THE WOLF AND THE LAMB\n\nOne day a Wolf and a Lamb happened to come at the same time to drink from a brook that ran down the side of the mountain.\n\nThe Wolf wished very much to eat the Lamb, but meeting her as he did, face to face, he thought he must find some excuse for doing so.\n\nSo he began by trying to pick a quarrel, and said angrily: "How dare you come to my brook and muddy the water so that I cannot drink it? What do you mean?"\n\nThe Lamb, very much alarmed, said gently: "I do not see how it can be that I have spoiled the water. You stand higher up the stream, and the water runs from you to me, not from me to you."\n\n"Be that as it may," said the Wolf, with a snarl, "you are a rascal all the same, for I have heard that last year you said bad things of me behind my back."\n\n"Dear Mr. Wolf," cried the poor Lamb, "that could not be, for a year ago I was not born; I am only six months old."\n\nFinding it of no use to argue any more, the Wolf began to snarl and show his teeth. Coming closer to the Lamb, he said, "You little wretch, if it was not you it was your father, so it's all the same"; and he pounced upon the poor Lamb and ate her up.
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1 THE WOLF AND THE LAMB
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THE FOX AND THE LION\n\nA little fox was out playing one day, when a Lion came roaring along. "Dear me," said the Fox, as he hid behind a tree, "I never saw a Lion before. What a terrible creature! His voice makes me tremble."\n\nThe next time the Fox met the Lion he was not so much afraid, but he kept a safe distance and said to himself, "I wish he would not make such a noise!"\n\nThe third time they met, the Fox was not frightened at all. He ran up to the Lion, and said, "What are you roaring about?"\n\nAnd the Lion was so taken by surprise that, without saying a word, he let the Fox walk away.\n\nIt would not be safe for little foxes always to follow the example of this one; but it is often true that what our fear makes seem a lion in\nthe way has no danger in it if we meet it bravely.
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2 THE FOX AND THE LION
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THE DOG AND HIS SHADOW\n\nA dog once had a nice piece of meat for his dinner. Some say that it was stolen, but others, that it had been given him by a butcher, which we hope was the case.\n\nDogs like best to eat at home, and he went trotting along with the meat in his mouth, as happy as a king.\n\nOn the dog's way there was a stream with a plank across it. As the water was still and clear, he stopped to take a look at it. What should he see, as he gazed into its bright depths, but a dog as big as himself, looking up at him, and lo! the dog had meat in his mouth.\n\n"I'll try to get that," said he; "then with both mine and his what a feast I shall have!" As quick as thought he snapped at the meat, but in doing so he had to open his mouth, and his own piece fell to the bottom of the stream.\n\nThen he saw that the other dog had lost his piece, too. He went sadly home. In trying to grasp a shadow he lost his substance.
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3 THE DOG AND HIS SHADOW
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THE CRAB AND HIS MOTHER\n\n"My child," said a Crab to her son, "why do you walk so awkwardly? If you wish to make a good appearance, you should go straight forward, and not to one side as you do so constantly."\n\n"I do wish to make a good appearance, mamma," said the young Crab; "and if you will show me how, I will try to walk straight forward."\n\n"Why, this is the way, of course," said the mother, as she started off to the right. "No, this is the way," said she, as she made another attempt, to the left.\n\nThe little Crab smiled. "When you learn to do it yourself, you can teach me," he said, and went back to his play.
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4 THE CRAB AND HIS MOTHER
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THE FOX AND THE GRAPES\n\nIt was a sultry day, and a Fox was almost famishing with hunger and thirst. He was just saying to himself that anything would be acceptable to him, when, looking up, he spied some great clusters of ripe, black grapes hanging from a trellised vine.\n\n"What luck!" he said; "if only they weren't quite so high, I should be sure of a fine feast. I wonder if I can get them. I can think of nothing that would so refresh me."\n\nJumping into the air is not the easiest thing in the world for a Fox to do; but he gave a great spring and nearly reached the lowest clusters.\n\n"I'll do better next time," he said.\n\nHe tried again and again, but did not succeed so well as at first. Finding that he was losing his strength and that he had little chance of getting the grapes, he walked slowly off, grumbling as he did so:\n"The grapes are sour, and not at all fit for my eating. I'll leave them to the greedy birds. They eat anything."
