Part 13
“Here I go,” cried the grasshopper, and she jumped so high that she landed in the rooster’s mouth. The rooster gobbled her up.
And that was the end of her and her boasting.
THE MOUSE’S ESCAPE
A little gray mouse lived in a hole in our kitchen closet. One day she smelled some cheese. “M-m,” she said, “how delicious!” She peeped out to see whether Tom, our cat, was in the kitchen. He wasn’t. Out she stole, sniffed about, and found the cheese. Just as she began to nibble it, along came Tom. The little mouse darted back into her safe hole.
WHAT THE WHITE HEN DID FOR THE WORLD
One morning the white hen went into the barn. The rooster saw her go, but he didn’t stop her. After a few minutes out she came, clucking to the whole world, “Cut-cut-cut-cut-cadah-cut! Cut-cut-cut-cut-cadah-cut!” And the whole world as well as the rooster knew she had laid an egg.
THE GOLDEN GOOSE
Once a man owned a wonderful goose. Every morning when he said, “Lay,” it laid a golden egg. By and by the man grew so greedy that he wanted all the golden eggs at once. So he cut open the goose. There wasn’t one egg in it. And, of course, the goose couldn’t lay any more eggs now. The foolish man had killed the goose that laid the golden eggs.
—ÆSOP
THE MOON AND HER MOTHER
(_This story may be accompanied by blackboard sketches of the phases of the moon._)
One day the moon asked her mother for a cloak that would fit her well.
“How can I make a cloak that will fit you?” answered the mother. “You are always changing your size. One day you are a new moon. Another day you are a full moon. And another day you are neither.”
So the little moon has to go without a cloak.
—OLD FABLE
MOTHER CAREY’S CHICKENS
One day in winter the snowflakes came down as soft and light and white as feathers. The little children looking out at the window sang,
“Old Mother Carey’s chickens, Old Mother Carey’s chickens; They are up in the sky, Ever so high; Old Mother Carey’s chickens.”
Down fell the snowflakes, thick and fast, and more and more and more, till they made a snowstorm.
When they were all down the children brought out their sleds, and away they went coasting on Mother Carey’s chickens’ feathers.
THE STORY OF THE WEE, WEE BONE
Once a wee, wee girl came across a wee, wee dog scratching a wee, wee hole to bury a wee, wee bone. When the wee, wee dog had buried the wee, wee bone, he trotted off on his wee, wee legs. And when he had gone a wee, wee way, the wee, wee girl dug her wee, wee fingers into the wee, wee hole, and took away the wee, wee bone.
But the wee, wee dog smelled her out with his wee, wee nose and said, “Give me back my wee, wee bone; you can’t eat it and I can.” The wee, wee girl wouldn’t.
Then the wee, wee dog sat up on his wee, wee hind legs and cried a wee, wee tear. This made the wee, wee girl sorry. So she gave the wee, wee dog his wee, wee bone.
The wee, wee dog dried the wee, wee tear with his wee, wee paw, and ate up the wee, wee bone.
And that’s the end of this wee, wee story.
THE MISSING LAMB
One evening a shepherd was turning away from the fold when one of the sheep bleated mournfully.
“Is thy lamb missing, poor mother?” asked the shepherd.
Just then he heard a loud bark, and there half a field away was Carlo, his dog, guiding home a frightened lamb. The little creature had strayed away from her mother to find the very sweetest bits of sheep sorrel.
“Bow wow, master,” called Carlo, “don’t close up yet.”
“Ba-a-a, ba-a-a-a,” cried the little lamb, “dear mother, where are you?”
The mother heard her and bounded into the air with joy. “Ba-a-a, come to me, my lamb,” she called, “come to me, my lambkin, my wee lambkin, my wee wee little lamb.”
The little lamb leaped to her mother’s side and was safe in the fold.
The shepherd patted Carlo on the head and called him “Good dog” and said, “Come with me, my dog, and I’ll give thee a bone thick with meat.”
THE ANT AND THE DOVE
Once an ant went to the bank of a river to quench her thirst. As she stooped to the water she fell in and was nearly drowned. A dove perched on a tree overhanging the river saw her and quickly dropped down a leaf to her. The ant climbed up on the leaf and it floated to the bank. She went ashore, safe and sound.
Not long after this, a bird catcher stepped softly up to the tree to set a snare to catch the dove. The ant saw him and quickly stung him in the foot. The bird catcher’s cry at the pain startled the dove. Away she flew, safe and sound.
