OM DRAWINGS BY BESS BRUCE CLEVELAND

[Illustration]

THE HARE and THE TORTOISE

A hare one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the tortoise.
The latter laughing, said: "Though you be swift as the wind, I will beat
you in a race." The hare, deeming her assertion to be simply impossible
assented to the proposal; and they agreed that the fox should choose the
course and fix the goal. On the day appointed for the race they started
together. The tortoise never for a moment stopped, but went on with a
slow but steady pace straight to the end of the course. The hare,
trusting to his native swiftness, cared little about the race, and lying
down by the wayside, fell fast asleep. At last, waking up, and moving as
fast as he could, he saw the tortoise had reached the goal, and was
comfortably dozing after her fatigue.

_Slow and steady wins the race._

THE FOX AND THE WOOD-CUTTER

A Fox, running before the hounds, came across a Wood-cutter felling an
oak, and besought him to show him a safe hiding-place. The Wood-cutter
advised him to take shelter in his own hut. The Fox crept in and hid
himself in a corner. The huntsman came up with his hounds, in a few
minutes, and inquired of the Wood-cutter if he had not seen the Fox. He
declared that he had not seen him, and yet pointed, all the time he was
speaking, to the hut where the Fox lay hid. The huntsman took no notice
of the signs, but, believing his word, hastened forward in the chase. As
soon as they were well away, the Fox departed without taking any notice
of the Wood-cutter: whereon he called to him, and reproached him,
saying, "You ungrateful fellow, you owe your life to me, and yet you
leave me without a word of thanks." The Fox replied, "Indeed, I should
have thanked you fervently, _if your deeds had been as good as your
words, and if your hands had not been traitors to your speech_."

THE LION AND OTHER BEASTS ON A HUNT

The Lion and a lot of other Beasts made a plan to share whatever they
caught when they went on a hunt. The first day they went out they took a
fat Stag, which was cut up into three parts. The Lion said he would be
the chief judge, and laid his paw on one of the shares, and thus spoke:
"This first piece I claim as your lord and king; this part, too, I claim
as the most brave and most fierce of you all; and as for the third," he
cried, as he bent his big, bright eyes on the crowd of Beasts, "I mean
t