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5 THE FOX AND THE GRAPES
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THE WOLF AND THE CRANE\n\nOne day a Wolf, who was eating his dinner much too fast, swallowed a bone, which stuck in his throat and pained him very much. He tried to get it out, but could not.\n\nJust then he saw a Crane passing by. "Dear friend," said he to the Crane, "there is a bone sticking in my throat. You have a good long neck; can't you reach down and pull it out? I will pay you well for it."\n\n"I'll try," said the Crane. Then he put his head into the Wolf's mouth, between his sharp teeth, and reaching down, pulled out the bone.\n\n"There!" said the Wolf, "I am glad it is out; I must be more careful another time."\n\n"I will go now, if you will pay me," said the Crane.\n\n"Pay you, indeed!" cried the Wolf. "Be thankful that I did not bite your head off when it was in my mouth. You ought to be content with that."\n\nGentle, kindly folk sometimes have to learn that kindness must be mixed with caution.
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6 THE WOLF AND THE CRANE
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THE ANTS AND THE GRASSHOPPERS\n\nThe Ants and the Grasshoppers lived together in the great field. The Ants were busy all the time gathering a store of grain to lay by for winter use. They gave themselves so little pleasure that their merry\nneighbors, the Grasshoppers, began at last to take scarcely any notice of them.\n\nWhen the frost came, it put an end to the work of the Ants and the chirping and merrymaking of the Grasshoppers. But one fine winter's day, when the Ants were employed in spreading their grain in the sun to dry, a Grasshopper, who was nearly perishing with hunger, chanced to pass by.\n\n"Good day to you, kind neighbor," said she; "will you not lend me a little food? I will certainly pay you before this time next year."\n\n"How does it happen that you have no food of your own?" asked an old Ant. "There was an abundance in the field where we lived side by side all summer, and your people seemed to be active enough. What were you doing, pray?"\n\n"Oh," said the Grasshopper, forgetting his hunger, "I sang all the day long, and all the night, too."\n\n"Well, then," interrupted the Ant, "I must not deprive my own family for you. If Grasshoppers find it so gay to sing away the summer, they must starve in winter," and she went on with her work, all the while singing the old song, "We ants never borrow; we ants never lend."
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7 THE ANTS AND THE GRASSHOPPERS
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THE FROGS WHO ASKED FOR A KING\n\nThere were once some Frogs who lived together in perfect security in a beautiful lake. They were a large company, and were very comfortable, but they came to think that they might be still happier if they had a King to rule over them.\n\nSo they sent to Jupiter, their god, to ask him to give them a King.\n\nJupiter laughed at their folly, for he knew that they were better off as they were; but he said to them, "Well, here is a King for you," and into the water he threw a big Log.\n\nIt fell with such a splash that the Frogs were terrified and hid themselves in the deep mud under the water.\n\nBy and by, one braver than the rest peeped out to look at the King, and saw the Log, as it lay quietly on the top of the water. Soon, one after another they all came out of their hiding places and ventured to look at their great King.\n\nAs the Log did not move, they swam round it, keeping a safe distance away, and at last one by one hopped upon it.\n\n"This is not a King," said a wise old Frog; "it is nothing but a stupid Log. If we had a King, Jupiter would pay more attention to us."\n\nAgain they sent to Jupiter, and begged him to give them a King who could rule over them.\n\nJupiter did not like to be disturbed again by the silly Frogs, and this time he sent them a Stork, saying, "You will have some one to rule over you now."\n\nAs they saw the Stork solemnly walking down to the lake, they were delighted.\n\n"Ah!" they said, "see how grand he looks! How he strides along! How he throws back his head! This is a King indeed. He shall rule over us," and they went joyfully to meet him.\n\nAs their new King came nearer, he paused, stretched out his long neck, picked up the head Frog, and swallowed him at one mouthful. And then the next—and the next!\n\n"What is this?" cried the Frogs, and they began to draw back in terror.\n\nBut the Stork with his long legs easily followed them to the water, and kept on eating them as fast as he could.\n\n"Oh! if we had only been—" said the oldest Frog. He was going to add "content," but was eaten up before he could finish the sentence.\n\nThe remaining Frogs cried to Jupiter to help them, but he would not listen. And the Stork-King ate them for breakfast, dinner, and supper, every day, till in a short time there was not a Frog left in the lake. Poor, foolish Frogs, not to have known when they were well off.
