed and so set out toward a rocky region\namong the hills, where there were caves infested by Wolves. But\nbefore starting out he made a vow to Jupiter that if he would\nhelp him find the thief he would offer a fat Calf as a sacrifice.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Shepherd searched a long time without finding any Wolves, but\njust as he was passing near a large cave on the mountain side, a\nhuge Lion stalked out, carrying a Sheep. In great terror the\nShepherd fell on his knees.\n\n\"Alas, O Jupiter, man does not know what he asks! To find the\nthief I offered to sacrifice a fat Calf. Now I promise you a\nfull-grown Bull, if you but make the thief go away!\"\n\n_We are often not so eager for what we seek, after we have found\nit._\n\n_Do not foolishly ask for things that would bring ruin if they\nwere granted._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE DOG AND HIS REFLECTION\n\n\nA Dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home\nwith his prize as fast as he could go. As he crossed a narrow\nfootbridge, he happened to look down and saw himself reflected in\nthe quiet water as if in a mirror. But the greedy Dog thought he\nsaw a real Dog carrying a bone much bigger than his own.\n\nIf he had stopped to think he would have known better. But\ninstead of thinking, he dropped his bone and sprang at the Dog in\nthe river, only to find himself swimming for dear life to reach\nthe shore. At last he managed to scramble out, and as he stood\nsadly thinking about the good bone he had lost, he realized what\na stupid Dog he had been.\n\n_It is very foolish to be greedy._\n\n\n\n\nTHE HARE AND THE TORTOISE\n\n\nA Hare was making fun of the Tortoise one day for being so slow.\n\n\"Do you ever get anywhere?\" he asked with a mocking laugh.\n\n\"Yes,\" replied the Tortoise, \"and I get there sooner than you\nthink. I'll run you a race and prove it.\"\n\nThe Hare was much amused at the idea of running a race with the\nTortoise, but for the fun of the thing he agreed. So the Fox, who\nhad consented to act as judge, marked the distance and started\nthe runners off.\n\nThe Hare was soon far out of sight, and to make the Tortoise feel\nvery deeply how ridiculous it was for him to try a race with a\nHare, he lay down beside the course to take a nap until the\nTortoise should catch up.\n\nThe Tortoise meanwhile kept going slowly but steadily, and, after\na time, passed the place where the Hare was sleeping. But the\nHare slept on very peacefully; and when at last he did wake up,\nthe Tortoise was near the goal. The Hare now ran his swiftest,\nbut he could not overtake the Tortoise in time.\n\n_The race is not always to the swift._\n\n[Illustration: THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE]\n\n\n\n\nTHE BEES AND WASPS, AND THE HORNET\n\n\nA store of honey had been found in a hollow tree, and the Wasps\ndeclared positively that it belonged to them. The Bees were just\nas sure that the treasure was theirs. The argument grew very\npointed, and it looked as if the affair could not be settled\nwithout a battle, when at last, with much good sense, they\n_agreed_ to let a judge decide the matter. So they brought the\ncase before the Hornet, justice of the peace in that part of the\nwoods.\n\nWhen the Judge called the case, witnesses declared that they had\nseen certain winged creatures in the neighborhood of the hollow\ntree, who hummed loudly, and whose bodies were striped, yellow\nand black, like Bees.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nCounsel for the Wasps immediately insisted that this description\nfitted his clients exactly.\n\nSuch evidence did not help Judge Hornet to any decision, so he\nadjourned court for six weeks to give him time to think it over.\nWhen the case came up again, both sides had a large number of\nwitnesses. An Ant was first to take the stand, and was about to\nbe cross-examined, when a wise old Bee addressed the Court.\n\n\"Your honor,\" he said, \"the case has now been pending for six\nweeks. If it is not decided soon, the honey will not be fit for\nanything. I move that the Bees and the Wasps be both instructed\nto build a honey comb. Then we shall soon see to whom the honey\nreally belongs.