A DRUM once boasted to a Vase of Sweet Herbs in this way: “Listen to me! My voice is loud and can be heard far off. I stir the hearts of men so that when they hear my bold roaring they march out bravely to battle.”
The Vase spoke no words, but gave out a fine, sweet perfume, which filled the air and seemed to say: “I cannot speak, and it is not well to be proud, but I am full of good things that are hidden within me, and that gladly come forth to give cheer and comfort. People are drawn to me in their need, and they remember me afterward with gratitude. But you have nothing in you but noise, and you must be struck to make you give that out. I would not boast so much if I were you.”
THE TWO FROGS
ONCE there were two Frogs who were dear friends.
One lived in a deep pond in the woods, where the trees hung over the water, and where no one came to disturb him.
The other lived in a small pool. This was not a good place for a Frog, or any one else, to live in, for the country road passed through the pool, and all the horses and wagons had to go that way, so that it was not quiet like the pond, and the horses made the water muddy and foul.
One day the Frog from the pond said to the other, “Do come and live with me; I have plenty of food and water, and nothing to disturb me; and it is so pleasant in my pond. Now here there is very little food, and not much water, and the road passes through your pool, so that you must always be afraid of passers-by.”
“Thank you,” said the other Frog; “you are very kind, but I am quite content here. There is water enough; those who pass never trouble me; and as to food, I had a good dinner day before yesterday. I am used to this place, you know, and do not like change. But come and see me as often as you can.”
The next time the Frog from the pond came to visit his friend, he could not find him.
“Too late!” sang a Bird, who lived in a tree that overhung the pool.
“What do you mean?” said the Frog.
“Dead and gone!” said the Bird. “Run over by a wagon and killed, two days ago, and a big Hawk came and carried him off.”
“Alas! if he had only taken my advice, he might have been well and happy now,” said the Frog, as he turned sadly towards home; “but he would have his way, and I have lost my friend.”
THE LION AND THE MOUSE
IT ONCE happened that a hungry Lion woke to find a Mouse just under his paw. He caught the tiny creature, and was about to make a mouthful of him, when the little fellow looked up, and began to beg for his life.
In most piteous tones the Mouse said: “Do not eat me. I meant no harm coming so near you. If you would only spare my life now, O Lion, I would be sure to repay you!”
The Lion laughed scornfully at this, but it amused him so much that he lifted his paw and let his brave little prisoner go free.
It befell the great Lion, not long afterward, to be in as evil a case as had been the helpless Mouse. And it came about that his life was to be saved by the keeping of the promise he had ridiculed.
He was caught by some hunters, who bound him with a strong rope, while they went away to find means for killing him.
Hearing his loud groans, the Mouse came promptly to his rescue, and gnawed the great rope till the royal captive could set himself free.
“You laughed,” the little Mouse said, “at the idea of my being able to be of service to you. You little thought I should repay you. But you see it has come to pass that you are as grateful to me as I was once to you. The weak have their place in the world as truly as the strong.”
THE MOUSE, THE CAT, AND THE COCK
A YOUNG Mouse, that had not seen much of the world, came home one day and said: “O mother! I have had such a fright! I saw a great creature strutting about on two legs. I wonder what it was! On his head was a red cap. His eyes were fierce and stared at me, and he had a sharp mouth.
“All at once he stretched his long neck, and opened his mouth so wide, and roared so loud, that I thought he was going to eat me up, and I ran home as fast as I could. I was sorry that I met him, for I had just seen a lovely animal, greater even than he, and would have made friends with her. She had soft fur like ours, only it was gray and white. Her eyes were mild and sleepy, and she looked at me very gently and waved her long tail from side to side. I thought she wished to speak to me, and I would have gone near her, but that dreadful thing began to roar, and I ran away.”
“My dear child,” said the mother, “you did well to run away. The fierce thing you speak of would have done you no harm. It was a harmless Cock. But that soft, pretty thing was the Cat, and she would have eaten you up in a minute, for she is the worst enemy you have in the whole world. Appearances are not always to be trusted.”
THE AX AND THE TREES
ONCE upon a time a man came to a forest to ask the Trees if they would give him some wood to make a handle for his Ax.
