{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_4324/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_4324","id":"gutenberg_4324","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4324","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Fables"],"text":"Ver.10/04/01*END*\n\n\n\n\n\nProduced by Robert Rowe, Charles Franks\nand the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.\n\n\n\n\nFIFTY FAMOUS FABLES\n\nBY LIDA BROWN McMURRY\n\nPRIMARY CRITIC TEACHER STATE NORMAL SCHOOL, DE KALB, ILLINOIS\n\nB. F. JOHNSON PUBLISHING COMPANY\n\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE\n\n\nThe fifty fables in this book have been selected for second grade\nreading because they are easily comprehended by pupils of that\ngrade, and because they teach lessons which every child should\nlearn.\n\nIt is not wise to tell the class the moral application of the\nfables. It is better to have each pupil make his own application\nwithout any suggestion from the teacher.\n\nIn adapting the stories the conversational form has been largely\nused; this form not only gives much pleasure to the children, but\nit also affords excellent opportunities for voice culture.\n\nMost of the stories have been successfully used for several years\nwith classes of children in the State Normal School at DeKalb.\n\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\nDESIRABILITY OF SELF-CONTROL\n\n1. THE TORTOISE AND THE DUCKS\n\nRESULTS OF A MEAN JOKE\n\n2. THE MOUSE AND THE FROG\n3. THE BOYS AND THE FROGS\n4. THE SHEPHERD BOY AND THE WOLF\n\nFOLLY OF QUARRELING\n\n5. THE TWO GOATS\n6. THE STRIKE OP THE MILL FEEDERS\n7. THE FARMER AND HIS SONS\n8. THE FOUR OXEN AND THE LION\n\nDEEDS BETTER THAN WORDS\n\n9.  THE HUNTER AND THE FARMER\n10. THE FOX IN THE WELL\n11. THE MICE IN COUNCIL\n\nFOLLY OF PRIDE\n\n12. THE FOX AND THE CROW\n13. THE VAIN CROW\n14. THE HORSE AND THE LOADED DONKEY\n15. THE LEAVES AND THE ROOTS\n16. THE BULL AND THE GNAT\n\nWISDOM OF HEEDING GOOD ADVICE\n\n17. THE FARMER AND HIS THREE SONS\n18. THE YOUNG FOX\n19. VISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY\n20. THE TWO DOVES\n\nBASENESS OF DECEIT\n\n21. THE HORSE AND THE WOLF\n22. THE BIRDS, THE BEASTS, AND THE BAT\n23. THE BEES, THE DRONES, AND THE WASP\n24. THE WOODMAN AND HIS AXE\n25. THE FOX WITH HIS TAIL CUT OFF\n26. THE BLACKBIRD AND THE DOVE\n\nRESULTS OF GREEDINESS\n\n27. THE GREEDY DOG\n28. THE GOOSE THAT LAID GOLD EGGS\n\nDESIRABILITY OF CONTENTMENT\n\n29. THE DONKEY AND HIS MASTERS\n30. THE COBBLER AND THE RICH MAN\n\nVALUE OF THINKING FOR ONESELF\n\n31. THE ICE KING\n32. THE WOLF, THE GOAT, AND THE KID\n33. THE WISE GOAT\n34. THE SHEPHERD AND THE DOGS\n35. THE BOY AND THE NUTS\n36. THE CROW AND THE PITCHER\n37. THE GROCER AND HIS DONKEY\n38. THE THREE FISH\n\nWISDOM OF SELF-RELIANCE\n\n39. THE WAGONER\n40. THE LARK AND THE FARMER\n\nKINDNESS AND ITS RESULTS\n\n41. THE LION AND THE MOUSE\n42. THE ANT AND THE DOVE\n43. THE HAPPY FAMILY\n44. THE TYRANT WHO BECAME A JUST RULER\n\nMISCELLANEOUS\n\nWISDOM OF PERSEVERANCE\n\n45. THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE\n\nFOLLY OF TRYING TO PLEASE EVERYBODY\n\n46. THE MILLER, HIS SON, AND THEIR DONKEY\n\nAPPEARANCES SOMETIMES DECEITFUL\n\n47. THE PUG DOG AND HIS SHADOW\n\nPUNISHMENT OF TREACHERY\n\n48. THE PARTRIDGE IN THE NET\n\nGENTLENESS BETTER THAN HARSHNESS\n\n49. THE NORTH WIND AND THE SUN\n\nMEANNESS OF SELFISHNESS\n\n50. THE CAMEL AND HIS MASTER\n\n\n\n\n\nFIFTY FAMOUS FABLES\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE TORTOISE AND THE DUCKS\n\n\n\"Take me with you, please,\" called a tortoise to a gray duck and a\nwhite duck that were flying over.\n\nThe ducks heard the tortoise and flew down toward him.\n\n\"Do you really wish to go with us?\" asked the ducks as they came\nto the ground near the tortoise.\n\n\"I surely do,\" replied the tortoise. \"Will you please take me?\"\n\n\"Why, yes, I think we can do so,\" said the white duck slowly.\n\nThe two ducks talked together in low tones for a few minutes. Then\nthey flew to the woods. They soon brought back a strong twig and\ndropped it in front of the tortoise.\n\n\"Now,\" said the ducks, \"if we take you off to see the world, you\nmust promise us one thing.\"\n\n\"What is that?\" asked the tortoise. \"I will promise almost\nanything if you will let me go.\"\n\n\"You must promise not to say one word while you are in the air,\nNOT ONE WORD,\" replied the ducks.\n\n\"All right, I promise,\" said the tortoise. \"Sometimes I do not say\na word for a whole day because there is no one to listen to me.\"\n\n\"Well, take firm hold of the middle of the twig; we are ready to\nstart,\" said the gray duck.\n\n\"If you value your life, you must hold on tightly,\" said the white\nduck.\n\nThe tortoise took hold of the middle of the twig and each duck\ntook hold of one end.\n\nThen they flew up! up! up! while the tortoise swung from the\nmiddle of the twig. How he enjoyed it! He had never had such a\nride.\n\nThey had gone a long way safely when they came to a hayfield. The\nhaymakers looked up and saw the ducks and the tortoise.\n\n\"Ho! ho! the tortoise has stolen some wings,\" called one of the\nhaymakers.\n\n\"What a queer carriage he has!\" laughed another in a loud voice.\n\n\"I pity his horses,\" said another.\n\nThis made the tortoise so angry that he cried out, \"You--\" but no\none knows what he was going to say, for he fell to the ground and\nwas killed.\n\n[Footnote: Adapted from The Tortoise and the Geese, in a book of\nthe same name published by Houghton, Mifflin Co.]\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE MOUSE AND THE FROG\n\n\nA frog, while out walking one day, saw a mouse coming toward him.\n\n\"There is that foolish mouse,\" said he. \"I will play a good joke\non him,\" and he grinned as he thought how much fun he would have.\n\nAs they met, the frog said, \"Good morning, Sir Mouse; I hope I\nfind you well to-day.\"\n\n\"Very well,\" replied the mouse. \"How are you?\"\n\n\"My health is not very good, so I have taken a holiday. If you are\nnot busy, what do you say to our spending the day together?\"\n\n\"Good!\" answered the mouse. \"I have little to do and nothing would\nsuit me better.\" So they started off together.\n\nThey had not gone far when the frog said, \"Let me tie one of your\nfront feet to one of my hind legs, so that I may not lose you.\"\n\n\"All right,\" replied the mouse. \"We shall surely be fast friends\nthen.\"\n\nSo the frog took a blade of grass and fastened one of the mouse's\nfront feet to one of his hind legs. When the frog leaped, the\nmouse tumbled after. Then they stopped and had a big laugh; it was\nvery funny.\n\nThey first went to an oat field, where the frog found many\ninsects, and the mouse plenty of grain.\n\nBeyond this field there was a pond. The frog had been going toward\nthis pond all of the time, but the mouse had not noticed it. They\nwere soon on its bank.\n\nWhen the mouse saw the pond he cried out, \"Oh, you know I do not\nlike the water, Mr. Frog. Let us go to the barn.\"\n\n\"Nothing would do you so much good as a cool bath on this hot day.\nYou have never taken one, so you can not know how good it will\nmake you feel,\" and the frog jumped into the water.\n\nThe mouse tried to get free, but the frog only laughed.\n\nA hawk, looking down, saw the mouse and swooped down upon it.\nSince the frog was fastened to the mouse, he too was carried off,\nand both lost their lives.\n\nWhen the other frogs heard of what had happened, they said,\n\"Served him right. Served him right,\" and no frog since that time\nhas ever played a mean joke.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE BOYS AND THE FROGS\n\n\n\"Let us go to the pond and have some fun,\" said George.\n\n\"What fun can we have there?\" asked Frank. \"The pond is nothing\nbut an old mudhole. We can not swim in such water.\"\n\nDown at the pond the sun shone warm, and an old mother frog and\nher children were sunning themselves on a log. Now and then one\nplunged into the water with a chug! and then crawled out on the\nbank.\n\nThat was a happy time in frog land.\n\nIn the midst of their play, they heard a sound which made the\nmother frog tremble. It was only a boy's laugh, but as soon as the\nmother heard it she said, \"Into the water, every one of you. The\ngiants are coming;\" and they all jumped into the water.\n\nThe giants had armed themselves with pebbles. Each one had a\npocketful. As soon as they caught sight of the frogs, they cried,\n\"Now for some fun!\"\n\nBefore the mother frog could reach the water, a stone hit her on\none of her feet. The one-sided battle had begun.\n\nEvery time a little frog peeped out of the water to get a breath\nof air or to look at the two giants, whiz! flew a pebble right\ntoward it, and it never cared to look at its enemies again.\n\nThe mother became very angry. She lifted her head boldly above the\nwater.\n\n\"Cowards!\" she cried. \"If we could sting, would you fight us? If\nwe could bite, would you be here? You have great sport tormenting\nus, because we cannot fight for ourselves. You are cowards!\ncowards!\"\n\nAnd all the little frogs echoed, \"Cowards! cowards!\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE SHEPHERD BOY AND THE WOLF\n\n\nJohn was a shepherd boy. He cared for his father's sheep. As there\nwere many wolves prowling about waiting for a chance to kill the\nsheep, John had to be very watchful.\n\nSome men were harvesting wheat in a field not far from where the\nflock was feeding. One day they were startled by the cry, \"A wolf!\na wolf!\" They looked up and saw John motioning wildly to them and\npointing toward the sheep.\n\nThey threw down their sickles and ran to the flock. But they found\nthe sheep quietly grazing, and there was no wolf to be seen.\n\n\"Where is the wolf?\" they asked.\n\n\"I didn't say the wolf was here,' replied John, and he laughed\nloud and long as he saw the look of surprise in the men's faces.\n\n\"What do you mean, you young rascal, by fooling us so?\" they\ncried.\n\nIf they could have caught John, they would have given him a sound\nwhipping, but he had run out of their reach.\n\nNot many days after, these same men heard the cry, \"Wolf! wolf!\"\n\n\"John is trying to fool us again,\" they said, and went on with\ntheir work.\n\nJohn called again and again, and seemed in so much trouble that\nthe kind-hearted men left their work and hurried toward the sheep\npasture.\n\nWhen they came to the pasture, they knew that John had been\nplaying another trick on them. They looked for him, but could not\nfind him. He had hidden in some bushes where he could look on and\nenjoy their surprise and anger. At last they went back to their\nwork.\n\nOne day wolves did come. John was very much frightened. He ran to\nthe men for help. They only laughed at him. \"Oh, you have fooled\nus twice,\" they said. \"You shall not have another chance.\"\n\n\"But the wolves are surely there,\" cried John. \"They are killing\nthe sheep. Do come and help!\" The men kept on with their work and\ndid not even look at John.\n\nBefore he could find anyone who would believe him, many of the\nsheep had been killed.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE TWO GOATS\n\n\nA small stream ran between two hills. Over this stream there was a\nvery narrow bridge. If two persons came to the opposite ends of\nthis bridge at the same time, one must wait for the other to cross\nbefore he could go over.\n\nOne morning, two goats, a black one and a white one, reached the\nopposite ends of the bridge at the same moment.\n\nThe black goat called out to the white one, \"Hold on a minute; I\nam coming over.\"\n\nThe white goat replied, \"No, I will go over first; I am in a\nhurry.\"\n\n\"No,\" said the black goat, \"I will not wait for you. I am the\nolder.