\"\n\nThe Wasps protested loudly. Wise Judge Hornet quickly understood\nwhy they did so: They knew they could not build a honey comb and\nfill it with honey.\n\n\"It is clear,\" said the Judge, \"who made the comb and who could\nnot have made it. The honey belongs to the Bees.\"\n\n_Ability proves itself by deeds._\n\n\n\n\nTHE LARK AND HER YOUNG ONES\n\n\nA Lark made her nest in a field of young wheat. As the days\npassed, the wheat stalks grew tall and the young birds, too, grew\nin strength. Then one day, when the ripe golden grain waved in\nthe breeze, the Farmer and his son came into the field.\n\n\"This wheat is now ready for reaping,\" said the Farmer. \"We must\ncall in our neighbors and friends to help us harvest it.\"\n\nThe young Larks in their nest close by were much frightened, for\nthey knew they would be in great danger if they did not leave the\nnest before the reapers came. When the Mother Lark returned with\nfood for them, they told her what they had heard.\n\n\"Do not be frightened, children,\" said the Mother Lark. \"If the\nFarmer said he would call in his neighbors and friends to help\nhim do his work, this wheat will not be reaped for a while yet.\"\n\nA few days later, the wheat was so ripe, that when the wind shook\nthe stalks, a hail of wheat grains came rustling down on the\nyoung Larks' heads.\n\n\"If this wheat is not harvested at once,\" said the Farmer, \"we\nshall lose half the crop. We cannot wait any longer for help from\nour friends. Tomorrow we must set to work, ourselves.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nWhen the young Larks told their mother what they had heard that\nday, she said:\n\n\"Then we must be off at once. When a man decides to do his own\nwork and not depend on any one else, then you may be sure there\nwill be no more delay.\"\n\nThere was much fluttering and trying out of wings that afternoon,\nand at sunrise next day, when the Farmer and his son cut down the\ngrain, they found an empty nest.\n\n_Self-help is the best help._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE CAT AND THE OLD RAT\n\n\nThere was once a Cat who was so watchful, that a Mouse hardly\ndared show the tip of his whiskers for fear of being eaten alive.\nThat Cat seemed to be everywhere at once with his claws all ready\nfor a pounce. At last the Mice kept so closely to their dens,\nthat the Cat saw he would have to use his wits well to catch one.\nSo one day he climbed up on a shelf and hung from it, head\ndownward, as if he were dead, holding himself up by clinging to\nsome ropes with one paw.\n\nWhen the Mice peeped out and saw him in that position, they\nthought he had been hung up there in punishment for some misdeed.\nVery timidly at first they stuck out their heads and sniffed\nabout carefully. But as nothing stirred, all trooped joyfully out\nto celebrate the death of the Cat.\n\nJust then the Cat let go his hold, and before the Mice recovered\nfrom their surprise, he had made an end of three or four.\n\nNow the Mice kept more strictly at home than ever. But the Cat,\nwho was still hungry for Mice, knew more tricks than one. Rolling\nhimself in flour until he was covered completely, he lay down in\nthe flour bin, with one eye open for the Mice.\n\nSure enough, the Mice soon began to come out. To the Cat it was\nalmost as if he already had a plump young Mouse under his claws,\nwhen an old Rat, who had had much experience with Cats and traps,\nand had even lost a part of his tail to pay for it, sat up at a\nsafe distance from a hole in the wall where he lived.\n\n\"Take care!\" he cried. \"That may be a heap of meal, but it looks\nto me very much like the Cat. Whatever it is, it is wisest to\nkeep at a safe distance.\"\n\n_The wise do not let themselves be tricked a second time._\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE CROW\n\n\nOne bright morning as the Fox was following his sharp nose\nthrough the wood in search of a bite to eat, he saw a Crow on the\nlimb of a tree overhead. This was by no means the first Crow the\nFox had ever seen. What caught his attention this time and made\nhim stop for a second look, was that the lucky Crow held a bit of\ncheese in her beak.\n\n\"No need to search any farther,\" thought sly Master Fox. \"Here is\na dainty bite for my breakfast.