The Trees thought this was very little to ask of them, and they gave him a good piece of hard wood. But as soon as the man had fitted the handle to his Ax, he went to work to chop down all the best Trees in the forest.
As they fell groaning and crashing to the ground, they said mournfully one to another, “Our kindness was misplaced. We suffer for our own foolishness.”
THE JACKDAW AND THE SHEEP
A JACKDAW sat chattering upon the back of a Sheep.
“Peace, I pray you, noisy bird,” said the Sheep. “You are wearing my life out If I were a dog, you would not think of serving me so.”
“That is true,” replied the Jackdaw; “you are right. I never meddle with the surly and revengeful; but I love to plague gentle, helpless creatures like you, that can not do me any harm in return.”
“I wonder if all cowards are not like the Jackdaw,” mused the Sheep, as it went on contentedly browsing on the hillside.
THE CAT AND THE COCK
A HUNGRY Cat, who had tried in vain to find a Mouse for her supper, at last caught a young Cock.
“You are a noisy creature,” she said to him, “and have lived long enough. You disturb every one in the house by your loud crowing in the morning.”
“You are mistaken,” answered the Cock; “I disturb no one. I crow to wake the family. They would not know when to get up but for me.”
“Never mind,” said the Cat; “don’t trouble yourself to make excuses; I have had no breakfast and no dinner; I shall eat you for my supper.”
THE WOLF AND THE GOAT
A WOLF saw a Goat feeding at the top of a steep precipice, where he could not reach her.
“My dear friend,” said the Wolf, “be careful! I am afraid you will fall and break your neck. Do come down to the meadow, where the grass is fresh and green.”
“Are you very hungry?” said the Goat. “And is it your dinner time? And would you like to eat me? I think I will not go down to the meadow to-day, thank you.”
And she capered contentedly about on the edge of the rock, as safe from falling as she was from the greedy Wolf with his false care for her.
THE HEN AND THE SWALLOW
A HEN who had no nest of her own found some eggs, and, in the kindness of her heart, thought she would take care of them, and keep them warm.
But they were the eggs of a viper; and by and by the little snakes began to come out of the shell.
A Swallow, who was passing, stopped to look at them.
“What a foolish creature you were, to hatch those eggs!” said the Swallow. “Don’t you know that as soon as the little snakes grow big enough, they will bite some one—probably you first of all?”
“Then,” said the Hen, as she stood on one leg and looked at the ugly little snakes, first with one eye and then with the other, “you think I have done more harm than good?”
“I certainly do,” said the Swallow, as she flew away. “Good judgment is better than thoughtless kindness.”
STONE BROTH
ONE very stormy day a Poor Man came to a rich man’s house to beg.
“Away with you!” said the servants; “do not come here troubling us.”
Then said the Man, “Only let me come in and dry my clothes at your fire.” This, the servants thought, would not cost them anything; so they let him come in.
The Poor Man then asked the cook to let him have a pan, so that he could make some stone broth.
“Stone broth!” said the cook. “I should like to see how you can make broth out of a stone”; so she gave him a pan. The Man filled it with water from the pump, and then put into it a stone from the road. “But you must have some salt,” said the cook.
“Do you think so?” courteously replied the stranger. She gave him the salt, and before long she added some peas, some mint, and thyme. At last she brought him all the scraps of meat she could find, so that the Poor Man’s broth made him a good dinner.
“You see,” said the Man, “that if you only try long enough, and are cheerful, making the best of what you have, you may at last get what you want.”
THE MULE AND THE GRASSHOPPERS
A MULE, hearing some Grasshoppers chirping, was much pleased with the sound, and wished that he could make such sweet music.
“What sort of food do you eat,” said he to the Grasshoppers, “that your voices are so charming?”
The Grasshoppers replied, “We live upon dew.”
The Mule then decided that he too would live upon dew. And in a short time he died of hunger, just from trying to do what he saw others doing, without first learning their reason for it.
THE GNAT AND THE BULL
A GNAT, who had flown about until he was tired, sat down to rest on the horn of a Bull.