—ÆSOP
THE BOY AND THE NUTS
A boy put his hand into a jar to take some nuts. He grasped so many that there was no room for his hand to come out. In a great fright he burst into tears.
“Be satisfied with half as many,” said a man who was watching him, “and your hand will come out easily.”
The greedy boy dropped half, and at once out came his hand.
—ÆSOP
DID SHE CATCH HIM?
One day a little girl said to her wisest aunt, “I wish I could catch that sparrow.”
“The next time he comes,” said her wisest aunt, “shake some salt on his tail. But be sure not to let him see nor hear you.”
The little girl went into the house and brought out some salt. Pretty soon the sparrow alighted near her. She tiptoed up behind him with the salt ready in her hand. Nearer and nearer she stole.
Just as she stooped to shake the salt on his tail, the sparrow cocked his head at her and flew away.
THE BEARS AT PLAY
A small brown bear and a small black bear walked up to each other and rubbed noses.
“Will you play with me if I play with you?” whispered the brown one to the other. And the other whispered, “I will.”
The two trotted out to the center of the cage. The brown one turned a somersault and the black one turned a bigger somersault. After this they both turned somersaults together.
When the play was over, they rubbed noses again and each went back to his own cave in the rocks.
HOW THE GROCER PLAYED A TRICK ON KIT
Kit was the grocer’s horse. One day as the grocer came up to her she whinnied and rubbed her nose against his pocket.
“Ha, ha, ha, I’ve caught you this time; it isn’t in my pocket,” said the grocer; “here it is.” He held out to her a ripe red apple he had been hiding behind his back.
Kit didn’t wait to laugh at the joke; she ate the apple in one big bite.
THE SHORT TALE OF THE RABBITS WHO WENT OUT TO SEE THE WORLD
Two white rabbits lived in a hutch in our back yard. One sunny morning said One to the Other, “Let us go out to see the world.”
So they did. They went up the alley way to the front garden. Here the grass was growing fresh and green.
“Ah,” said the Other to One, “the world was made for us. It is nothing but a big cabbage leaf. Taste it.”
Just as they put their noses down to nibble a bit of it, a dog poked _his_ nose through the railing and said, “Bow wow.”
“Oh my, the world belongs to him,” they cried; “he may have it.”
And back they scurried to their safe hutch.
There they stayed, eating cabbage leaves and letting the world alone.
THE DISPUTE BETWEEN THE POT AND THE KETTLE
The pot said the kettle was black. And the kettle said the pot was black. And the pot said the kettle was black. And the kettle said the pot was black. And they kept it up.
In the middle of the dispute in came two servants. One seized the pot and the other seized the kettle, and they scrubbed them both within an inch of their lives. So I suppose the servants thought both were black. What do you think?
HOW THE TURTLE GOT HIS DINNER
It was the small black turtle’s dinner time. He drew in his head and watched. A bluebottle buzzed by, singing. Snap! out came the turtle’s head. The bluebottle’s song was over, the turtle was eating him for dinner.
“A bluebottle is a delicious morsel,” said the turtle aloud to anyone who might happen to be passing.
He dined that day on foolish bluebottles who didn’t know he had a head.
THE CATERPILLAR CAUGHT IN THE RAIN
The other day a caterpillar was out walking on a leaf, when it began to rain. He had no umbrella, but that did not bother him. He crawled under the leaf, and waited for the shower to be over.
When the rain-drops stopped pattering over his head, he stuck out his head to see whether the sky had cleared. It had. A beautiful rainbow was just fading out of the sky.
Up the caterpillar climbed, dry and comfortable, and went on with his walk.
THE SONG THE COCKLE-SHELL SINGS
One day Anna Lucy held a cockle-shell to her ear. She listened and then began to smile.
“Do you hear anything?” asked her little brother Frank.
“Yes,” answered Anna Lucy, “you may hear it too.” She held the shell to Frank’s ear. Frank listened, then he began to smile. “What is it?” he whispered.
“It is the song of the sea,” said Anna Lucy; “the shell sings it in her heart.”
THE WATER-SNAIL’S RIDE
A little water-snail with his house on his back floated on the top of the water. Suddenly he must have thought of something downstairs that he needed, for he drew himself into his house. Down it went to the bottom of the water. The water-snail stuck out his horns and head, and ate up a tiny bit of seaweed. So I suppose that is what he needed. In he drew himself again, and up went his house just as if it were an elevator.