\"\n\n\"You shall wait for me,\" roared the white goat as he stepped upon\nthe bridge and started across.\n\n\"We'll see if I am to wait for you,\" said the black goat, and he\ntoo started across.\n\nThey met in the middle of the bridge.\n\n\"Go back and let me cross,' said the white goat, stamping his\nfoot.\n\n\"Go back, yourself,\" replied the black goat, and he pushed against\nthe other.\n\nThey were very angry. Each drew back. Their heads came together\nwith terrible force. They locked horns. The white goat lost his\nfooting and fell, pulling the black goat over with him, and both\nwere drowned.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE STRIKE OF THE MILL FEEDERS\n\n\nThe mill feeders of a great mill--the stomach--met together to\ntalk over their trials.\n\nThe hands said, \"We are tired of carrying grist to the door of the\ngreedy mill. We would rather spend all our time painting pictures\nor writing books.\"\n\n\"We were made for talking and singing,\" said the lips, \"but much\nof our time has to be spent in taking grist for the mill.\"\n\n\"And we,\" said the teeth, \"give our life to crushing the grist\nwhich is brought to the mill. We are wearing out in its service,\nbut what thanks do we get?\"\n\n\"I have never had a holiday,\" said the tongue. \"I do not mind\ntalking, but I do not like to work for the mill. Three times a day\nor oftener, I must help the teeth to prepare the grist. I am tired\nof it.\"\n\nThe gullet said, \"My whole life is given up to carrying the grist\nto the mill. I do not like such work. Let the mill feed itself. It\nhas no business to work us to death.\"\n\n\"Let us all stop work,\" cried the mill feeders. \"We will stop at\nonce;\" and so the mill shut down.\n\nMany hours after, the lips said, \"How strange that we should not\nfeel like talking now that we have nothing else to do!\"\n\nThe hands said, \"We are too weak to paint or to write. We never\nfelt so tired before.\"\n\nThe tongue became parched and all the mill feeders were unhappy.\n\nMore hours passed; then the mill feeders held another meeting. It\nwas a short, quiet, earnest meeting.\n\n\"We have been fools,\" they all said. \"The mill was working for us\nwhile we were working for it. Our strength came from the grist\nwhich we sent to it. We can do nothing without the help of the\nmill. Let us go to work again. If the mill will only grind for us,\nwe will gladly furnish the grist.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE FARMER AND HIS SONS\n\n\n\"Boys, why are you always quarreling? That is no way to live,\"\nsaid a farmer to his sons one day.\n\nThe sons would not listen to their father. Each wanted the best of\neverything. Each thought the father did more for the others than\nfor him.\n\nThe father bore the quarreling as long as he could. One day he\ncalled his seven sons to him. He had in his hand a bundle of seven\nsticks.\n\n\"I wish to see which one of you can break this bundle of sticks,\"\nhe said.\n\nThe oldest one tried first. He was the strongest, but he could not\nbreak it though he used all his strength. Then each of his\nbrothers tried hard to break the bundle. None of them could break it.\n\nAt last they gave the bundle of sticks back to their father,\nsaying, \"We cannot break it.\"\n\nThe father untied the bundle and gave each son one stick.\n\n\"Now see if you can break the sticks,\" said their father.\n\nThey all said, \"That is very easily done,\" and they held up the\nbroken sticks.\n\n\"Now tell us why you asked us to break these sticks,\" said the\nsons.\n\n\"Do you not see,\" replied the father, \"that if you all stand\ntogether, nothing can harm you; but if each of you stands by\nhimself, you may easily be ruined?\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOUR OXEN AND THE LION\n\n\n\"Those oxen are too good friends to suit me,\" said a hungry lion.\n\"They are never far apart, and when I am near them they turn their\ntails to one another and show long sharp horns on every side. They\neven walk down to the river together when they become thirsty. If\nI could catch one of them by himself, I should have a feast.\"\n\nBut one day the oxen had a quarrel.\n\n\"The grass is freshest over in the valley,\" said one of them. \"Let\nus go there.\"\n\n\"Oh, I don't like the grass there,\" said another. \"It is better on\nthe side of the hill. Let us spend the day there.\"\n\n\"I do not want to climb the hill,\" said the third ox. \"The grass\nright here suits me best.\"\n\n\"I do not like any of the places of which you speak,\" said the\nfourth ox. \"Come with me and I will find you the best grass you\never tasted.\"\n\n\"I am going to the valley,\" said the first ox. \"You three may go\nwhere you please.\"\n\n\"And I shall go to the hill,\" said the second ox. \"I think you are\nmean not to go with me.\"\n\n\"And I,\" said the third ox, \"shall stay right here. You may all be\nsorry if you leave me. The lion may catch you.\"\n\n\"I am not afraid of the lion,\" said the fourth ox; \"and if none of\nyou will go with me, I shall go by myself to hunt a better pasture\nthan any of you can find. I am older than you and I know where the\nbest grass grows. You had better follow me.\"\n\n\"We will not do it,\" said the other three oxen. \"You are not our\nleader if you are older.\"\n\nSo the four oxen separated. One went to the valley. The lion was\ndown by the river and saw him coming. He waited quietly until the\nox was very near; then he pounced upon him and killed him.\n\nThen the lion looked about for the other oxen. One of them was\nfeeding on the hill. He saw the lion coining, but, he could not\nget away. He could not defend himself with only one pair of horns;\nso he too was killed.\n\nAs the other two oxen were far apart, it was an easy matter for\nthe lion to kill them also. And that is the way the quarrel ended.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE HUNTER AND THE FARMER\n\n\n\"Are you afraid of a lion? I am not. There is nothing that I\nshould like better than to meet one,\" said a man to his neighbor\nwhose calf the lion had killed. \"To-morrow morning I will go out\nand hunt for this fierce lion, which is doing so much harm. If he\nis anywhere about, I shall find him and kill him, and thus rid the\nvillage of fear.\"\n\nThe next morning the man started out alone to hunt the lion. He\nhad, a gun and a sword. He looked so brave as he started off that\nthe people in the village said, \"What a blessing it is to have so\nfearless a man in our village! He will keep us from harm.\"\n\nHe walked several miles. At last he came near a jungle. He thought\nthat the lion might have his home there. He asked a farmer whom he\nmet if he had seen the tracks of a lion.\n\n\"Yes,\" said the farmer, \"and I will show you where you can find\nhim.\"\n\nWhen the man heard this, he turned pale and trembled with fright.\n\n\"I do not care to see the lion,\" he cried. \"I only wanted to see\nhis tracks.\"\n\nThe farmer turned away in disgust, saying, \"It is easy to be brave\nwhen you are out of danger.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX IN THE WELL\n\n\nOnce upon a time a fox fell into a well. He was not hurt by his\nfall. As there was little water in the well, he was in no danger\nof drowning; but he could not get out.\n\nHe cried, \"Help! help! help! help!\" but no one heard him.\n\nBy and by a wolf passed by the well. He heard the call. He looked\ninto the well and asked, \"Who is down there?\"\n\n\"It is I,\" cried the fox. \"I am glad that you have come to help me\nout.\"\n\n\"How did you get down there?\" asked the wolf. \"Have you been there\nlong? Is the water very deep? Poor fellow, I do pity you! That is\nno place for you. You have a very bad cold, I see. I wish you were\nout.\"\n\n\"Please don't talk to me,\" cried the fox. \"It is help I need. Do\nget me out and then I shall know that you are sorry for me.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE MICE IN COUNCIL\n\n\nWhat a queer meeting that was down in the cellar! There were big\nmice, little mice, old mice, young mice, gray mice, and brown\nmice, all very sober and thoughtful.\n\nAt last an old mouse spoke up and said, \"Shall we have Mr.\nGraypate for our chairman? All those who wish Mr. Graypate to be\nchairman will please hold up their right hands.\" Every mouse\nraised a tiny paw.\n\nMr. Graypate walked out to the front and took charge of the\nmeeting. It was well that they chose him, for he was the wisest\nmouse in the whole country. Gazing over the crowd, he said, \"Will\nMr. Longtail tell us why we have met here? Mr. Longtail, come out\nin front where we can hear you.\"\n\nMr. Longtail walked slowly to the front. Then he stood upon his\nhind legs and said:\n\n\"My friends, I think you all know why we are here. Last night Mrs.\nWhitenose, whom we all love, and all her family were killed by the\nbig white cat. The night before, while Mrs. Blackfoot was out\nhunting, all her cunning little babies were killed by the same\ncat. Early this week one of my finest boys was killed. You or I\nmay be next.\n\n\"Must we bear this and do nothing at all to save our loved ones\nand ourselves? We have met here to make some plan for our\ndefense.\"\n\nHaving spoken, Mr. Longtail walked back into the crowd.\n\nMr. Graypate arose and said:\n\n\"You have heard why we are here. Anyone who has a good plan for\nridding us of the cat will please tell of it. The meeting is open\nto all.\"\n\n\"Let us all run at him suddenly when he is not looking for us, and\neach give him a bite. That would surely kill him,\" said one brave\nmouse.\n\n\"But how many of us do you think he would kill?\" said another\nmouse. \"I will not risk my life nor that of my family.\" \"Nor I\";\n\"nor I\"; \"nor I,\" said many other mice.\n\n\"Let us steal his food and starve him to death,\" suggested\nanother.\n\n\"That will only make him hungrier for mice,\" they replied. \"That\nwill never do.\"\n\n\"I wish we might drown him,\" said another; \"but I don't know how\nwe could get him into the water.\"\n\nAt last a little gray mouse with a squeaky voice went up to the\nfront and spoke:\n\n\"I have a plan that will surely work. If we could know when the\ncat is coming, we could get out of his way. He steals in upon us\nso quietly, that we can not escape. Let us find a little bell and\na string. Let us put the bell on the string and tie the string\naround the cat's neck. As soon as we hear the bell, we can run and\nget out of the cat's way.\"\n\n\"A very good plan,\" said Mr. Longtail. \"We will ask our leader to\nsay which mouse shall put the bell on the cat's neck.\"\n\nAt this there was a great outcry. One said, \"I am so little that I\ncan not reach high enough to bell the cat.\" Another said, \"I have\nbeen very sick and am too weak to lift the bell\"; and so the\nexcuses came pouring in.\n\nAt last Mr. Graypate called to the crowd, \"Silence! I shall choose\nno one. Who will offer to bell the cat?\"\n\nIt was very quiet in the meeting. One after another of the younger\nmice went out. None but the older ones were left. At last they too\nwent sadly home. No one would bell the cat.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX AND THE CROW\n\n\nOne day the door of a cottage stood open. A tame crow flew through\nthe door into the cottage. She stole a piece of meat from the\ntable, and flew to a branch of a tall tree.\n\nJust as she had settled there to enjoy her meat a fox came along\nand stopped under the tree. He sniffed something good to eat.\nLooking about, he saw the meat in the crow's mouth and wanted it.\n\nHow could he get the meat? He could not climb the tree. What good\nwould it do if he could? The crow would fly away when she saw him\ncoming. He could not coax the crow to come down to the ground. She\nknew what a fox likes to eat.