\"\n\nUp he trotted to the foot of the tree in which the Crow was\nsitting, and looking up admiringly, he cried, \"Good-morning,\nbeautiful creature!\"\n\nThe Crow, her head cocked on one side, watched the Fox\nsuspiciously. But she kept her beak tightly closed on the cheese\nand did not return his greeting.\n\n\"What a charming creature she is!\" said the Fox. \"How her\nfeathers shine! What a beautiful form and what splendid wings!\nSuch a wonderful Bird should have a very lovely voice, since\neverything else about her is so perfect. Could she sing just one\nsong, I know I should hail her Queen of Birds.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nListening to these flattering words, the Crow forgot all her\nsuspicion, and also her breakfast. She wanted very much to be\ncalled Queen of Birds.\n\nSo she opened her beak wide to utter her loudest caw, and down\nfell the cheese straight into the Fox's open mouth.\n\n\"Thank you,\" said Master Fox sweetly, as he walked off. \"Though\nit is cracked, you have a voice sure enough. But where are your\nwits?\"\n\n_The flatterer lives at the expense of those who will listen to\nhim._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE ASS AND ITS SHADOW\n\n\nA Traveler had hired an Ass to carry him to a distant part of the\ncountry. The owner of the Ass went with the Traveler, walking\nbeside him to drive the Ass and point out the way.\n\nThe road led across a treeless plain where the Sun beat down\nfiercely. So intense did the heat become, that the Traveler at\nlast decided to stop for a rest, and as there was no other shade\nto be found, the Traveler sat down in the shadow of the Ass.\n\nNow the heat had affected the Driver as much as it had the\nTraveler, and even more, for he had been walking. Wishing also to\nrest in the shade cast by the Ass, he began to quarrel with the\nTraveler, saying he had hired the Ass and not the shadow it cast.\n\nThe two soon came to blows, and while they were fighting, the Ass\ntook to its heels.\n\n_In quarreling about the shadow we often lose the substance._\n\n\n\n\nTHE MILLER, HIS SON, AND THE ASS\n\n\nOne day, a long time ago, an old Miller and his Son were on their\nway to market with an Ass which they hoped to sell. They drove\nhim very slowly, for they thought they would have a better chance\nto sell him if they kept him in good condition. As they walked\nalong the highway some travelers laughed loudly at them.\n\n\"What foolishness,\" cried one, \"to walk when they might as well\nride. The most stupid of the three is not the one you would\nexpect it to be.\"\n\nThe Miller did not like to be laughed at, so he told his son to\nclimb up and ride.\n\nThey had gone a little farther along the road, when three\nmerchants passed by.\n\n\"Oho, what have we here?\" they cried. \"Respect old age, young\nman! Get down, and let the old man ride.\"\n\nThough the Miller was not tired, he made the boy get down and\nclimbed up himself to ride, just to please the Merchants.\n\nAt the next turnstile they overtook some women carrying market\nbaskets loaded with vegetables and other things to sell.\n\n\"Look at the old fool,\" exclaimed one of them. \"Perched on the\nAss, while that poor boy has to walk.\"\n\nThe Miller felt a bit vexed, but to be agreeable he told the Boy\nto climb up behind him.\n\nThey had no sooner started out again than a loud shout went up\nfrom another company of people on the road.\n\n\"What a crime,\" cried one, \"to load up a poor dumb beast like\nthat! They look more able to carry the poor creature, than he to\ncarry them.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\"They must be on their way to sell the poor thing's hide,\" said\nanother.\n\nThe Miller and his Son quickly scrambled down, and a short time\nlater, the market place was thrown into an uproar as the two came\nalong carrying the Donkey slung from a pole. A great crowd of\npeople ran out to get a closer look at the strange sight.\n\nThe Ass did not dislike being carried, but so many people came up\nto point at him and laugh and shout, that he began to kick and\nbray, and then, just as they were crossing a bridge, the ropes\nthat held him gave way, and down he tumbled into the river.\n\nThe poor Miller now set out sadly for home. By trying to please\neverybody, he had pleased nobody, and lost his Ass besides.