“You must find that house very convenient,” said I to him. But he said nothing to me; he only floated on the top of the water.
IT TAKES TIME TO GROW
A toadstool sprang up in a night. But it fell to earth next day when the first passer-by touched it. An acorn took a hundred years to grow into an oak. But the oak is still standing, strong and tall.
THE FRIGHT THEY HAD
One day as a snail with his house on his back crawled up a vine he met a ladybug. The two stopped to chat about their children. All of a sudden a little girl, who was passing, cried out,
“Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home, Your house is on fire, Your children all burned.”
Home flew Ladybug, pale with fright.
“How thankful I am,” said the snail, “that I carry my house on my back!” But on second thought he too turned pale with fright. “Perhaps my darling children will crawl near poor Ladybug’s house to see the fire, and be burned to death.” He turned about and crawled home as fast as his snail’s pace would let him, and that wasn’t very fast.
But it was all a joke; it happened on April Fool’s Day. The snail’s children were quite safe and so were Ladybug’s.
“Ha, ha, ha, Mr. Snail, you’re an April Fool,” cried the little girl, skipping past again.
But I don’t know whether they understood her. What do you think?
HIMSELF
“Who are you?” said Tom, to a small black shadow beside him.
“Why, I’m you,” said the shadow; “don’t you know me?”
“What, a little fellow like you!” cried Tom; “you’re very much mistaken.” And away he strode.
“No, a big fellow like you,” said the shadow, as he shot out in front of Tom.
WHY THE CANARY SANG IN HIS CAGE
A canary swung in his golden cage and sang joyously. The window was open, so a lark heard him as she rose into the air. She alighted on the window sill in wonder.
“How can you sing shut up in a cage!” she exclaimed. “Come out into the free air and up into the sky with me.”
The canary stopped his song to listen to the lark. “Why do you stop singing, little canary?” asked a sick boy, in a feeble voice. He was in a bed near the canary’s cage. The lark could not see him, but she heard him. “Your song,” said the boy, “makes me forget my pain.”
The canary burst into a sweeter song. “Now I know,” said the lark, “he sings because it makes the sick boy happy.” And she flew upward, wiser than before.
WHO THE BIRD WAS
One hot day in July a bird perched at the very top of a tall hemlock. The blazing sun shone on his scarlet body and made it glow like fire.
“What a foolish bird to be out in the scorching sun,” cried Mother Robin to her husband. “He’ll be sunstruck.” She and Father Robin stood shading their eyes under the cool maple leaves to look up at him. “Who can he be?”
“I think, my dear,” said Father Robin, “that I had better go up and tell him to come down.”
“Oh,” cried Mother Robin, “what would the birdlings and I do if anything should happen to you!” and she caught him by the tail just as he was flying off.
As Father Robin opened his mouth to answer, the scarlet bird spread shining black wings and flew into the sunshine, singing,
“I love the sun, the light, the flame, Scarlet tanager is my name.”
“Never fear for him,” said Mother Robin, “the sun and he are good friends.”
HOW THE OLD TROUT SERVED TOM
Once a water-baby named Tom swam close to some little trout. He began tormenting them and trying to catch them. They slipped through his fingers and jumped dean out of the water in their fright.
As Tom chased them he swam near a dark pool under an alder root. Out floushed a huge old brown trout ten times as big as he. She ran straight at Tom and knocked nearly all the breath out of his body.
So it was Tom’s turn to be frightened. After that you may be sure he let the little trout alone.
—From KINGSLEY
A CLEVER COW
A quick-witted old cow learned how to shake apples down from the trees. While rubbing herself against the tree she noticed that an apple sometimes fell. She rubbed a little harder, and more apples fell. Soon the farmer had to keep an eye on her to save his apples.
—From BURROUGHS
THE SNOWMAN
When the sun got up one morning in winter he found a snowman staring at him rudely.
“Don’t stare at me. If you do you’ll melt,” said the sun.
“Indeed!” said the snowman. “A cat may look at a king. I’ll look at you if I like.” And he stared harder than ever.
Pretty soon he felt the top of his head softening. “I feel very queer,” said he to himself. But he didn’t stop staring. “Ugh!” he shivered, “water is running down my back. My nose is going. My toes are going. I’m going.”
And he went.
THE RACE
The kitten lay curled up in a ball fast asleep. The pup was broad awake.
He stole up to kitty, lifted his paw, and gave her a tap on the nose. Then he scampered off. Up started kitty, and round and round the kitchen went the pup with kitty after him.