\n\nAt last the fox had a happy thought. He said to himself, \"A crow\nis one of the proudest birds I ever knew. I will flatter her and\nshe will forget about the meat.\"\n\nSo he called out in his sweetest voice, \"Good day, my pretty\nbird\"; but the crow did not reply. She only stepped about proudly\non the branch.\n\n\"I wish I had such a beautiful form as you have,\" said the fox.\n\nStill no answer, but the crow held up her head and turned it first\nto one side and then to the other, showing that she was pleased.\n\n\"What a graceful neck and bright eye!\" said the fox. \"The other\nbirds may well be jealous of you.\"\n\nNo answer yet. She only raised her wings a little and gazed down\nupon the fox.\n\n\"If your voice were only as beautiful as your form and your dress,\nyou would be queen of all the birds; but it seems that you can not\ntalk at all. What a pity that you are dumb!\"\n\nThe crow gave a loud \"caw!\" As she did so, the meat fell from her\nmouth. The fox snapped it up quickly.\n\nPoor crow, she saw when too late that the fox was only fooling\nher.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE VAIN CROW\n\n\n\"I hate a black dress, no matter how glossy,\" said a proud crow.\n\"I have made up my mind to be a peacock.\"\n\nAs he said this, he flew away to a barnyard where he found some\nfeathers which the peacock had shed. He picked these up with his\nbill and placed them among his own feathers.\n\nThen he marched back and forth, looking at his fine new coat. He\neven tried to walk like the peacock.\n\nThe peafowls came into the yard. They did not know at first what\nto make of the sight. Then they saw that the crow was trying to\ndress and act as they did. They flew at him, calling, \"Away with\nthe cheat! Away with the cheat!\" They pulled out all the peacock\nfeathers and many of his own glossy black ones.\n\nHe was glad to get away alive, and flew back to his own family and\nold friends. But one of the crows had seen him in the barnyard and\ntold the others how silly he had been acting.\n\n\"Where have you been?\" they cried. \"We know. We know. We will not\nhave you in this flock. Away! away!\" And they drove him from them.\n\nEven the owls, whom he had always hated, made eyes at him and\nscreamed, \"Ch-ea-t! ch-ea-t!\"\n\nHe flew into the forest. Here in a tree by a pond he lived a\nlonely life.\n\nThe tree-toads learned their queer song from him. This is his\nwarning to them. \"Don't, don't-be-cheat! Don't, don't-be-cheat!\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE HOUSE AND THE LOADED DONKEY\n\n\nA man once owned a beautiful black horse and a very ugly donkey.\n\nThe horse always had plenty to eat and was well groomed, but the\ndonkey was very poorly cared for.\n\nOne bright morning both animals were made ready for a long\njourney. A saddle was placed upon the horse, and a heavy pack of\ngoods was loaded upon the donkey.\n\nThe donkey was a very patient animal. When well, he never\ncomplained of his hard lot, but this morning he staggered under\nthe weight of his load. After going a short distance, he looked up\nat the proud horse and asked:\n\n\"Would you mind helping me to-day? I feel too ill to carry this\nheavy load. If you will help me, I shall soon be well and able to\ncarry the whole load. If you refuse to help me, I shall surely\nfall by the way; then you will have to bear the burden alone.\"\n\nThe horse held his head very high while the donkey was talking;\nthen he replied:\n\n\"Go on, you lazy beast! I am not a burden bearer. No, I will not\ntake one ounce of your load.\"\n\nThe donkey groaned and moved forward a few steps, then fell to the\nground dead.\n\nThe load was taken from the dead donkey's back and placed upon the\nhorse.\n\nAt the close of the day the horse reached the end of his journey.\nEvery bone in his body was aching, and he was so lame that he\ncould hardly walk.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE LEAVES AND THE ROOTS\n\n\n\"We cast cool shade upon the green grass,\" whispered the\nfluttering leaves. \"We dress the tree in fresh and quiet green. It\nis bare and brown without us. The tired traveler and the panting\nbeast are thankful for our shade. Children love to play under our\nshelter. At night the song birds of the woods fly to us for our\nprotection. We hide the nests of mother birds. The light winds\nstay with us and caress us.\" And the leaves felt very proud and\nimportant.\n\n\"What you say is all very true, but you should not forget us,\"\nsaid a voice from the earth. \"We are surely worth something.\"\n\n\"And who are you? Where do you grow?\" asked the leaves.\n\n\"We are buried deep in the ground, far below you, but we feed the\nstem and make you grow. We are the roots. You owe your beauty to\nus. We are not beautiful as you are, but we do not die. Winter\ndoes not change us, but when it comes you fall. The tree stands\nfirm, for it is held in place by us. If we should die, the tree\nwould die and you would die with it.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE BULL AND THE GNAT\n\n\nA gnat perched upon the horn of a bull. \"Dear sir,\" he said to the\nbull, \"I am sorry to trouble you, but I am too worn out to go any\nfarther. Does my weight tire you? When you can bear it no longer,\nI shall go on.\"\n\n\"You need not leave on my account,\" said the bull. \"I did not know\nwhen you sat down and I shall not miss you when you leave.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE FARMER AND HIS THREE SONS\n\n\nA farmer who had worked hard all his life was taken sick. He knew\nthat he must soon die. He called his three sons about his bed to\ngive them some advice.\n\n\"My sons,\" said he, \"keep all of the land which I leave you. Do\nnot sell any of it, for there is a treasure in the soil. I shall\nnot tell you where to hunt for it, but if you try hard to find it,\nand do not give up, you will surely succeed.\n\n\"As soon as the harvest is over, begin your search with plow, and\nspade, and rake. Turn every foot of earth, then turn it again and\nagain. The treasure is there.\"\n\nAfter the father died, the sons gathered in the harvest. As soon\nas the grain had been cared for, they planned to search for the\nhidden treasure. The farm was divided into three equal parts. Each\nson agreed to dig carefully his part.\n\nEvery foot of soil was turned by the plow or by the spade. It was\nnext harrowed and raked, but no treasure was found. That seemed\nvery strange.\n\n\"Father was an honest man and a wise man,\" said the youngest son.\n\"He would never have told us to hunt for the treasure if it were\nnot here. Do you not remember that he said, 'Turn the soil again\nand again'? He surely thought the treasure worth hunting for.\"\n\n\"Our land is in such good condition now that we might as well sow\nwinter wheat,\" said the oldest son. His brothers agreed to this\nand the wheat was sown.\n\nThe next harvest was so great that it surprised them. No\nneighbor's field bore so many bushels of wheat to the acre. The\nsons were pleased with their success.\n\nAfter the wheat was harvested, they met to make plans for\nsearching again for the hidden treasure. The second son said:\n\n\"I have been thinking ever since our big harvest that perhaps\nfather knew how this search would turn out. We have much gold, We\ndid not find it in a hole in the ground, but we found it by\ndigging. If we had not cultivated our fields well, we should not\nhave had such a crop of wheat. Our father was wise; we have dug\nfor the treasure and have found it.\n\n\"We will cultivate the ground still better next year and make the\nsoil rich; then we shall find more treasure.\"\n\nThe other sons agreed to this. \"It is good to work for what we\nget,\" they said.\n\nYear after year the farm was well tilled and bore good crops. The\nsons became rich, and they had two things much better than wealth\n--good health and happiness.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE YOUNG FOX\n\n\n\"You may hunt with me now, Reynard,\" said a wise old fox to his\nyoung son. \"It is time that you were beginning to make your\nliving.\"\n\n\"That pleases me well,\" said Reynard. \"I should not mind going out\nalone.\"\n\n\"You are not ready yet to go by yourself. There are many things\nthat I must teach you first. Do not go without me.\"\n\nReynard said nothing, but the next day, when his father was\nasleep, he went out into the field and brought home a nice, fat\npartridge.\n\nHe wakened his father by a quick bark and said, \"See what I have\ncaught. I do not need to go with you.\"\n\n\"You do not know what you need,\" replied his father. \"No wise fox\nhunts in the daytime.\"\n\nBut Reynard did not mind what his father said, and every day he\nwent out hunting. He killed so many chickens, turkeys and ducks\nthat everyone tried to catch him.\n\nOne night the old fox started out alone, but Reynard crept slowly\nafter him. The old fox went toward a large farmhouse. He stopped\nsuddenly in the path and waited; then he ran on quickly.\n\nReynard followed. He stopped at the same place where the old fox\nhad stopped.\n\n\"What is this?\" he said. \"A fine white turkey down in the grass!\nWell, well, is my father losing his sharp sight and his keen\nscent? I shall not let such a prize get away from me!\"\n\nHe sprang upon the turkey. The trap gave a loud snap, and Reynard\nwas a prisoner.\n\n\"What a fool I am!\" he said. \"I saw the bait. My father saw the\ntrap.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nVISIT OF THE MOUSE TO THE COUNTRY\n\n\n\"Mother, may I go into the country to-day? You said I might go\nsome day. I am big enough now to go out alone. Do let me go,\" said\nFrisky, a young mouse, to his mother.\n\n\"Well, child, I can not be with you always. I suppose there must\nbe a first time for you to go out alone. I dread to have you go,\nbut if you will promise to run home if a cat comes near you, I\nwill let you go,\" said Mrs. Gray, the mother.\n\n\"I will run, mother, if I see a cat. You know how fast I can go. I\nshould like to see any cat catch me. I shall not be gone long.\nGood-by, mother,\" and off went Frisky.\n\nMrs. Gray watched him until he was out of sight. \"I wish I had\ngone with him,\" she said. \"He does not know the world as I do. I\nfear some harm will come to him,\" and she looked very much worried\nas she turned to go into her house. She tried to sleep, for she\nwas very tired; but when she dozed she dreamed, and her dreams\nwere all bad ones.\n\nAt last she went back to the door and looked for Frisky. He was\ncoming, leaping along in a great hurry. He began talking to his\nmother before he reached her.\n\n\"Oh, mother,\" he said, \"I met two big creatures on the other side\nof the pasture.\n\n\"One of them was very fine looking. She had very gentle ways. She\nstepped about so quietly that one could scarcely hear her. Her\ndress was of soft gray fur, much like yours, mother, and she wore\nwhiskers like yours. I knew you would like to see her, so I was\njust going to invite her home with me when a terrible-looking\ncreature came right toward me.\n\n\"He walked as if he were too good to step on the ground. His legs\nwere naked, his toes were long, and his toe nails were strong and\nsharp. His dress was not so soft as yours. It was black and white.\nHis mouth looked like a trap. I tell you, mother, I should hate to\nget caught in that trap. On top of his head was something that\nwobbled as he walked. He straightened himself up, raised his arms\nand screamed. Such a scream! It nearly frightened me to death. He\nisn't coming, is he, mother? Do let me run into the house.\"\n\n\"My son,\" said his mother, stopping Frisky as he tried to pass\nher,\" I shall not let you go out alone again until you know more.