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8 THE FROGS WHO ASKED FOR A KING
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THE DONKEY IN THE LION’S SKIN\n\n\nA Donkey once put on a Lion’s skin which some hunters had spread out to dry. It did not fit the Donkey very well, but he found that in it he could frighten all the timid, foolish little animals, so he amused himself by chasing them about.\n\nBy and by he met a Fox, and tried to frighten him by roaring.\n\n"My dear Donkey," said the wise Fox, "you are braying, and not roaring. I might, perhaps, have been frightened by your looks, if you had not tried to roar; but I know your voice too well to mistake you for a Lion."
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9 THE DONKEY IN THE LION’S SKIN
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THE MICE IN COUNCIL\n\nSome little Mice, who lived in the walls of a house, met together one night, to talk of the wicked Cat and to consider what could be done to get rid of her. The head Mice were Brown-back, Gray-ear, and White-whisker.\n\n"There is no comfort in the house," said Brown-back. "If I but step into the pantry to pick up a few crumbs, down comes the Cat, and I have hardly time to run to my nest again."\n\n"What can we do?" asked Gray-ear. "Shall we all run at her at once and bite her, and frighten her away?"\n\n"No," said White-whisker; "she is so bold we could not frighten her. I have thought of something better than that. Let us hang a bell round her neck. Then, if she moves, the bell will ring, and we shall hear it, and have time to run away."\n\n"O yes! yes!" cried all the Mice. "That is a capital idea. We will bell the Cat! Hurrah! hurrah! No more fear of the Cat!" and they danced in glee.\n\nWhen their glee had subsided a little, Brown-back asked, "But who will hang the bell round her neck?"\n\nNo one answered. "Will you?" he asked of White-whisker.\n\n"I don't think I can," replied White-whisker; "I am lame, you know. It needs some one who can move quickly."\n\n"Will you, Gray-ear?" said Brown-back.\n\n"Excuse me," answered Gray-ear; "I have not been well since that time when I was almost caught in the trap."\n\n"Who will bell the Cat, then?" said Brown-back. "If it is to be done, some one must do it."\n\nNot a sound was heard, and one by one the little Mice stole away to their holes, no better off than they were before.\n\nWhen there is trouble there is need of some one to act, as well as some one to advise.
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10 THE MICE IN COUNCIL
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THE KID AND THE WOLF\n\nA Kid coming home alone one night met a big Wolf. "Oh, oh, I know you will kill me," said the little Kid; "but please play me a tune, so that I may have one more dance before I die; I am so fond of dancing."\n\n"Very well," said the Wolf, "I will try, for I should like to see you dance before I eat you."\n\nThen the Wolf took up the shepherd's pipe that was lying near, and began to play. But while he was playing, and the Kid was dancing a jig, the Dogs heard the sound, and came running up.\n\n"It is my own fault," said the Wolf, as the Dogs caught him. "My business is to kill Kids and eat them, and not to play for them to dance. Why did I try to be a Piper, when I am really only a Butcher?"\n\n"You didn't play very well, either," said the Kid.