After sitting there a long time, he thought he would go home. So he made a loud buzzing noise and said to the Bull, “Would you like to have me stay longer, or shall I go now?”
“Just as you please,” said the Bull. “I did not know when you came, and I am sure I shall not miss you when you go away.”
“What an amount of self-importance for such a tiny creature,” thought the sleepy Bull.
A FOX AND A CRAB
A HUNGRY Fox surprised a Crab, who had left the sea and was lying upon the beach.
“What good luck, to find a breakfast so easily,” said the Fox, as he pounced upon him.
“Well,” said the Crab, when he found that he was to be eaten, “this comes of going where I have no business; I should have stayed in the water, where I belonged.”
THE DONKEY AND THE FROGS
A DONKEY was one day walking through a pond, with a load of wood on his back, when his foot slipped and he fell.
“Help, help!” cried the poor Donkey, as he struggled and kicked in the water. But his load was so heavy that he could not rise, and he groaned aloud.
The Frogs heard his groans but showed no pity. “What a foolish fellow,” said they, “to make such a fuss about a little fall into the water. What would you say if you had to live here always, as we do?”
THE NURSE AND THE WOLF
A WOLF, prowling about to find something for supper, heard a Child crying in a house. Listening, he heard the Nurse say, “Stop crying this minute, or I will throw you out of doors to the Wolf.”
The Wolf sat down near the door, thinking within himself, “I shall soon have a good supper.”
The Baby cried and cried, till at last it went to sleep; and then the Wolf heard the Nurse say: “There, that’s a good Baby. If the naughty old Wolf comes for my darling, we’ll beat him, so we will.”
The Wolf trotted sadly home. On his way he met the Fox.
“What makes you look so sour and so forlorn, my friend?” said the Fox.
“Don’t speak to me!” growled the Wolf. “I have lost my supper just because I believed what a Nurse said to a Baby.”
THE CAT AND THE MARTINS
A CAT, hearing that some Birds who lived in a martin box near by were ill, put on his spectacles and his overcoat, and made himself look as much as possible like a doctor, and went and knocked at their door.
“I hear that you are all sick,” said he, “and have come to call on you. Let me in, and I will give you some medicine and cure you.”
“No, thank you,” said the Birds, who saw his whiskers and knew he was their enemy the Cat; “we are well enough—much better than if we should open our door and let you in.”
THE COCK AND THE FOX
A FOX went prowling about a farmyard, not seeing a trap which the farmer had hidden there to catch him. Snap! went the trap, and the Fox found himself held fast by a strong cord. He howled horribly and was almost beside himself with rage.
A Cock, hearing the noise, flew to the top of the fence. Looking over, he saw the Fox and was terribly frightened—not daring to go near him, even when he found that his old enemy could not move. But he could not refrain from giving an exulting crow.
The Fox, looking up, said: “Dear Mr. Cock, you see how unlucky I have been, and all because I came here to inquire after your health. Do please help me to break this string, or at least do not let any one know that I am caught until I have time to gnaw it with my teeth.”
The Cock said nothing, but went as fast as he could and told his master all about it. So the crafty Fox was served as the Cock thought he deserved to be.
THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER
A CAVALRY officer took the greatest of pains with his charger. As long as the war lasted, the Horse was looked upon as a companion and fellow helper. He was carefully groomed every day, and fed with hay and oats.
But when the war was over, the allowance of grain and hay ceased, and the Horse was fed with chaff and whatever he might find by the wayside. He was made a drudge too, and was often forced to carry loads much too heavy for his strength.
When, in course of time, war was again proclaimed, the soldier brought his military trappings and put them on his charger; and, after having arrayed his own person with his heavy coat of mail, he mounted to ride to battle.
But the Horse, no longer equal to the burden, fell down straightway under the weight.
“You must go to the war on foot,” he said to his master, “for you have transformed me from a horse into an ass.”
He who slights his friends when he does not need their best offices must not expect them to serve him when he needs them again.
THE FOX AND THE STORK
THE Fox and the Stork were on what seemed to be friendly terms. The Fox invited the Stork to a dinner for which nothing was provided but a soup, which was served on a wide, shallow dish.