\n\n\"That animal which you liked so well and wished to invite to our\nhouse is a cat. It is the very one no doubt that killed all of\nyour brothers and sisters when they were quite small. She would\nhave killed you too at the same time if a dog had not come along\nand frightened her away. If you had gone close to her this\nafternoon, I should never have seen you again. I thought you would\nknow a cat.\n\n\"The creature of which you were afraid cares nothing for us. He\nwould not have harmed you. He has bare legs so he can wade about\nin the grass and not get his clothing wet. He uses those long toes\nand sharp claws to scratch in the earth for food. He does not\ncatch mice with them. He uses that strong bill for picking up\ngrain. People call him a rooster.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE TWO DOVES\n\n\nTwo doves, White-coat and Blue-feather, lived in a dovecote. They\nwere brothers and were very fond of each other. White-coat was a\ngreat home body, but Blue-feather liked to travel.\n\nOne day Blue-feather said to White-coat, \"I want to see the world.\nThis place is very tame. I have lived here all my life (he was\nonly six months old) and have seen all there is to see. I want to\nvisit other countries.\"\n\n\"Don't go, Blue-feather,\" said White-coat. \"We have all we want to\neat here, everyone is kind, and we have a good home. I have heard\nthat in other places men set traps for birds or shoot them, and\nthat sometimes large hawks swoop down and carry them off. You\nmight be caught out in a storm and find no shelter; besides, it\nwould almost kill me to be separated from you long. You might be\nable to bear it, but not I. Surely it is best to stay at home.\"\n\nJust then a crow cawed. \"Do you hear that crow, brother?\" asked\nWhite-coat. \"It seems to say, 'You will be sorry if you go.' Do\nnot go. Take his warning. See, too, it is raining. If you must go,\ndo put it off until a better time.\"\n\n\"White-coat, why do you make such a fuss about nothing? I shall\nnot be gone more than three days; then you shall hear of all the\nwonderful things I saw. I shall tell what happened to me from the\nbeginning of my journey until its close. It will be almost as good\nas going yourself.\"\n\n\"I do not care about the world,\" said White-coat. \"How can I let\nyou go! You will find me watching for you at whatever time of day\nor night you reach home. I can not eat, I can not sleep, with you\naway.\"\n\nAt this, they said. a sad good-by to each other, and Blue-feather\nflew away.\n\nA dark cloud covered the sky. Blue-feather looked about for\nshelter. He flew to the only tree near, but its leaves could not\nkeep off the driving rain, so his coat was wet through and\nthrough.\n\nWhen the sky was clear again, Blue-feather left the tree and dried\nhis plumage as he flew.\n\nOn the borders of a wood he spied some scattered grains of wheat.\nHe was hungry and saw no reason why he should not pick them up. As\nhe flew down, a snare was drawn about him. The wheat had been put\nthere to tempt pigeons so that they might get caught. It was well\nfor Blue-feather that the snare had been in use a long time and\nwas rotten. By using his beak and wings he got loose, but he lost\na few feathers out of his pretty coat.\n\nA hawk saw him as he rose. Blue-feather was dragging a piece of\nthe string which he could not loosen from his leg. The hawk was\nabout to seize him. It seemed as if there was no help for him. But\njust at that moment an eagle caught the hawk and carried him off.\n\nBlue-feather flew as fast as he could to a high fence, where he\nstopped to rest. He thought his dangers were over. He was very\nhomesick.\n\nWhile Blue-feather was sitting on the fence, a boy saw him. He\nnearly killed the poor bird with a shot from his sling.\n\nBlue-feather was just able to fly. His leg was lame, and one wing\nwas hurt, but he steered straight for home.\n\nLate at night he arrived at his own dovecote, tired and hungry,\nbut happy to be safe at home again. He found White-coat waiting\nfor him.\n\nWhite-coat smoothed his poor brother's feathers, nestled close to\nhim, and soothed him with his coo! coo! coo!\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE HORSE AND THE WOLF\n\n\nA horse, in the early spring, was turned into a pasture of fresh\ngrass. He was enjoying himself very much when a hungry wolf spied\nhim. The horse did not see the wolf.\n\nThe wolf said, \"I want that horse. I have not had a good meal for\na month. He is so big that I can not catch him as I would a sheep.\nI shall have to play a trick.\" So he lay down on the ground and\nthought how he could deceive the horse and then catch him.\n\n\"I have it,\" he said at last. \"I will be a doctor. The horse is\nsound and well, but I will make him think that he needs a doctor;\nthen I shall tell him that I can cure him.\" The wolf smacked his\nlips as he thought of the meal he would soon have.\n\nHe marched into the pasture in a very business-like way. Going\nright up to the horse, he said:\n\n\"Good morning, my dear sir. This is fine grass you are eating and\na beautiful morning to be out. I am sorry to see you looking so\npoorly this bright day. I happen to be a doctor. As you know, a\ngood doctor can tell at sight when one is sick. If you were well,\nyou would not have been turned out to pasture. You know that there\nis much work to be done at this time of the year. Your master must\nthink that you are not able to work.\n\n\"Now, my friend, be frank with me; tell me what ails you, that I\nmay cure you. I have been to the best schools in the country.\nThere I learned about diseases of every kind and a sure cure for\nevery disease. If you have no money to pay my bill, do not let\nthat trouble you. We can settle that later.\"\n\nThe horse looked at the wolf out of the corner of his eye and\nsaid, \"Now that I think of it, I believe that something is wrong\nwith the bottom of my left hind foot.\"\n\nAll the time the wolf had been looking for a good chance to spring\nupon the horse, but the horse did not let him get out of his sight\nfor an instant.\n\nWhen the horse told of his trouble the wolf replied, \"Yes, I\nunderstand just what is the matter. There are many others having\nthat same trouble this year. I have had as many as twenty cases.\nAll are doing well. Let me look at your foot. Raise it now,\nplease, care--\"\n\nAt this instant the horse raised his foot, and with it gave the\nwolf such a terrible kick in his face that he fell heavily to the\nground. The horse went on feeding.\n\nAs soon as the wolf was able to get up, he went groaning out of\nthe field. He was cured of one thing, but the medicine was very\nbitter.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE BIRDS, THE BEASTS, AND THE BAT\n\n\nThere was once a terrible war between the birds and the beasts.\nFor a long time it was doubtful which would win.\n\nThe bat said, \"I am not a bird and I am not a beast, so I shall\nfight on neither side.\"\n\nAt last the beasts seemed to be gaining the victory. The bat flew\nto them and said, \"I am a beast. Look at my body and you will see\nthat I am. I shall fight on your side.\"\n\nNew flocks of birds came to help their relatives, and the battle\nsoon turned against the beasts.\n\nThen the bat skulked over to the other side. \"I am a bird,\" said\nhe. \"I can prove it by my wings,\" and he fought with the birds.\n\nAt last the war was over. The bat was hated by beasts and birds.\nBoth made war upon him. He was obliged to slink off and hide in\ndark places during the day, never showing his face until dusk.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE BEES, THE DRONES, AND THE WASP\n\n\nSome working bees had made their comb in the hollow trunk of an\noak.\n\nThe drones said, \"We made that comb. It belongs to us.\"\n\n\"You did not make that comb,\" replied the workers. \"You know\nvery well that you did not. We made it.\"\n\nThe drones answered, \"That comb belongs to us and we are going to\nhave it.\"\n\nSo the workers took the case to Judge Wasp that he might decide\nthe matter.\n\nThe workers and the drones settled down before him. \"You workers\nand drones,\" said he, \"are so much alike in shape and color that\nit is hard to tell which has been seen in the tree. But I think\nthe matter can be justly decided. Each party may go to a hive in\nwhich there is no honey, and build up a new comb. The one that\nmakes comb and honey like that found in the tree is the owner of\nthe tree comb.\"\n\n\"All right,\" said the workers, \"we will do it;\" but the drones\nsaid, \"We will have nothing to do with such a plan.\"\n\nSo Judge Wasp said, \"It is plain to see which of you made the\ncomb. It belongs to the workers.\"\n\nThe drones buzzed away very angry, but they were not able to harm\nthe workers or the judge, and the workers went back to their tree.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOODMAN AND HIS AX\n\n\nOne day a poor woodman lost his ax. He hunted all day, but he\ncould not find it. He was very sad, for how could he make a living\nfor his family without an ax? Besides he had no money with which\nto buy a new one. As night came on, he sank down by the roadside\nand buried his face in his hands.\n\nHe heard a noise in the bushes and raised his head. A stranger was\nstanding by him. \"What is the matter?\" asked the stranger. The\nwoodman told him of his trouble.\n\n\"I am sorry your ax is lost,\" said the stranger. \"Would you know\nit if you were to see it? I found an ax in the road. It may be\nyours. Is this it?\" he asked, holding out a gold ax.\n\n\"No,\" answered the woodman, \"that is not my ax. All the money I\never earned would not buy such an ax as that.\"\n\n\"I found another,\" said the man. \"This must be the one,\" and he\nheld out a silver ax.\n\n\"No, that is not mine,\" replied the woodman. \"I am too poor a man\nto own such an ax as that.\"\n\n\"Well, here is another ax that I found. Is this yours?\" The\nstranger held out an old ax of steel.\n\n\"That is mine, oh, that is mine!\" cried the woodman, springing up\njoyously and taking his ax from the stranger. \"Now we shall not\nstarve. Thank you, kind sir. Where did you find it?\"\n\nThe stranger said, \"All three of the axes are yours. I am glad to\nmake you a present of the gold ax and the silver ax. Let me have\nyour hand. I am happy to meet an honest man.\"\n\nThe woodman's neighbors heard of his good fortune. One of them\nlost his ax. He appeared to feel very sad over his loss. He sat\ndown by the roadside and bowed his head, looking out of the\ncorners of his eyes for the stranger.\n\nAt last he saw the stranger coming around a bend in the road. The\nsun shown upon a gold ax which he carried in his hand. He stopped\nin front of the woodman. \"Why do you grieve, my friend?\" he asked.\n\n\"I have lost my ax with which I earned my living,\" the woodman\nreplied.\n\n\"Cheer up,\" said the stranger. \"I have an ax here. Is it yours?\"\n\n\"That is the very one,\" said the woodman. \"Thank you, stranger,\"\nand he reached out his hand to take the gold ax.\n\nBut the stranger drew back, and put the ax behind him. \"It is not\nyour ax. It is my own, and you wish to claim it. You are both\ndishonest and untruthful;\" and he turned away.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOX WITH HIS TAIL CUT OFF\n\n\nReynard lost his tail in a trap. Now a fox is proud of two things\n--his cunning and his tail. He had allowed himself to be trapped.\nThis showed his lack of cunning, and he had lost his tail.\n\nHe was so ashamed of himself that he could not bear to meet\nanother fox. He slunk off to his den and came out only when driven\nby hunger. When out hunting, he kept out of the way of all his\nneighbors. He did not mean that any of them should know of his bad\nluck.\n\nAt last he grew tired of living by himself. He wanted to gossip\nwith his friends.