\n\n_If you try to please all, you please none._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE ANT AND THE DOVE\n\n\nA Dove saw an Ant fall into a brook. The Ant struggled in vain to\nreach the bank, and in pity, the Dove dropped a blade of straw\nclose beside it. Clinging to the straw like a shipwrecked sailor\nto a broken spar, the Ant floated safely to shore.\n\nSoon after, the Ant saw a man getting ready to kill the Dove with\na stone. But just as he cast the stone, the Ant stung him in the\nheel, so that the pain made him miss his aim, and the startled\nDove flew to safety in a distant wood.\n\n_A kindness is never wasted._\n\n\n\n\nTHE MAN AND THE SATYR\n\n\nA long time ago a Man met a Satyr in the forest and succeeded in\nmaking friends with him. The two soon became the best of\ncomrades, living together in the Man's hut. But one cold winter\nevening, as they were walking homeward, the Satyr saw the Man\nblow on his fingers.\n\n\"Why do you do that?\" asked the Satyr.\n\n\"To warm my hands,\" the Man replied.\n\nWhen they reached home the Man prepared two bowls of porridge.\nThese he placed steaming hot on the table, and the comrades sat\ndown very cheerfully to enjoy the meal. But much to the Satyr's\nsurprise, the Man began to blow into his bowl of porridge.\n\n\"Why do you do that?\" he asked.\n\n\"To cool my porridge,\" replied the Man.\n\nThe Satyr sprang hurriedly to his feet and made for the door.\n\n\"Goodby,\" he said, \"I've seen enough. A fellow that blows hot and\ncold in the same breath cannot be friends with me!\"\n\n_The man who talks for both sides is not to be trusted by\neither._\n\n[Illustration: THE MAN AND THE SATYR]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF, THE KID, AND THE GOAT\n\n\nMother Goat was going to market one morning to get provisions for\nher household, which consisted of but one little Kid and herself.\n\n\"Take good care of the house, my son,\" she said to the Kid, as\nshe carefully latched the door. \"Do not let anyone in, unless he\ngives you this password: 'Down with the Wolf and all his race!'\"\n\nStrangely enough, a Wolf was lurking near and heard what the Goat\nhad said. So, as soon as Mother Goat was out of sight, up he\ntrotted to the door and knocked.\n\n\"Down with the Wolf and all his race,\" said the Wolf softly.\n\nIt was the right password, but when the Kid peeped through a\ncrack in the door and saw the shadowy figure outside, he did not\nfeel at all easy.\n\n\"Show me a white paw,\" he said, \"or I won't let you in.\"\n\nA white paw, of course, is a feature few Wolves can show, and so\nMaster Wolf had to go away as hungry as he had come.\n\n\"You can never be too sure,\" said the Kid, when he saw the Wolf\nmaking off to the woods.\n\n_Two sureties are better than one._\n\n\n\n\nTHE SWALLOW AND THE CROW\n\n\nThe Swallow and the Crow had an argument one day about their\nplumage.\n\nSaid the Swallow: \"Just look at my bright and downy feathers.\nYour black stiff quills are not worth having. Why don't you dress\nbetter? Show a little pride!\"\n\n\"Your feathers may do very well in spring,\" replied the Crow,\n\"but--I don't remember ever having seen you around in winter, and\nthat's when I enjoy myself most.\"\n\n_Friends in fine weather only, are not worth much._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nJUPITER AND THE MONKEY\n\n\nThere was once a baby show among the Animals in the forest.\nJupiter provided the prize. Of course all the proud mammas from\nfar and near brought their babies. But none got there earlier\nthan Mother Monkey. Proudly she presented her baby among the\nother contestants.\n\nAs you can imagine, there was quite a laugh when the Animals saw\nthe ugly flat-nosed, hairless, pop-eyed little creature.\n\n\"Laugh if you will,\" said the Mother Monkey. \"Though Jupiter may\nnot give him the prize, I know that he is the prettiest, the\nsweetest, the dearest darling in the world.\"\n\n_Mother love is blind._\n\n\n\n\nTHE LION, THE ASS, AND THE FOX\n\n\nA Lion, an Ass, and a Fox were hunting in company, and caught a\nlarge quantity of game. The Ass was asked to divide the spoil.\nThis he did very fairly, giving each an equal share.\n\nThe Fox was well satisfied, but the Lion flew into a great rage\nover it, and with one stroke of his huge paw, he added the Ass to\nthe pile of slain.\n\nThen he turned to the Fox.\n\n\"You divide it,\" he roared angrily.\n\nThe Fox wasted no time in talking. He quickly piled all the game\ninto one great heap. From this he took a very small portion for\nhimself, such undesirable bits as the horns and hoofs of a\nmountain goat, and the end of an ox tail.\n\nThe Lion now recovered his good humor entirely.\n\n\"Who taught you to divide so fairly?\" he asked pleasantly.\n\n\"I learned a lesson from the Ass,\" replied the Fox, carefully\nedging away.\n\n_Learn from the misfortunes of others._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE LION'S SHARE\n\n\nA long time ago, the Lion, the Fox, the Jackal, and the Wolf\nagreed to go hunting together, sharing with each other whatever\nthey found.\n\nOne day the Wolf ran down a Stag and immediately called his\ncomrades to divide the spoil.\n\nWithout being asked, the Lion placed himself at the head of the\nfeast to do the carving, and, with a great show of fairness,\nbegan to count the guests.\n\n\"One,\" he said, counting on his claws, \"that is myself the Lion.\nTwo, that's the Wolf, three, is the Jackal, and the Fox makes\nfour.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nHe then very carefully divided the Stag into four equal parts.\n\n\"I am King Lion,\" he said, when he had finished, \"so of course I\nget the first part. This next part falls to me because I am the\nstrongest; and _this_ is mine because I am the bravest.\"\n\nHe now began to glare at the others very savagely. \"If any of you\nhave any claim to the part that is left,\" he growled, stretching\nhis claws meaningly, \"now is the time to speak up.\"\n\n_Might makes right._\n\n\n\n\nTHE MOLE AND HIS MOTHER\n\n\nA little Mole once said to his Mother:\n\n\"Why, Mother, you said I was blind! But I am sure I can see!\"\n\nMother Mole saw she would have to get such conceit out of his\nhead. So she put a bit of frankincense before him and asked him\nto tell what it was.\n\nThe little Mole peered at it.\n\n\"Why, that's a pebble!\"\n\n\"Well, my son, that proves you've lost your sense of smell as\nwell as being blind.\"\n\n_Boast of one thing and you will be found lacking in that and a\nfew other things as well._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE NORTH WIND AND THE SUN\n\n\nThe North Wind and the Sun had a quarrel about which of them was\nthe stronger. While they were disputing with much heat and\nbluster, a Traveler passed along the road wrapped in a cloak.\n\n\"Let us agree,\" said the Sun, \"that he is the stronger who can\nstrip that Traveler of his cloak.\"\n\n\"Very well,\" growled the North Wind, and at once sent a cold,\nhowling blast against the Traveler.\n\nWith the first gust of wind the ends of the cloak whipped about\nthe Traveler's body. But he immediately wrapped it closely around\nhim, and the harder the Wind blew, the tighter he held it to him.\nThe North Wind tore angrily at the cloak, but all his efforts\nwere in vain.\n\nThen the Sun began to shine. At first his beams were gentle, and\nin the pleasant warmth after the bitter cold of the North Wind,\nthe Traveler unfastened his cloak and let it hang loosely from\nhis shoulders. The Sun's rays grew warmer and warmer. The man\ntook off his cap and mopped his brow. At last he became so heated\nthat he pulled off his cloak, and, to escape the blazing\nsunshine, threw himself down in the welcome shade of a tree by\nthe roadside.\n\n_Gentleness and kind persuasion win where force and bluster\nfail._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE HARE AND HIS EARS\n\n\nThe Lion had been badly hurt by the horns of a Goat, which he was\neating. He was very angry to think that any animal that he chose\nfor a meal, should be so brazen as to wear such dangerous things\nas horns to scratch him while he ate. So he commanded that all\nanimals with horns should leave his domains within twenty-four\nhours.\n\nThe command struck terror among the beasts. All those who were so\nunfortunate as to have horns, began to pack up and move out. Even\nthe Hare, who, as you know, has no horns and so had nothing to\nfear, passed a very restless night, dreaming awful dreams about\nthe fearful Lion.