The Fox presided at the feast with great dignity, and, as if to set his friend an example, proceeded to lap the soup. This he could do with the greatest ease; but the Stork, who could only dip the tip of his bill in the dish and get the tempting odor, fared badly. He praised the dinner, but soon took leave, saying to his friend that he should do himself the honor to return the compliment.
This he did in a few days, but ordered that nothing be brought to the table but some minced meat in a glass jar, the neck of which was so narrow and deep that, though he himself could eat very well, the Fox could not reach it, and so could only lick the brim for the bits that clung to it.
Reynard could not conceal his vexation, but was obliged to own that he had been rightly used.
They who practice cunning must expect to suffer by it, and he laughs best who laughs last.
THE DOG, THE COCK, AND THE FOX
A DOG and a Cock, who were neighbors, once made a little journey together.
When night came on, the Cock flew up into the branches of a tree to sleep; and the Dog found a hollow in the trunk, into which he could creep and lie down. They slept well, and as soon as the morning dawned, the Cock, as usual, began to crow.
A Fox, hearing the sound and thinking he was sure of a good breakfast, came and stood under the branches. “Good morning,” said he to the Cock.
“How glad I am to make the acquaintance of the owner of such a voice! Will you not come down here where we can chat a little?”
“Thank you, I cannot just yet,” replied the Cock; “but if you would like to come up here, go around the tree trunk, and wake my servant. He will open the door and let you in.”
The Fox did as he was requested; but as he approached the tree, the Dog sprang upon him, and tore him to pieces.
“Two can play at the same game,” said the Cock, as he looked down upon the scene.
THE FLY AND THE MOTH
A FLY alighted one night upon a pot of honey, and finding it very much to his taste, began to eat it along the edges.
Little by little, however, he had soon crept away from the edge and into the jar, until at last he found himself stuck fast. His legs and wings had become so smeared with the honey that he could not use them.
Just then a Moth flew by, and seeing him struggling there, said: “Oh, you foolish Fly! Were you so greedy as to be caught like that? Your appetite was too much for you.”
The poor Fly had nothing to say in reply. What the Moth said was true. But by and by, when evening came, he saw the Moth flying round a lighted candle in the giddiest way, and each time a little closer to the flame, until at last he flew straight into it and was burned.
“What!” said the Fly, “are you foolish, too? You found fault with me for being too fond of honey; yet all your wisdom did not keep you from playing with fire.” It is sometimes easier to see the foolishness of others than to detect our own.
THE BOY BATHING
A LITTLE Boy once went in bathing where the water was too deep for him. When he found himself sinking, he cried out to a Man who was passing by, to come and help him.
“Can’t you swim?” asked the Man.
“No,” replied the Boy, “I don’t know how.”
“How foolish you were, then,” said the Man, “to go into deep water! Didn’t you know better?”
“Oh, good sir, please help me now, or I shall drown!” cried the Boy. “You can scold me when I am safe on shore again.”
THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE
A HARE one day made himself merry over the slow pace of the Tortoise, vainly boasting of his own great speed in running.
The Tortoise took the laughing and boasting in good part. “Let us try a race,” she said; “I will run with you five miles for five dollars, and the Fox out yonder shall be the judge.”
The Hare agreed, a course was arranged, and away they started together. True to his boasting the Hare was out of sight in a moment.
The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but jogged along with a slow, steady pace, straight to the end of the course. Full of sport, the Hare first outran the Tortoise, then fell behind. Having come midway to the goal, he began to nibble at the young herbage, and to amuse himself in many ways. After a while, the day being warm, he lay down for a nap, saying: “She is behind me now. If she should go by, I can easily enough catch up.”
When the Hare awoke, the Tortoise was not in sight; and running as fast as he could, he found her comfortably dozing at their goal.
Those who are very quick are apt to be too sure. Slow and steady often wins the race.
THE ARAB AND HIS CAMEL
AS AN Arab sat in his tent one cold night, he saw the curtain gently lifted, and the face of his Camel looking in.
“What is it?” he asked kindly.
“It is cold, master,” said the Camel; “suffer me, I pray thee, to hold my head within the tent.”