\n\nHe wondered whether old Rufus was still running on top of the\ngreat meadow fence to throw the hounds off the track.\n\nHe longed to hear of the latest tricks of Fleetfoot's cubs. They\nwere three of the brightest little foxes that ever lived. He\nwished that he could see them at their play.\n\nHe wished to know if the men were still cutting down trees near\nWhite-ear's den. If this went on, White-ear would have to find a\nnew home. It would be hard for her after living in that beautiful\nspot so long.\n\nIf he were to hear the news at all, he must meet his comrades.\n\"How can I bear to listen to their laugh!\" he moaned.\n\nHe had not lost all of his cunning, as you will see. He lay for a\nlong time with his head between his paws. His eyes were wide open,\nbut he was not watching for game. He was thinking.\n\nAfter a while he jumped up. He said to himself:\n\n\"I shall invite all of my friends to come to my home to-morrow\nevening. I shall tell them when they reach here that I can not get\nup to meet them for I have been very sick. They will all gather\nabout me here. I shall sit upon my haunches so that no one will\never find out that my tail is missing. As they are to be my\nguests, I must be the spokesman. My friends have always thought me\nto be a very fine speaker. Many times my advice has been asked. I\nhave given it, and it paid my friends to follow it. The thing\nwhich I shall advise to-morrow will surprise them, but I feel sure\nthat I can get my friends to follow it. I will set to work now\npreparing for the feast.\"\n\nEarly the next evening Reynard gave a series of strange barks.\nThis was an invitation to his home. The foxes came from every\ndirection and met at the foot of an old oak.\n\nReynard's den was under this oak. He sat upon his haunches near\nthe door to welcome his guests as they came, but he did not move.\n\n\"You all know, friends, why I do not rise to welcome you,\" he\nsaid. \"I have been very sick, and if I move about it gives me a\nvery bad headache.\"\n\nReynard asked his friends, who were standing around him, what they\nhad been doing for the last week or so. They told many interesting\nstories of how they had escaped from traps and dogs and men.\n\nA pile of chickens, turkeys, and ducks lay in sight not far away.\nAs they talked, their eyes often wandered to these.\n\nIt grew late. The company became a little restless. At last\nReynard said:\n\n\"Now, friends, before we take our evening meal, I have something\nto say for the good of all of us.\n\n\"I have been lying awake nights thinking what we could do to free\nourselves from the weight of our heavy tails. Spring is here with\nits rainy weather. You all know how wet and muddy our tails\nbecome. Often I have had to give up a first-class meal and trot\noff home, hungry, to stay until my tail had dried. You have had to\ndo the same. Many a poor fox has lost his life because of his long\ntail.\n\n\"Now, what do you say to having our tails cut off? Think what free\nlives we shall then lead. I will cut them off if you wish. The\ncutting will be almost painless, I am sure. Now let us have them\noff in a hurry before supper. After our feast, we shall have a\ngreat dance.\"\n\nHis visitors were silent for a moment. Some nodded their heads,\nshowing that they were ready to part with their tails.\n\nThe oldest and wisest fox in the crowd had been looking at Reynard\nvery closely. He was the only one of all that crowd to miss\nReynard's tail. At last he spoke slowly:\n\n\"Your advice may be good, but before I reply, pray turn yourself\naround.\"\n\nPoor Reynard saw that he was found out. He dared not refuse to do\nas he was told, so he turned about.\n\nWhat a shout the foxes gave! Poor bobtail could not say a word.\nThe foxes seized the turkeys, ducks, and chickens, and ran off\nhome with their long tails behind them, and poor Reynard was never\nagain seen by any of them.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE BLACKBIRD AND THE DOVE\n\n\nOne day a blackbird and a dove called upon a peacock.\n\nThe peacock received both of them very kindly in his arbor.\n\n\"I have long wished to meet you,\" said the blackbird. \"Many have\ntold me of your beauty and of your grace. I find that they did not\ntell me half.\" He stroked the peacock's coat lovingly as he\npraised him.\n\nThe dove was silent.\n\nAt last they bade the peacock good-by, the blackbird making many\nlow bows.\n\nAs they started home, the blackbird said, \"I hope I may never meet\nthat stupid peacock again. I can not bear him. Did you notice his\nfeet? I felt like laughing every time I looked at them. His voice\nmakes me shudder. What can anyone see to praise in that bird?\"\n\n\"I did not notice his feet nor his voice,\" said the dove. \"He has\na noble form and his dress is very beautiful. The rainbow and the\nflowers are not more beautiful.\"\n\nThe blackbird turned away in shame. He wished to hear fault found\nwith the peacock, but the dove gave only the highest praise.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE GREEDY DOG\n\n\n\"What a good time I shall have eating this meat when I get home!\"\nsaid a dog as it started to cross a stream of water.\n\nHe stopped suddenly and looked down into the water. There was his\nshadow. \"That dog has a larger piece of meat than I,\" he said. \"I\nwant that piece of meat and I will have it!\"\n\nHe growled, but the dog in the water did not move nor did he drop\nhis piece of meat.\n\nHe snapped at the dog in the water. He was soon sorry for that,\nfor the meat slipped from his mouth and sank to the bottom of the\nstream, and the dog in the water lost his meat at the same time.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOOSE THAT LAID GOLD EGGS\n\n\nOne day a farmer bought a goose and took it home.\n\nThe next day the goose laid an egg of solid gold.\n\n\"That is a wonderful goose,\" said the farmer, and he took the egg\nto a jeweler to find out its value.\n\n\"It is pure gold,\" said the jeweler, and he paid the farmer a big\nprice for it.\n\nEach day the goose laid a gold egg. The farmer had a dozen.\n\n\"I shall soon be a rich man,\" he said, \"but I do wish the goose\nwould lay more than one egg a day.\"\n\nAfter the goose had laid many eggs, the farmer said, \"That goose\nhas many more gold eggs for me. I will not wait for one a day. I\nwill kill the goose, open it, and get all the eggs at once.\"\n\nSo he killed the goose and opened it, but what do you think? There\nwas not one egg to be found.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE DONKEY AND HIS MASTERS\n\n\n\"How I hate this early rising!\" said a donkey, with a great yawn.\n\"I wish I might sleep till sunrise. Here I am, harnessed and ready\nto start to town before the roosters crow. And why? To take a\nlittle fruit and a few vegetables to market. Isn't that a foolish\nreason for spoiling my dreams!\"\n\nThe master was tired of his donkey, for he never seemed willing to\ndo his work. \"I do hate a donkey with his ears turned backward,\"\nhe said. \"He has no right to complain, for his work is really\nlight, and he gets plenty of food and rest.\"\n\nOne day a tanner came along. He saw what a strong donkey the\ngardener drove, and asked his price. The gardener was glad to sell\nhim. \"I hope he will enjoy his new work,\" said the gardener. \"He\nnever seemed quite happy with me.\"\n\nThe tanner used the donkey to carry hides. These were heavy and\nbad-smelling. They almost made him sick.\n\n\"Oh, dear!\" the donkey groaned one day. \"I wish I were back with\nthe gardener. The vegetables were fresh and I was often given a\ncabbage leaf or a beet top. I did have to get out early, to be\nsure, but I did not work late. Here I must work early and late,\nand if I turn out of the road to get a mouthful of grass, I am\nbeaten soundly. I hate this work and this place.\"\n\nThe donkey was so ill-natured that the tanner sold him to a coal\nminer. He was lowered into a coal mine, where he had to pass his\ntime pulling loads of coal. The mine was dark, and he was kept\nvery busy.\n\n\"This is very bad,\" he cried. \"I wish I were with the gardener, or\neven with the tanner. Anything would be better than working in\nthis dismal hole in the ground.\" But there he ended his unhappy\nlife.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE COBBLER AND THE RICH MAN\n\n\nA cobbler worked in his shop from morning until night, and as he\nworked he sang. Tired people who heard him were rested, and sad\nmen and women were cheered as they came near the shop. Children\nvisited him and watched him at his work and heard him sing. They\ncalled him \"Jolly Gregory.\"\n\n\"How can he sing when he works so hard and makes so little?\" many\nasked; but still his singing went on.\n\nAcross the road from the cobbler lived a rich man. His home was\nbeautiful, his clothes fine, and his fare the best that money\ncould buy; but never in his life had he been known to give to\nanyone who needed help. He was really poor, for he lacked one\nthing which he very much wanted--sleep. Sometimes he could not get\nto sleep until early morning; then his neighbor's song would waken\nhim. He wished that sleep could be bought for money.\n\nOne day he said to himself, \"I believe I will help that cobbler\nover the way. He has a hard time to make enough money to buy his\nfood and clothes.\" So he sent for the cobbler.\n\n\"Honest Gregory,\" he said \"how much do you earn in a year?\"\n\n\"How much a year?\" replied the cobbler, scratching his head. \"I\nnever reckon my money in that way. It goes as fast as it comes,\nbut I am glad to be able to earn it. I cobble on from day to day\nand earn a living.\"\n\n\"Well then, Gregory, how much do you earn each day?\" asked the\nrich man.\n\n\"Why, sometimes more and sometimes less,\" answered the cobbler.\n\"On many days--the holidays--I earn nothing. I wish there were\nfewer of these; but then we manage to live.\"\n\n\"You are a happy man now,\" said the rich man, \"but I will make you\nhappier,\" and he handed the cobbler five hundred dollars. \"Go\nspend this money carefully. It will supply your needs for many\ndays,\" he said.\n\nThe cobbler had never dreamed of so much money before. He thought\nit was enough to keep him in food and clothes all his life.\n\nHe took the money home and hid it, but he hid his joy with it. He\nstopped singing and became sad. He could not sleep for fear of\nrobbers. He thought that everyone who came into his shop was\ntrying to find out his secret, or wished a gift. When a cat ran\nover the floor, he thought a thief had slipped through the door.\n\nAt last, poor man, he could bear it no longer. He took the money,\nhurried to the rich man, and cried, \"Oh, give me back my songs and\nmy sweet sleep! Here is your money, every cent of it. I made a\npoor trade.\"\n\nThe rich man looked at him and said, \"I thought I had made you\nhappy. I have not missed your songs, for, strange as it may seem,\nI have been sleeping soundly ever since I talked with you.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE ICE KING\n\n\nA tribe of Indians lived near a river. One winter the weather was\nvery cold, and many of them died.\n\nBut spring came at last. The snow melted from the tops of the\nmountains and ran in torrents down their steep sides and into the\nriver.\n\nThe ice in the swollen river broke up into large cakes which\nfloated down the stream.\n\nThe weather grew warmer. All the ice melted except one big cake\nwhich the flood had left on the bank of the river.\n\nThe sun had been shining on this piece of ice for many days, but\nit would not melt. There were signs of spring everywhere except in\nthis one spot.\n\nA brave warrior had been watching this piece of ice. He said to\nhimself, \"That is the Ice King, I am sure. I must conquer him.