\n\nAnd when he came out of the warren in the early morning sunshine,\nand there saw the shadow cast by his long and pointed ears, a\nterrible fright seized him.\n\n\"Goodby, neighbor Cricket,\" he called. \"I'm off. He will\ncertainly make out that my ears are horns, no matter what I say.\"\n\n_Do not give your enemies the slightest reason to attack your\nreputation._\n\n_Your enemies will seize any excuse to attack you._\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLVES AND THE SHEEP\n\n\nA pack of Wolves lurked near the Sheep pasture. But the Dogs kept\nthem all at a respectful distance, and the Sheep grazed in\nperfect safety. But now the Wolves thought of a plan to trick the\nSheep.\n\n\"Why is there always this hostility between us?\" they said. \"If\nit were not for those Dogs who are always stirring up trouble, I\nam sure we should get along beautifully. Send them away and you\nwill see what good friends we shall become.\"\n\nThe Sheep were easily fooled. They persuaded the Dogs to go away,\nand that very evening the Wolves had the grandest feast of their\nlives.\n\n_Do not give up friends for foes._\n\n\n\n\nTHE COCK AND THE FOX\n\n\nA Fox was caught in a trap one fine morning, because he had got\ntoo near the Farmer's hen house. No doubt he was hungry, but that\nwas not an excuse for stealing. A Cock, rising early, discovered\nwhat had happened. He knew the Fox could not get at him, so he\nwent a little closer to get a good look at his enemy.\n\nThe Fox saw a slender chance of escape.\n\n\"Dear friend,\" he said, \"I was just on my way to visit a sick\nrelative, when I stumbled into this string and got all tangled\nup. But please do not tell anybody about it. I dislike causing\nsorrow to anybody, and I am sure I can soon gnaw this string to\npieces.\"\n\nBut the Cock was not to be so easily fooled. He soon roused the\nwhole hen yard, and when the Farmer came running out, that was\nthe end of Mr. Fox.\n\n_The wicked deserve no aid._\n\n\n\n\nTHE ASS IN THE LION'S SKIN\n\n\nAn Ass found a Lion's skin left in the forest by a hunter. He\ndressed himself in it, and amused himself by hiding in a thicket\nand rushing out suddenly at the animals who passed that way. All\ntook to their heels the moment they saw him.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe Ass was so pleased to see the animals running away from him,\njust as if he were King Lion himself, that he could not keep from\nexpressing his delight by a loud, harsh bray. A Fox, who ran with\nthe rest, stopped short as soon as he heard the voice. Approaching\nthe Ass, he said with a laugh:\n\n\"If you had kept your mouth shut you might have frightened me,\ntoo. But you gave yourself away with that silly bray.\"\n\n_A fool may deceive by his dress and appearance, but his words\nwill soon show what he really is._\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE FISHERMAN AND THE LITTLE FISH\n\n\nA poor Fisherman, who lived on the fish he caught, had bad luck\none day and caught nothing but a very small fry. The Fisherman\nwas about to put it in his basket when the little Fish said:\n\n\"Please spare me, Mr. Fisherman! I am so small it is not worth\nwhile to carry me home. When I am bigger, I shall make you a much\nbetter meal.\"\n\nBut the Fisherman quickly put the fish into his basket.\n\n\"How foolish I should be,\" he said, \"to throw you back. However\nsmall you may be, you are better than nothing at all.\"\n\n_A small gain is worth more than a large promise._\n\n\n\n\nTHE FIGHTING COCKS AND THE EAGLE\n\n\nOnce there were two Cocks living in the same farmyard who could\nnot bear the sight of each other. At last one day they flew up to\nfight it out, beak and claw. They fought until one of them was\nbeaten and crawled off to a corner to hide.\n\nThe Cock that had won the battle flew to the top of the\nhen-house, and, proudly flapping his wings, crowed with all his\nmight to tell the world about his victory. But an Eagle, circling\noverhead, heard the boasting chanticleer and, swooping down,\ncarried him off to his nest.\n\nHis rival saw the deed, and coming out of his corner, took his\nplace as master of the farmyard.\n\n_Pride goes before a fall._\n\n[Illustration]","title":"The Aesop for Children: With pictures by Milo Winter","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":27483}