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11 THE KID AND THE WOLF
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THE HAWK AND THE NIGHTINGALE\n\nA Nightingale sitting on the top of an oak, singing her evening song, was spied by a hungry Hawk, who swooped down and seized her. The frightened Nightingale prayed the Hawk to let her go.\n\n"If you are hungry," said she, "why not catch some large bird? I am not big enough for even a luncheon."\n\n"Do you happen to see many large birds flying about?" said the Hawk. "You are the only bird I have seen to-day, and I should be foolish indeed to let you go for the sake of larger birds that are not in sight. A morsel is better than nothing."
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12 THE HAWK AND THE NIGHTINGALE
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THE CROW AND THE PITCHER\n\nA thirsty Crow once spied a pitcher, and flew to it to see if by chance there was any water in it.\n\nWhen she looked in, she saw that there was water, but that it was so far from the top that she could not reach it, though she stretched her neck as far as she could.\n\nShe stopped, and thought to herself, "How shall I get that water? I am perishing with thirst, and there must be some way for me to get some of it." Some pebbles were lying on the ground; and, picking them up in her beak, she dropped them one by one into the pitcher.\n\nThey sank to the bottom; and at last the water was pushed up by them to the top, so that the Crow could easily drink it.\n\n"Where there's a will, there's a way," said the Crow.
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13 THE CROW AND THE PITCHER
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THE ANT AND THE DOVE\n\nAn Ant, walking by the river one day, said to himself, "How nice and cool this water looks! I must drink some of it." But as he began to drink, his foot slipped, and he fell in.\n\n"Oh, somebody please help me, or I shall drown!" cried he.\n\nA Dove, sitting in a tree that overhung the river, heard him, and threw him a leaf. "Climb up on that leaf," said she, "and you will float ashore."\n\nThe Ant climbed up onto the leaf, which the wind blew to the shore, and he stepped upon dry land again.\n\n"Good-by, kind Dove," said he, as he ran home. "You have saved my life, and I wish I could do something for you."\n\n"Good-by," said the Dove; "be careful not to fall in again."\n\nA few days after this, when the Dove was busy building her nest, the Ant saw a man just raising his gun to shoot her.\n\nHe ran quickly, and bit the man's leg so hard that he cried "Oh! oh!" and dropped his gun.\n\nThis startled the Dove, and she flew away. The man picked up his gun, and walked on.\n\nWhen he was gone, the Dove came back to her nest.\n\n"Thank you, my little friend," she said. "You have saved my life."\n\nAnd the little Ant was overjoyed to think he had been able to do for the Dove what the Dove had so lately done for him.
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14 THE ANT AND THE DOVE
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THE OX AND THE FROG\n\nAn Ox, drinking at a pool, chanced to set his foot on a young Frog, and crushed him to death.\n\nHis brothers and sisters, who were playing near, ran at once to tell their mother what had happened. "Oh, Mother," they cried, "a very huge beast, with four great feet, came to the pool, and crushed our brother to death in an instant, with his hard, cloven heel."\n\nThe old Frog was very vain. She was rather large, as Frogs go, and gave herself airs on account of it. "Was the cruel beast so very large?" she said. "How big?"\n\n"Oh!" said the young Frogs. "It was a terrible monster!"\n\n"Was it as big as this?" she said, blowing and puffing herself out.\n\n"Oh, much bigger," replied the young Frogs.\n\n"As big as this, then?" she added, puffing and blowing with all her might.\n\n"A great deal bigger," they answered.\n\n"Well, was it _so_ big?"\n\n"Oh, Mother!" cried the Frogs; "pray do not try to be so big. If you were to puff till you burst, you could not make yourself half so big as the creature we tell you of."\n\nBut the silly old Frog would not give up. She tried again to puff herself out, saying, "As big as"—and she did indeed burst.\n\nIt is useless to attempt what is impossible.
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15 THE OX AND THE FROG