\"\n\nHe raised his big war club and struck the Ice King, crying, \"Come\non, Ice King! Do your best. Freeze me if you can. I will show you\nthat I am as strong as you are.\"\n\nHe struck again and again, and the Ice King began to shrink.\nPieces of ice floated down the river. At last he became so small\nthat the Indian picked him up and tossed him into the river.\n\n\"There!\" cried the Indian, \"off with you! Never dare to come back\nhere again.\"\n\nThe Ice King whirled about and screamed, \"I go now, but I shall\ncome again. Look for me next winter. I will show you then which of\nus is the stronger.\"\n\nThe Indian hunted and fished all summer, but when autumn was near\nhe began to think of the threat of the Ice King. \"He will keep his\nword,\" said the Indian, \"and I must get ready to fight him.\"\n\nThe Indian placed his wigwam among the trees, where it was well\nsheltered from the winds. Near it he heaped up a large pile of dry\nwood. Then he caught some large fish and tried out their fat so\nthat he might have plenty of oil. He made thick clothes for\nhimself out of the skins of animals. During the summer he had\ngathered much wild rice, and now he dried meat. While he was\ngetting ready, the weather was becoming colder.\n\nAt last all was done, and the Indian said, as he sat by his\nblazing fire, \"Let the Ice King come. I am ready for him.\"\n\nThat night the Ice King froze the little pools of water. After a\nfew days the lakes and rivers were frozen. It was very cold.\n\nOne night when the Indian was sitting by his fire, the Ice King\nstepped to the door of the wigwam. He walked boldly to the fire\nand sat down opposite the Indian.\n\nHow cold the Ice King's breath felt! It nearly put out the fire.\nThe poor Indian shivered, but he said to himself, \"The Ice King\nshall not conquer me.\" He jumped up and threw dry wood on the\nfire. Then he poured oil upon the wood. The fire blazed up. The\nIndian put on more wood and more oil. The fire roared and\ncrackled.\n\nThe Ice King began to feel too warm. He moved back a little way.\nThe fire became hotter. The Ice King moved farther back. He began\nto sweat and to grow smaller and weaker. Then he cried out, \"My\nfriend, I am conquered. Let me go! Oh, let me go!\"\n\nThe Indian arose and pushed the fire back from the Ice King. Then\nhe took his trembling hand, lifted him up, and led him to the door\nof the wigwam.\n\nAs the Ice King passed out he said, \"You have conquered me twice.\nYou shall always be my master.\"\n\nEver since that time men have been masters of the Ice King. When\nhis cold breath blows, they make the fires warmer and their\nclothing thicker. [Footnote: Adapted from \"The Ice Man\" in Legends\nof the MicMacs, published by S. T. Rand; permission to use given\nby Helen S. Webster, owner of copyright.]\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE WOLF, THE GOAT, AND THE KID\n\n\n\"Good-by, little one,\" said Mrs. White Paw, the goat, to her\ndaughter.\n\n\"Do not go, mother, I am afraid to stay here alone,\" cried little\nNanny.\n\n\"But I must get my dinner or you will have no milk for your\nsupper,\" said her mother.\n\n\"There is nothing to fear but the prowling wolf. Bar the door when\nI am gone; then he can not get in. Do not open the door unless you\nhear this password, 'Cursed be the wolf and all his race!'\"\n\nThe mother, as she trotted away, felt no fear for her little\ndaughter's safety. \"No one knows that password but myself,\" she\nsaid; \"but I shall be very glad when Nanny is old enough to go out\nwith me to dine on the green hill. She is lonely when I am gone.\"\n\nLittle Nanny was not as safe as the mother thought, for slinking\nin the bushes near Mrs. White Paw's home was the hateful wolf. He\nheard the password which the mother gave to her little one, and\nlaughed at the thought of the good feast which he should have by\nand by.\n\nAfter the mother had been away for some time, the wolf sneaked to\nthe door of the little house. He knocked, and gave the password,\n\"Cursed be the wolf and all his race.\" in a voice much like that\nof Mrs. White Paw.\n\nNanny started to open the door, thinking that her mother had come\nhome; but she stopped, for the voice had not sounded quite like\nher mother's voice. \"I will make sure that it is no one but my\nmother,\" she said to herself. So she called, \"Mother, show me your\nwhite paw before I open the door.\"\n\nThe wolf was angry, for he had no white paw to show. He gave a\nlong, angry howl and went away.\n\nThe mother heard the howl as she turned her face homeward. \"That\nwill frighten Nanny,\" she said, and she hurried home. On reaching\nthe house, she knocked and called in a cheery voice, \"Cursed be\nthe wolf and all his race.\"\n\nNanny did not open the door at once. She called back, \"Show me\nyour white paw, mother.\"\n\nMrs. White Paw put her paw to the crack in the door, and the door\nflew open.\n\n\"Why did you not let me in as soon as I gave the password, Nanny?\"\nasked her mother.\n\nNanny told her of the wolf's visit. Mrs. White Paw was very proud\nof her wise daughter.\n\n\"Now have your supper, my brave Nanny, and go to bed. How glad I\nam that you are safe!\" said the happy mother.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE WISE GOAT\n\n\nA goat was on top of a high cliff eating grass.\n\nA wolf was at the foot of the cliff looking at him. He wanted the\ngoat for his supper, but he could not climb the steep cliff.\n\n\"Come down here,\" said the wolf. \"The grass is much better here.\nSee how much of it there is.\"\n\n\"Thank you,\" said the goat. \"You may have all of that good grass\nyourself, but you shall not eat me.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE SHEPHERD AND THE DOGS\n\n\n\"Hero is a wonderful dog,\" said a shepherd, \"I have not lost a\nsheep since I owned him, not one. Some foolish wolves tried to\nkill him when he was a puppy, but he treated them so badly that\nthey have since been careful to keep out of his way.\"\n\n\"He is certainly a brave dog,\" said a neighbor, \"but I think you\nare foolish to keep him. He eats as much meat as a dozen small\ndogs, and smaller dogs would take as good care of your sheep as\nhe.\"\n\n\"There may be something in what you say,\" said the shepherd. \"I\nhave often wished that Hero ate less meat, but I should hate to\npart from him.\"\n\nThe next day the mayor of the town rode by. \"What will you take\nfor that dog of yours?\" he asked.\n\n\"I can not spare him,\" said the shepherd; \"he is too good a friend\nto part from. His only fault is a liking for meat.\"\n\n\"I will give you a hundred dollars for him,\" said the mayor, \"and\nhe shall have all the meat he cares to eat.\"\n\n\"You will not be foolish enough to refuse that offer, I hope,\"\nsaid the neighbor. \"Think how much meat you will save.\"\n\n\"I think I shall have to let him go,\" replied the shepherd, slowly\nand sadly.\n\nThat night Hero was taken to the mayor's house and the shepherd\nreceived his money.\n\nThe shepherd found three curs in town to take Hero's place. He\npaid nothing for them, for their owners were very glad to get rid\nof them.\n\nThe next day the wolves said, \"Hero is gone! Hero is gone! Now for\na feast. We do not care for those cowardly dogs.\"\n\nWhen the new dogs saw the wolves coming, they cried out, \"Let us\nrun,\" and away they all went.\n\nWhen the sheep saw the wolves, they too began to run.\n\nThe shepherd was taking care of a lame lamb in a distant part of\nthe field. When he saw the wolves chasing his sheep, he ran toward\nthem; but before he could frighten the wolves away, they had\nkilled several sheep.\n\n\"What a fool I have been,\" said the shepherd, \"to let my neighbor\ndo my thinking for me!\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE BOY AND THE NUTS\n\n\nA glass jar half full of nuts stood on a table.\n\nAlbert, who was very fond of nuts, saw it. He climbed up on the\ntable and thrust his hand into the jar, grasping a whole handful.\nHe tried to pull his hand out. The mouth of the jar was too narrow\nfor his fist.\n\nHe pulled and pulled and became very angry at the jar, but it was\nof no use.\n\nAt last he began to scream and cry. His mother hurried into the\nroom to find out what was the matter with him.\n\n\"What hurts you, Albert?\" she asked.\n\n\"This old jar will not let me have this handful of nuts,\" cried\nAlbert.\n\nHis mother laughed when she saw the cause of all his trouble.\n\n\"Do you wish so many nuts?\" she asked. \"Try taking out a few at a\ntime.\"\n\nAlbert did as his mother told him to do, and found that he could\neasily get the nuts.\n\n\"When you get into trouble again, my son, stop and think of a way\nout, instead of screaming,\" said his mother.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE CROW AND THE PITCHER\n\n\nNo rain had fallen for many weeks. All the small streams and the\nponds were dried up.\n\nAn old crow had been looking for water all the morning. At last he\nfound some in a pitcher in a garden. He flew down to it and thrust\nin his bill; but he could not reach the water.\n\nHe walked around to the other side and tried again; but he could\nnot get a drink. Oh, how very thirsty he was! It seemed as if he\nshould faint.\n\n\"I must have that water. I will have it,\" he said.\n\nAgain he stretched his neck into the pitcher. No, he could not\nreach it.\n\nHe stopped a second and seemed to be thinking; then he said, \"I\nwill break the pitcher. My bill is strong and hard.\" So he gave\nthe pitcher a hard thump. It did not break. He \"thumped! thumped!\nthumped!\" first here, then there. What a strong pitcher that was!\nIt did not even crack.\n\n\"This will not do,\" he said. \"I must try some other plan. I am big\nand strong. I will tip the pitcher over.\"\n\nWith that he pushed against it with his breast. It did not move.\nIt seemed as if he must give up the attempt to get the water, but\nhe did not once think of doing that.\n\nNear by in the path lay some pebbles. The crow picked up one in\nhis bill and let it fall into the pitcher. He dropped one after\nanother into it. He could see the water rising a little. Now he\nworked harder than ever.\n\nBefore very long the water had risen so high that he could reach\nit with his bill. How refreshing it was! He drank as much as he\nwished, then flew away.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE GROCER AND HIS DONKEY\n\n\nA grocer went to a city not far away to get some salt. He took his\ndonkey along to carry the load. On their way they had to cross a\nlittle stream over which there was only a narrow footbridge.\n\nWhen they reached the city, the grocer placed some heavy sacks of\nsalt upon the donkey's back and they started homeward.\n\nOn reaching the middle of the stream, the donkey stumbled and\nfell. As he arose, the water dripped down his sides and he noticed\nthat his load had become much lighter.\n\nThe grocer had lost so much salt that it was necessary for him to\nreturn to the city and get a fresh supply. This time he put on a\nheavier load than at first.\n\nWhen they reached the stream, the donkey said to himself, \"This is\na very heavy load that I am carrying, but I know how to make it\nlighter,\" and he lay down in the stream. When he arose, his load\nwas much lighter, as he had expected.\n\n\"I will break him of that trick,\" said the grocer.\n\nHe drove the donkey to the city again, and heaped great bags of\nsponges upon his back.\n\nThe load was not very heavy, but the donkey said to himself, \"I\nwill make it still lighter.\"\n\nWhen he came to the stream, he lay down again in the water. He\nstarted to rise, but to his surprise he could hardly get up.\n\n\"What can be the matter?\" he thought.\n\nHis master, laughing, said, \"Have you learned your lesson, old\nfellow? We shall see.