Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

THE WOLF AND THE LAMB.

One hot day, a Wolf was lapping at a clear brook that ran down the side of a hill. Now, not far down the stream, a stray Lamb was playing in the water.

The Wolf made up his mind to eat the Lamb, but he did not wish to do it without a good excuse. So he ran to the Lamb, calling in a loud voice, "Fool, get out of the brook! How dare you

muddle the water that I wish to drink?"

"Oh," said the Lamb in a mild tone, "I do not see how that can be. You stood above me to drink, and the water runs from you to me, not from me to you."

"Be that as it may," replied the Wolf, still more fiercely, "it was but a year ago that you called me many ill names."

66

"Oh, sir," said the Lamb, now in a great fright, a year ago I was not born.”

"Well," said the Wolf, "if it was not you, it was your father, and that is all the same; but it is no use to try to argue me out of my supper"; and without one word more, he fell upon the poor, helpless Lamb, and tore her to bits.

THE BOY AND THE WOLF.

A Boy, who kept a flock of sheep not far from a little village, used to find fun in calling out from time to time, "Wolf! Wolf!" Many times in this way he called the men in the fields from their work to help him. But when the men found it was a joke, they made up their minds, that no matter how much the Boy cried "Wolf!" they would not stir to help him.

Then the Boy

At last the Wolf really did come. ran, calling" Wolf!" as loud as he could; but the men would not heed him, for they thought him only in fun. So the Wolf killed all the sheep in the flock.

If boys often tell lies, how can you know when they speak the truth?

THE THREE BEARS.

A long time ago, there were three bears who lived together in a house of their own in a wood: one, a great huge bear, which was the father; one, a middle-sized bear, which was the mother; and a little wee bear, which was the son. They had

each a pot for their milk and honey: a very large basin for the great huge bear, a middle-sized basin for the middle-sized bear, and a little wee basin for the little wee bear. And they had each a chair to sit on a huge chair for the great huge bear, a middle-sized chair for the middle-sized bear, and a little wee chair for the little wee bear. And they also had each a bed to sleep in a huge bed for the great huge bear, a middle-sized bed for the middlesized bear, and a little wee bed for the little wee bear.

One morning, after they had boiled the milk and honey for their breakfast, and poured it into their basins, they went into the wood to take a walk while the milk and honey was cooling. A few minutes after they had gone, a little girl, named Golden-hair, came to the house and looked in at the window; then she peeped in at the key-hole, and not seeing anybody in the house, she lifted the latch. The door was not fastened, because the bears were good and honest bears, who did nobody any harm, and never thought that anybody would harm them. So little Golden-hair opened the door and went in. She was well pleased when she saw the milk and honey in the basins. If she had been a good child, she would not have touched it, but have waited until

the bears came home, when perhaps they would have asked her to take some with them, as they were good kind-hearted bears. But little Golden-hair did not wait. She first tasted the milk and honey of the great huge bear, and that was too hot for her; then she tasted the milk and honey of the middle-sized bear, and that was too cold for her; and then she tasted the milk and honey of the little wee bear, and that was neither too hot nor too cold, but just what she liked. She took the basin in her hand and sat in a chair, which was the chair of the great huge bear, but that was too hard for her; then she sat down in the next chair, which was the chair of the middle-sized bear, and that was too soft for her; so she thought she would try the other, which was the chair of the little wee bear, and that was neither too hard nor too soft, but just what she liked. Then she sat down to eat the milk and honey which she held in her hand; but before she had quite finished the milk and honey, the chair broke and let her fall, basin and all.

After this, little Golden-hair went upstairs into the bears' sleeping-room, where she saw three beds. First she lay down upon the bed of the great huge bear, but that was too high at the head for her; then she lay down upon the bed of the middle-sized

bear, and that was too high at the foot for her; and then she lay down upon the bed of the little wee bear, and that was neither too high at the head nor too high at the foot, but just what she liked, so she got snugly into it and fell fast asleep, just as the three bears came home, thinking their milk and honey would be quite cool enough.

Now little Golden-hair had left the spoon of the great huge bear standing in his milk and honey.

SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY MILK AND HONEY," said the great huge bear in his great huge voice.

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY MILK AND HONEY," said the middle-sized bear in a middle voice; and then the little wee bear looked for his basin, and saw it on the floor.

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY MILK AND HONEY, AND HAS EATEN IT ALL UP," said the little wee bear in his little wee voice.

Now, the three bears knew that some one must have come into their house while they were absent, and they began to look about them. Little Goldenhair had not put the cushion straight when she rose from the chair of the great bear.

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR," said the great huge bear in his great

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »