Æsop's fables in words of one syllable

Chapter 101: THE ASS AND THE LAP DOG.

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About This Book

A collection of short, self-contained fables retold in simple monosyllabic language for young readers. Each brief tale stages animal characters in a single situation that leads to a clear outcome and an explicit moral, exploring themes such as honesty, pride, prudence, selfishness, and the consequences of deceit or folly. Lines are spare and direct, often paired with small illustrations, and the arrangement of discrete episodes emphasizes cause-and-effect and memorable aphorisms to make ethical lessons accessible and easy to discuss.

THE ASS AND THE LAP DOG.

Once on a time there was a man who had a pet dog, of which he was so fond that he let him eat from his own plate, and sit on his knee. The same man kept an ass that drew wood all day, and had to take his turn at the mill at night. “What a hard fate is mine!” said he; “I work night and day, while the lap dog leads a life of ease. No doubt my lord would get as fond of his ass as he is of his dog, if I could but win him by the same tricks.”

At this thought he broke from the stall, set off to the room where the man was, sprang to his face to lick it, and gave a loud bray in his ear. But now the ass had gone too far with his rough play; for the men of the farm came in with clubs, sticks, and staves to beat him.

THE END.