“By all means,” replied the hospitable Arab; and the Camel stood with his head inside the tent.
“Might I also warm my neck a little?” he entreated after a moment.
The Arab readily consented, and the Camel’s neck was thrust within the tent.
He stood, moving his head from side to side uneasily, and presently said: “It is awkward standing thus. It would take but little more room if I were to place my forelegs inside the tent.”
“You may place your forelegs within the tent,” said the Arab. And now he had to move a little to make room, for the tent was small.
The Camel spoke again: “I keep the tent open by standing thus, and make it cold for us both. May I not stand wholly within?”
“Yes,” said the Arab, whose compassion included his beast as well as himself; “come in wholly if you wish.” But now the tent proved to be too small to hold both.
“I think, after all,” said the Camel, as he crowded himself in, “that there will not be room here for us both. You are the smaller; it will be best for you to stand outside. There will be room then for me.” So he pushed a little, and the Arab with all haste went outside the tent.
THE FOX WHO HAD LOST HIS TAIL
A FOX was once caught in a trap by his tail. He succeeded in getting away, but was forced to leave his “brush” behind. He soon realized that his life would be a burden, from the shame and ridicule to which his tailless condition would expose him.
“I must not own that it is a misfortune not to have a bushy tail,” he said to himself.
So he set about to induce all the other Foxes to part with theirs. At the next assembly he boldly made a speech, in which he set forth the advantages of his present state.
“The tail,” he said, “is no real part of our persons, and besides being very ugly to see, it exposes us to danger from the dogs. I have never moved about with such ease as since I gave up my own.”
When he had ended his speech, a sly old Fox arose, and giving his own brush a graceful wave, said, with the kind of sneer which all Foxes know so well how to give, that if he had lost by accident his own tail, he should, without doubt, agree with his friend; but that, as the brush was a fox’s chief ornament and distinction, until such a mishap should occur as had befallen his friend, he should retain his own and should advise the others to do the same. And the vote to retain the tails was given by a wave of the brush. Yet many fashions have been set by Foxes who have met with some such accident.
THE BOYS AND THE FROGS
SOME Boys, playing near a pond, saw a number of Frogs sporting in the water.
“Let us see if we can hit them; it is great fun to make them dive,” said one; and they all began to pelt them with stones.
At last, after several Frogs had been hit, one of them put his head up out of the water, and said: “Pray stop, Boys. Throwing stones at us may be great sport for you, but it is death to us. We have done you no harm, and alas! you have already killed or wounded three of our family.”
THE SWALLOW AND THE OTHER BIRDS
A WISE Swallow, seeing a man sow seed in a field, went behind him and picked up one of the seeds to see what it was.
She found that it was flax. “When this flax has grown,” she said to herself, “the man will make it into linen thread and use it to make nets for catching us Birds.”
So she went to all the Birds and told them what she had discovered, begging them to come and help her eat up the flaxseed before it should sprout. “This field,” she said, “is as much ours as it is his. And while one of us can do but little, all working together can quickly remove our danger.”
But the Birds would not listen to her. Not one of them could she persuade to help her pick up the seeds which the farmer had sown.
By and by the flax sprang up, and the Swallow tried again to persuade the Birds to pull the young flax before it grew large. But they all made fun of her caution and let the flax keep growing.
When she saw how heedless all the Birds were, the Swallow would have nothing more to do with them, but left the woods where they lived and came among men, building her nests in barns and along the eaves of houses.
THE FARMER AND THE SNAKE
ONE wintry day a Farmer found a Snake lying on the frozen ground, quite stiff and nearly dead with cold.
In a fit of compassion the Farmer brought him carefully to his house, and laid him near the fire. But as soon as the Snake began to feel the pleasant warmth, he raised his head and tried to bite his kind friend.
“Oh!” said the Farmer, “is that the way you repay me for my trouble? You are a venomous creature, I am sure, and the sooner you die the better.” And he killed him with one blow of his stick.
THE RAVEN AND THE SWAN
A RAVEN saw a snowy Swan floating on the lake.