\"\n\nHe drove the groaning donkey slowly back to the city, took the\nsponges from his back, and loaded him again with salt.\n\nWhen the donkey came again to the stream, he picked his way\ncarefully, for he did not wish to fall. This time he got across\nsafely, and the grocer arrived at home with his entire load of\nsalt.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE THREE FISH\n\n\nThree large fish lived very happily in a pond which few people\never passed.\n\nOne of these fish was always wise, the second was wise sometimes,\nbut the third was never wise.\n\nOne day two men who were passing by the pond saw the fish.\n\nOne of them said, \"Let us hurry home and get our nets. Those fish\nare too fine to lose.\" So they hurried away.\n\nThe three fish were very much frightened. The first one thought a\nmoment, then swam through the outlet of the pond into the river.\n\nWhen the men came back with their nets, there were only two fish\nto be seen. They found the outlet of the pond and made a dam\nacross it.\n\nThe second fish now began to think; he came to the top of the\nwater and floated on his back. One of the men picked him up in his\nnet, but he seemed dead, so he threw him back into the water.\n\nThe fish that never thought sank to the bottom of the pond and was\neasily caught. [Footnote: Adapted from \"The Three Fish\" in The\nTortoise and the Geese, published by Houghton, Mifflin Co]\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE WAGONER\n\n\n\"We must have coal,\" said the farmers to the wagoner.\n\n\"But the roads are very bad,\" replied the wagoner. \"I never saw\nthem worse.\"\n\n\"We can not wait for the roads to dry,\" said the farmers, \"for\nwithout a fire we should take cold. Besides, we should have to eat\nuncooked food.\"\n\nSo the wagoner went into the country with a load of coal. He had\nnot gone far when his wagon stuck fast in the mud.\n\n\"What am I to do now?\" he asked himself. \"I ought to have known\nbetter than to start out.\"\n\n\"Get up!\" he cried to his horses. \"Get up there, you lazy brutes!\nPull out of here!\"\n\nThe horses struggled hard, but they could not start the load.\n\n\"Hey there!\" he called to a man who was working in a field near\nby. \"Come and help us out of this mud-hole.\"\n\nThe man in the field had been watching the poor horses as they\npulled with all their strength. He was angry at the wagoner for\nbeating them so cruelly.\n\n\"Put your shoulder to the wheel,\" he called back. \"When you have\ndone all you can to help yourself, I shall be willing to help\nyou.\"\n\nThe wagoner climbed down, muttering to himself, \"I don't want to\nget down into this mud.\"\n\nHe put his shoulder to the wheel, pushed long and steadily while\nthe horses pulled. Slowly the load began to move. Before long it\nwas on firm ground.\n\nThe wagoner climbed up to his seat and called back to the man who\nwas working in the field, \"My load is out, but no thanks to you.\"\n\nThe man replied, \"You took my advice and put your shoulder to the\nwheel; that is what brought you out.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE LARK AND THE FARMER\n\n\nA meadow lark built her nest in a field of wheat. She had a happy\ntime raising her family, for no one came near her nest.\n\nThere were four little larks in her family, and they were now\nnearly large enough to fly.\n\nThe wheat was ripe and the mother knew that men might come to the\nfield any day to reap; so she said to her little ones, \"I am going\nout to get your breakfast. You must keep your ears and eyes wide\nopen while I am gone; if you see or hear anything strange, you\nmust tell me about it when I come back.\"\n\n\"All right, mother,\" said the young larks, \"we shall do as you\ntell us.\"\n\nThe mother had been gone but a few minutes when the farmer who\nowned the field and his son came out to look at the wheat.\n\n\"This grain is ready to cut,\" said the farmer to his son. \"This\nevening go to our neighbor, Mr. White, and ask him to cut it for\nus to-morrow.\"\n\nThe little larks were much frightened. They could hardly wait for\ntheir mother to get home.\n\n\"Oh, mother!\" they called out as soon as they saw her; \"do take us\naway from this field. The farmer has sent for Mr. White to cut\nthis wheat to-morrow.\"\n\n\"If that is so,\" said the mother, \"you need have no fear. If he\nwaits for his neighbor to do his work, his wheat will not be cut.\"\n\nLate the next afternoon while the mother lark was away, the farmer\nand his son came to the field again.\n\n\"Did you ask Mr. White to reap the grain?\" said the farmer.\n\n\"Yes,\" replied his son, \"and he promised to come.\"\n\n\"But he has not come,\" said the farmer, \"and it is so late that I\nknow he will not come to-day. The wheat will spoil if it is not\ncut. If our neighbors will not help us, we shall have to call upon\nour relatives. Go out this afternoon and ask your uncle John and\nhis sons to cut the wheat for us to-morrow.\"\n\nAs soon as the mother came home, the little birds said, \"The wheat\nwill surely be cut tomorrow, for the farmer has sent for his\nrelatives to cut it. Please take us away to-night, mother.\"\n\n\"Don't worry,\" said the mother; \"there is no danger so long as the\nfarmer waits for his relatives to do the work. We will stay right\nhere to-night.\"\n\nAbout noon the next day, the farmer and his son came to the field\nagain. \"This grain is still standing,\" said the father. \"I told\nyou to get your uncle John and his sons to cut it today. Why has\nnothing been done?\"\n\n\"I called upon them and asked them to cut the wheat. They said\nthat they would be here this morning. I do not know why they did\nnot come.\"\n\n\"This grain must not stand another day,\" said the farmer. \"It is\nshelling out now. You and I will come out here early to-morrow and\ncut it ourselves.\"\n\nWhen the mother lark heard that the farmer had made up his mind to\ncut the wheat himself, she said to her little ones, \"Get ready to\nfly away. If the farmer is to do the work himself, it will be done\nat once.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE LION AND THE MOUSE\n\n\nA lion was sleeping one day when a little mouse came along and ran\nup and down over his face.\n\nThis awakened the lion and made him very angry.\n\nHe put his paw over the mouse and said, \"What do you mean by\nwaking me? You shall pay for this,\" and he opened his big mouth to\nswallow the mouse.\n\n\"Oh, do not kill me, Mr. Lion!\" squealed the mouse. \"I did not\nmean to waken you. Do let me go and I will never trouble you\nagain.\"\n\n\"No, I will not let you go,\" roared the lion.\n\n\"Please do,\" cried the frightened mouse. \"If you will let me go\nperhaps I can do something for you sometime.\"\n\nThis made the lion laugh. \"You do something for ME,\" he said.\n\"What a joke! Well, you are such a little fellow that I will let\nyou go this time, but never let me see you about here again,\" and\nhe lifted his paw.\n\nAs the little mouse scampered off, he said, \"Thank you, kind lion,\nI shall not forget your kindness.\"\n\nSome time after this the lion was caught in a trap. The hunters\ntied him to a tree while they went to get a wagon to carry him\naway.\n\nThe lion roared so loud that the ground shook. The little mouse\nheard him.\n\n\"That lion is in trouble,\" he said. \"I will see what I can do to\nhelp him,\" and he ran to the lion.\n\nWhen the mouse saw that the lion was tied with ropes, he said,\n\"Cheer up, Mr. Lion. Be quiet and I will set you free,\" and he\nbegan gnawing the ropes.\n\nHe worked long and hard and at last the lion was free.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE ANT AND THE DOVE\n\n\nAn ant went to the river to get a drink. The water rushed along so\nfast that he was washed off the bank into the river.\n\n\"I shall drown!\" he cried. \"Help! help! help!\" but his voice was\nso tiny that it could not be heard.\n\nA dove was sitting in a tree that overhung the water. She saw the\nant struggling, and quickly nipped off a leaf and let it fall into\nthe water. The ant climbed upon it and floated down the river\nuntil the leaf was washed upon the bank of the stream.\n\nThe ant called out in its tiny voice, \"Thank you, kind dove, you\nhave saved my life;\" but of course the dove could not hear him.\n\nSeveral days after this, the dove was again sitting in a tree. A\nhunter crept carefully up to the tree. His gun was pointed at the\ndove and he was about to shoot, when he was bitten in the leg by\nan ant.\n\nHe cried out with pain and dropped his gun. This frightened the\ndove and she flew away.\n\n\"Thank you, kind ant,\" cooed the dove, and the ant heard and was\nglad.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE HAPPY FAMILY\n\n\nThere was once a very queer family living in the woods. There were\nfour in all--a rat, a raven, a tortoise, and a gazelle.\n\nAll day the animals were away from home hunting food.\n\nThe rat caught beetles which had hidden under leaves. He visited\nfields and barns Now and then he went to a henhouse.\n\nThe tortoise found plenty of insects in the woods and fields and\ndid not object to a toadstool now and then.\n\nThe raven visited grain fields where he often met the rat.\n\nThe gazelle ate grass wherever he could find it. When he could not\nget grass, he ate the sprouts of trees.\n\nAt night all met at their home in the woods and talked of what had\nhappened to them through the day. This is one of their adventures:\n\nOne day when the gazelle was out feeding, a hound scented his\ntracks and followed him. The gazelle heard the hound bark and\ndarted off like the wind. The hound followed until worn out with\nrunning; then he gave up the chase. The gazelle stopped to eat\ngrass. He was hungry and a long way from home.\n\nThat evening when the animals returned home they missed the\ngazelle.\n\nThe raven asked, \"How does it happen that the gazelle is not home?\nIs he tired of us already?\" \"No, indeed,\" said the rat. \"I am sure\nthat he is not. If I were a bird I should fly away at once to find\nhim. I know that he would be here if he could get here.\"\n\n\"I will see if I can find him,\" said the raven, and he flew away.\nAfter a while he spied the gazelle, who had been caught in a net.\nHe was trying hard to free himself, but the ropes that bound him\nwere too strong for him to break. The raven flew back home to get\nthe help of the rat.\n\n\"Oh, rat,\" he said, \"follow me. Our friend, the gazelle, is caught\nin a net. Come and gnaw the ropes and set him free!\"\n\nThe raven flew away and the rat followed. As the rat left home, he\nsaid, \"Tortoise, you had better stay at home. You go so slowly\nthat you can not reach the gazelle in time to help. We shall soon\nbe back, I hope.\"\n\nAs soon as the raven and the rat were out of sight, the tortoise\nsaid, \"I can not stay here and do nothing. I may be needed. I will\nhurry as fast as I can;\" and he started off.\n\nThe raven reached the gazelle first. He said, \"Cheer up, the rat\nis coming to set you free.\"\n\nSoon the rat arrived. He began at once to gnaw the ropes. He had\njust set the gazelle free when a hunter came along. The gazelle\nsprang to one side into the bushes, the raven flew into a tree,\nand the rat ran into a hole in the ground.\n\nThe hunter looked about for the gazelle, but could not find him.\nHe was very angry.\n\nJust then the tortoise came up. The hunter picked him up and put\nhim into his bag for his supper.\n\nThe raven whispered to the gazelle, \"The hunter is carrying off\nour tortoise.\"\n\nAs soon as the gazelle heard this, he came out of his hiding place\nand limped along as if he were lame.