It made the kitchen clock so dizzy to watch them that she put up her long hand to steady her head.—“One,” rang the bell inside of her.
“Time’s up,” cried the pup. And he and kitty sat down on the mat side by side and the pup put out his tongue and laughed at the fun.
BRAVE DAN
Everybody was out. So of course Dan, the pup, was master of the house. He trotted proudly through the halls and poked his nose into every room, for burglars.
In his master’s room he heard something say, “Tick, tick, tick, tick.” Dan pricked up his ears. Somebody was in the house. Who could it be? A glove lay on the floor near the mantel. Dan walked over and began to sniff at it.
“One,” struck the clock on the mantelpiece. Dan scampered off as fast as his legs could carry him.
THE WIND’S FROLIC
“Down you go,” cried the wind to the leaves one morning in autumn. And down he blew them in crowds from the trees, brown ones, red ones, and yellow ones. Then he drove them scurrying before him up the street. At last he swirled them together in heaps, and left off to rest.
So there we too shall let them lie.
THE DEAD CANARY
The little yellow canary that used to sing so sweetly grew sick and died. The children wept to see it.
“Let us bury him under the apple-tree,” said Alice; “every spring it will cover his grave with white blossoms.”
So Robert dug a small grave under the apple-tree, and Alice laid the canary gently in it. They covered him with the soft earth.
Every spring the apple-tree sent down his white blossoms on the grave.
THE SWAN’S MEAL
One morning as a shining white swan sailed about on the lake he saw a boy on the bank, eating some bread. He swam over to the boy and thrust out his long white neck toward the bread.
“The beautiful swan wants my bread,” cried the boy. He was delighted.
He broke it and threw it bit by bit on a lily pad. The swan ate it, to the last crumb. Then he bent his head as if to thank the boy, and sailed away.
THE BOY AND THE FROGS
Some boys at play near a pond began to pelt the frogs with stones, just for the fun of seeing them go under water. They killed several of them.
At last one of the frogs lifted his head high out of the water, and cried out, “Pray stop, boys; what is fun for you is death to us.”
“That is true,” said one of the boys; “let us leave the poor creatures in peace.” And they did.
—From ÆSOP
SWEET PORRIDGE
There was a poor but good little girl who lived alone with her mother. One day they no longer had anything to eat. The child went out into the forest, and there an old woman gave her a wonderful little pot. When you said to it, “Cook, little pot, cook,” it would cook good sweet porridge. And when you said, “Stop, little pot, stop,” it would stop cooking. The girl took the pot home to her mother, and they were no longer hungry, but ate sweet porridge whenever they chose.
Once when the girl had gone out her mother said, “Cook, little pot, cook.” The mother ate till she was satisfied. But when she wanted the pot to stop she found she did not know the word. So it went on cooking and the porridge rose over the edge. STILL it cooked on until the kitchen and the whole house were full, and then the next house, and then the whole street, as if it meant to feed the whole world. No one could stop it.
At last when only one house remained the child came home from the opposite direction and just said, “Stop, little pot, stop,” and it stopped.
But whoever wished to come back to the town that night had to eat his way back.
—FOLK STORY
FINDING A HOME
Early in spring a couple of bluebirds set out to look for a home.
“What do you think of this vacant dove-cote for our nest, sweet wife?” asked he. “The view from the top of the gable is beautiful.”
“I am afraid of all these windows,” said she, peeping in at each. “The wind might prove too strong for our little ones when they come.”
“Parents must think of that,” said he. And on they flew.
Under the eaves of a barn they found an empty swallow’s nest. “The very thing for us,” they both cried, and alighted to look at it. At this minute who should arrive from the south but the swallow who owned it? He saw at once what they were at and flew straight into it, crying,
“Kwi-kwi-kwivet, My house is not to let.”
“How delightful to own a home of your own,” said the she-bluebird.
“Isn’t it?” agreed the he-bluebird.
“Is that a wren’s house over there?” asked she, flying over. But when she attempted to poke her nose inside, out rushed two little wrens at her and scolded her away.
“My love,” said he, “how you are trembling. Let us build a house of our own.”
And that’s what they did. In a stump in an open field they found exactly the hole they wanted and there they made their nest.
It wasn’t long before their little ones came and found it the snuggest in the world.
DID JIP DINE ON CHICKEN?