“No wonder the Swan is so white,” thought the Raven, as he looked at his own black feathers. “I dare say I should be, if I were all the time washing myself. I believe I’ll try it.”
Then he left his home, where he always found plenty to eat, and came and lived by the lake. He washed himself from morning till night, but he grew no whiter; and, as he found nothing to eat, he came near dying for want of food.
THE BIRDS, THE BEASTS, AND THE BAT
THERE was once a big battle between the Birds and the Beasts. Hesitating as to which to join, the Bat kept away from the contest and looked on till he thought the Beasts would win the day.
Then he went among them. When they saw him, they said, “But you are a Bird.”
“No, indeed,” said the Bat. “Look at my body covered with hair and at my mouth with its sharp teeth.”
After a while, as the fight went on, the Birds began to have the best of it, and then away flew the Bat to their side. “What Beast comes here?” said the Birds.
“I am not a Beast,” said the Bat; “I am a Bird. Look at my wings. This is my battle as truly as it is yours.”
But the Birds would have nothing to do with him. And to this day the Bat seems ashamed to show himself in the daytime but hides in lonely places, away from all other creatures, and only flits about noiselessly in the dark, when both Birds and Beasts are asleep.
THE MAN, HIS SON, AND HIS DONKEY
A MAN and his Son were once driving their Donkey along a country road, to sell him at the fair. They soon passed some girls, who were drawing water at a well.
“Look,” said one of the girls; “see those silly people trudging along in the dust, while their Donkey walks at his ease.”
The Man heard what they said, and put his boy on the Donkey’s back. They had not gone far before they came to some old men.
“See here, now,” said one of them to the others, “this shows that what I said is true. Nowadays the young take no care of the old. See this boy riding while his poor old father has to walk by his side.”
Hearing this, the Man told his Son to get down, and he mounted the Donkey himself. In a little while they met three women with children in their arms.
“For shame!” said the women. “How can you let that poor boy walk when he looks so tired, and you ride like a king?”
The Man then took the boy up behind him on the saddle, and they rode on to the town. Just before they got there, some young men stopped them and said:
“Is that Donkey yours?”
“Yes,” said the Man.
“One would not think so,” said they, “by the way you load him. You look more fit to carry him than he to carry you.”
So the Man and the boy got off, tied the Donkey’s legs with a rope, fastened him to a pole, and, each taking one end of the pole, carried him along, while every one they met laughed outright.
By and by they came to a bridge. Then the Donkey began to kick, and breaking the rope, fell into the water and was drowned.
The old Man and his Son made their way home as best they could, thinking to themselves, “When we try to please everybody, we please nobody.”
THE COUNTRY MOUSE AND THE CITY MOUSE
A MOUSE from the city went on a visit to a friend in the country.
The Country Mouse, with many apologies, brought out the best that he had and waited on his guest.
There was plenty of oatmeal and peas, a nice scrap of bacon, and even a paring of cheese for dessert. While the guest was dining, the Country Mouse, out of politeness, would eat none of these dainties, for fear there should not be enough for both, but nibbled a piece of straw to keep his guest company.
When the dinner was over, the City Mouse said: “Old friend, I thank you for your courtesy, but I must have a plain talk with you. I do not see how you can bear to live so poor a life in this little hole. Why not come with me to the city, where you will have all sorts of good things to eat and a gay time? You are wasting your life. When you have once seen the city you will never be willing to return to this quiet place.”
After being urged a long time, the Country Mouse at last agreed to go to the city that very night. So they started off together, and about midnight came to the great house where the City Mouse lived. In the dining room was spread a rich feast; and the City Mouse, with many airs and graces, ran about the table, and, picking out the nicest bits, waited upon his country friend, who, amazed at the good things, ate to his heart’s content.
All at once the doors of the dining room were flung open, and in came a crowd of people, followed by a big dog, who barked loudly and ran about the room.
The Mice rushed for the hole, to escape, and the little field Mouse almost died of fright. As soon as he was able to speak, he said:
“Well! if this is city life, I have seen enough of it. Stay in this fine place if you like. I shall be only too glad to get home to my quiet, safer, country house and my plain oatmeal and peas.”