\n\nThe hunter saw him. He threw down his bag and ran after the\ngazelle, thinking that he could easily catch him; but the gazelle\nkept ahead of him. At last the hunter could run no more. He went\nback to get his bag, tired and cross, but sure of a supper.\n\nBut what do you suppose had happened while he was gone? The rat\nhad gnawed a hole in the hunter's bag and set the tortoise free,\nand both had run off.\n\nIt was now quite dark, and all the animals went home. That was the\nhappiest evening of their lives. Each one had done something for\nthe others, and all were safe, and it was good to be at home.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE TYRANT WHO BECAME A JUST RULER\n\n\nThere was once a king who was so cruel to his people that he was\ncalled \"The Tyrant.\"\n\nThe people used to wish that he would die so that they might have\na better king.\n\nOne day he called his people together. They feared to go to him,\nyet they did not dare to stay away. When they were all standing\nbefore him, he arose and said:\n\n\"My dear people, I have been very unkind to you, but I hope after\nthis to make your lives peaceful and happy.\"\n\nThe king kept his word. He sent good men to all parts of his\nkingdom to find out what the people most needed to make them\nhappy. He then had everything done for them that a just king could\ndo. He helped them to build good roads and bridges. He made their\ntaxes lighter. He gave them a holiday now and then. The people\nlearned to trust him and to love him.\n\nOne day one of his subjects said to him, \"Please, O king, tell me\nwhy you are so much better to us now than you used to be.\"\n\nThe king replied:\n\n\"As I was going through a forest one afternoon I saw a hound\nchasing a fox. He caught the fox and bit him badly. The fox will\nalways be lame.\n\n\"When the hound was going home, a man threw a stone at him and\nbroke his leg.\n\n\"The man had not gone far when his horse threw him and his leg was\nbroken.\n\n\"The horse started to run, but he stepped into a hole and broke\nhis leg.\n\n\"I sat down by the road and thought about what I had seen. I said\nto myself, 'He who does wrong to any living thing will suffer for\nit sooner or later,' and that is why I am a better king and a\nhappier man.\" [Footnote: Adapted from a fable of the same name\nfound in The Tortoise and the Geese, published by Houghton, Mifflin\nCo.]\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE HARE AND THE TORTOISE\n\n\n\"Why do you move along so slowly?\" said a hare to a tortoise. \"Let\nme show you how to get over the ground.\"\n\n\"You think I am slow, do you?\" replied the tortoise. \"Let us run a\nrace to the cross-roads. I think I can beat you.\"\n\n\"Do you hear that?\" said the hare to a fox, who was standing near.\n\"Could anyone even think that such a slow-coach could beat me in a\nrace?\"\n\n\"It would be a good joke if he did,\" said the fox. \"Do you wish to\nrun a race? I will be the judge, if you care to have me.\"\n\n\"That suits me well,\" answered the hare.\n\n\"I am willing,\" said the tortoise.\n\nSo the fox marked off a place for starting, and set up a stake at\nthe goal.\n\nThe hare and the tortoise stood side by side, and at the command,\n\"Go!\", from the fox, they began the race.\n\nThe hare bounded along and was very soon far ahead of the\ntortoise. He called back to the fox, \"I think I shall take a\nlittle nap before I finish the race; the tortoise will not reach\nhere for an hour or more.\" So he lay down in some bushes and went\nto sleep.\n\nEvery minute brought the tortoise a little nearer to the goal. He\ndid not stop for a second.\n\nAt last he passed the hare, but the hare still slept. On and on he\nplodded; it was a long way, but he had no thought of stopping.\n\nHe came nearer and nearer the goal. At last his foot touched the\nstake.\n\nThe hare wakened, stretched himself, and leaped toward the goal.\n\"What, you here!\" he cried when he saw the tortoise. \"How did you\never reach here?\"\n\n\"Just by keeping at it,\" said the tortoise.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE MILLER, HIS SON, AND THEIR DONKEY\n\n\n\"I shall have to sell that donkey of ours,\" said a miller to his\nson. \"I can not afford to keep him through the winter. I will take\nhim to town this very morning to see if I can find a buyer. You\nmay go with me.\" In a little while the miller, his son, and the\ndonkey were on their way to town.\n\nThey had not gone far when they met some girls going to a party.\nThey were talking and laughing as they went along. One of them\nsaid, \"Look at that man and boy driving a donkey. One of them\nsurely might ride.\"\n\nThe miller heard what they said, and quickly made his you mount\nthe donkey, while he walked along at its side.\n\nAfter a while they came to a group of old men who were talking\nvery earnestly. \"There,\" said one, \"I was just saying that boys\nand girls have no respect for the aged. You see it is true in this\ncase. See that boy riding while his old father has to walk.\"\n\n\"Get down, my son,\" said his father, \"and I will ride.\" So they\nwent on.\n\nThey next met some women coming from town. \"Why!\" they cried,\n\"your poor little boy is nearly tired out. How can you ride and\nmake him walk?\" So the miller made his son ride on the donkey\nbehind him.\n\nThey were now in town. A man coming down the street called to the\nmiller, \"Why do you make your donkey carry such a load? You can\ncarry him better than he can carry you.\"\n\nAt this the miller and his son got off the donkey. They tied the\ndonkey's legs together, turned him over on his back; and began to\ncarry him.\n\nA crowd soon gathered to see the strange sight. As they were\ncrossing a bridge the donkey became frightened at the hooting of\nthe crowd. He broke loose, fell into the river, and was drowned.\n\nThe miller was angry and ashamed. He said, \"There! I have tried to\nplease everybody and have only made a fool of myself. After this I\nshall do as I think best and let people say what they will.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE PUG DOG AND HIS SHADOW\n\n\n\"I am going out to see the world,\" said a pug puppy.\n\nHe ran down a hill as fast as his wabbly legs could carry him, and\nlooked into a little brook which flowed by.\n\n\"How queer!\" he said, \"I did not know that puppies live in water.\nThis one looks just like my brothers, but it can not be one of\nthem. They were all asleep when I came away. I will run home to\ntell mother about it,\" and up the hill he went as fast as he could\ncarry his fat little body.\n\nWhen he arrived at home, he panted out, \"Oh, mother! I have found\nout something that you do not know. There is a pug puppy living in\nthe creek.\"\n\n\"You are either dreaming, my son, or you have seen your own\nshadow,\" said his mother.\n\n\"I know what I saw, mother. I am not dreaming. It was not my\nshadow. It was a puppy dog,\" and the little pug barked savagely at\nhis mother. \"Come with me, mother. I will show you that I know\nwhat I am talking about.\" So the mother followed her puppy.\n\nWhen they came near the foot of the hill, the little pug ran on\nahead of his mother and looked into the stream.\n\n\"How lucky!\" he said, \"he is still here. Now, mother, you see that\nwhat I said is true.\"\n\n\"It is your shadow, little one.\"\n\n\"No, no, my eyes are better than yours, mother.\"\n\nJust then his mother came up and stood beside him.\n\n\"How queer!\" said the little dog. \"That is the pug's mother. I did\nnot see her before. It would be too cold for me down in that\nwater. Why do they live there?\"\n\n\"You foolish child,\" replied the mother. \"It is our shadows that\nyou see there. See, they are just like us.\"\n\n\"I am not a baby. I know what dogs are, mother. Those are real\ndogs.\"\n\n\"Watch, my son, and see what happens,\" and the mother dropped a\nstone on the two shadows. They were gone.\n\nThe little pug stood surprised. He dropped his ears and went\nslowly home without saying another word.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE PARTRIDGE IN THE NET\n\n\n\"I have caught one at last,\" said a hunter, \"and this is as fine a\npartridge as one often sees. It is a young one, too, I do\nbelieve,\" and he reached his hand into the net to take it out.\n\nThis frightened the partridge. It fluttered and cackled, pecking\nat the hunter's hand.\n\nAt last it cried out, \"Let me go! Do let me go! I am but one\nlittle bird. If you will set me free, I will lead a large flock of\npartridges to your net, and will coax them to go into it.\"\n\nBut the hunter said, \"You seem very willing to deceive the\npartridges; you might also deceive me. I will not let you go.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE NORTH WIND AND THE SUN\n\n\n\"I am stronger than you,\" said the North Wind to the Sun.\n\n\"That is not true,\" said the Sun. \"Everyone knows that I am the\nstronger.\"\n\n\"Show me that you are stronger than I,\" replied the North Wind.\n\"You know very well that you are not.\"\n\n\"Do you see that traveler coming? I can make him take off his\ncoat. You can not,\" said the Sun.\n\n\"We will see about that,\" answered the North Wind. \"The one that\nmakes the traveler take off his coat is the victor.\"\n\n\"All right,\" said the Sun, \"and you may have the first trial.\"\n\n\"Whew! How the North Wind blows,\" said the traveler. \"Whew! whew!\nHold on there, North Wind; I would rather walk than fly. Whew!\nwhew!\n\n\"How cold it is! I must button my coat uptight. Whew! whew! whew!\nI never felt such a wind before,\" said the traveler, as he folded\nhis arms over his breast. \"It seems determined to tear off my\ncoat. I will turn my back to it. Whew! whew! whew! whew!\" But the\nmore the wind blew, the tighter the traveler held on to his coat.\n\nAt last the North Wind said, \"I will try no longer, but you, Sun,\ncan do no better.\"\n\nThe Sun said nothing, but came out from under a cloud and smiled\ndown upon the traveler.\n\n\"How good that feels!\" said the traveler. The Sun shone on. \"It is\ngetting warm,\" said the traveler, unbuttoning his coat.\n\nIt was now past noon. \"The Sun is too much for me,\" said the\ntraveler, and he threw off his coat and hunted for a shady place.\n\nThe North Wind's harshness had failed. The Sun's gentleness had\nwon.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE CAMEL AND HIS MASTER\n\n\nOne night a camel looked into the tent where his master was\nsleeping. \"How warm it is in there!\" he said. \"I should like a\ngood place like that myself.\"\n\nThe next night he put his head inside the door. \"You will not mind\nmy putting my head into the tent, I am sure,\" said he to his\nmaster. \"The wind is cold to-night.\"\n\n\"Not at all,\" replied his master; \"there is plenty of room.\"\n\nIn a little while the camel said, \"Kind master, my neck is very\ncold; would you mind if I put it inside the tent?\"\n\n\"Oh, no,\" said his master.\n\nNow the camel seemed satisfied. But in a little while he wakened\nhis master, saying, \"My forelegs are getting cold. I should like\nto have them under cover.\"\n\nHis master moved over a little and said, \"You may have a little\nmore room. I know it is a cold night.\" So the camel moved a little\nfarther into the tent.\n\nVery soon the camel wakened his master again, saying, \"I keep the\ntent door open by standing in the door. That makes it cold for\nboth of us. Had I not better come wholly in?\"\n\n\"Yes, come in,\" said the master. \"There is hardly room for both of\nus, but I do not want you to suffer from the cold,\" So the camel\ncrowded into the tent.\n\nAs soon as he was inside, he said: \"Yes, I see there is not room\nfor both of us inside the tent. If you were to go out, I should\nhave a chance to lie down. So go!\" And he pushed his master out of\nthe tent.","title":"Fifty Famous Fables","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":17586}