One day a dog named Jip went for a walk. He came to a yard where there was a hen with her brood of chicks. Said Jip to himself, “A downy little yellow chick would make a sweet dinner for a dog. I think I’ll have it.” He turned in at the gate. But Mother Hen had something to say about it. “Cluck, cluck,” she cried to her chicks, and spread out her wings to hide them. Then she lowered her head, stuck out her sharp beak, and made straight for Jip. He turned tail and fled home as fast as his legs would carry him.
THE DOG IN THE MANGER
Once when some oxen went to their manger to eat hay they found a small dog in it. The dog growled and snapped at the oxen and would not let them come near the hay. The stableman saw it all. “Get out of there, you selfish cur!” he cried to the dog. “You cannot eat the hay yourself and you will not let those who can.” He seized a whip and the dog was glad to run yelping away.
—From ÆSOP
THE TWO APPLES
A real apple and a clay apple lay side by side. The real apple was jealous of the clay apple. A little girl had smoothed and pressed and patted the cheek of the clay apple, but she had only looked at him. Soon along came the little girl with her hat and coat on. She picked up the real apple. “Come, ripe red apple,” said she; “we’ll go visiting. I know a little lame boy who will like a bite of you. My clay apple would never do for that.”
As she looked at him, the real apple felt himself turning a deeper red, he was so ashamed that he had been jealous.
THE DOG AND THE SHADOW
A dog was crossing a stream of water, with a piece of meat in his mouth. As he looked down, he thought he saw another dog with a larger piece of meat. Said the greedy fellow to himself, “I’ll have that too.” He dropped his own meat and sprang into the water after the shadow. The real meat fell into the water and floated away.
—ÆSOP
THE QUARREL
One morning Tom’s right foot said to Tom’s left foot, “Let me go first.”
“No,” said Tom’s left foot, “you let me go first.”
“No,” said Tom’s right foot, “you let me go first.”
And they began all over again.
Suddenly Tom’s left ear remarked to Tom’s right ear, “Perhaps, the silly things will set out together.”
“The very thing to do,” cried both feet, and they started off. This left Tom without a leg to stand on. So he fell down and bruised them both.
They were black and blue for three whole days.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WAX DOLL
The wax doll went to visit the rag doll and sat in a sunny window, where the people passing might admire her.
“How handsome you are,” said the rag doll. “I wish I had large blue eyes and red and white cheeks. That white silk dress is very becoming.”
The wax doll only stared and smiled.
“Towser, the dog, leads me a life of it,” went on the rag doll. She felt she must make conversation for her guest. “Why,” said she, “the other day he tore me almost to pieces, when—” She stopped suddenly. Something dreadful was happening to the wax doll. Her face was running down on her white silk dress.
Just then in came the little girl who owned the dolls. “Dear, dear me,” said she, “the wax doll has melted,” and she threw her into a corner.
“After all,” said the rag doll to herself, thoughtfully, “I am not beautiful, and Towser troubles me, but I have much to be thankful for.”
THE ROUTING OF TOM
One morning Tom met the geese on their way to the pond, and for once the gander was not leading them. Tom made sure of this. Gander had once chased him half a mile for teasing the geese.
“I’ll be master instead of the gander,” said he to the geese. “Shoo! back you go.” He spread out his arms to drive them back. When they turned to go, he ran around in front of them. “Shoo! forward you go,” said he. Once more the geese set off hopefully for the pond. “Shoo! back you go,” cried Tom. So he kept the poor geese running back and forth distracted.
At last one small goose plucked up her courage. “Hiss-s-s-s-s,” she cried, stretching out her long neck toward Tom. Instantly out went twenty necks and twenty geese made for Tom, crying, “Hiss-ss-ss-ss.” Tom took to his heels.
MRS. VIXEN AND HER CUBS AT PLAY
Under a rock lay a great brown, sharp-nosed creature, with a white tip to her brush, and round her four or five little cubs, the funniest fellows you ever saw. It was Mrs. Vixen, a mother fox, and her children.
The mother lay on her back, rolling about, and stretching out her legs and head and tail in the bright sunshine. The cubs jumped over her, and ran around her, and nibbled her paws, and lugged her about by the tail, and she enjoyed it mightily.
But one selfish little fellow put an end to all the fun. He stole away from the rest to a dead crow close by, and dragged it off to hide it, though it was nearly as big as himself. His brothers caught him at it and set off after him in full cry. Before they knew it they were seen by a man. They left the dead crow and ran back to tell their mother.