FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   >>  
nd yet, if I venture to mew, they throw things at me and chase me all over the place." "Look here, mistress," said the Parrot, "you just hold your tongue. My voice they delight in; but yours--yours is a perfect nuisance." THE STAG AND THE LION A Stag was chased by the hounds, and took refuge in a cave, where he hoped to be safe from his pursuers. Unfortunately the cave contained a Lion, to whom he fell an easy prey. "Unhappy that I am," he cried, "I am saved from the power of the dogs only to fall into the clutches of a Lion." Out of the frying-pan into the fire. THE IMPOSTOR A certain man fell ill, and, being in a very bad way, he made a vow that he would sacrifice a hundred oxen to the gods if they would grant him a return to health. Wishing to see how he would keep his vow, they caused him to recover in a short time. Now, he hadn't an ox in the world, so he made a hundred little oxen out of tallow and offered them up on an altar, at the same time saying, "Ye gods, I call you to witness that I have discharged my vow." The gods determined to be even with him, so they sent him a dream, in which he was bidden to go to the sea-shore and fetch a hundred crowns which he was to find there. Hastening in great excitement to the shore, he fell in with a band of robbers, who seized him and carried him off to sell as a slave: and when they sold him a hundred crowns was the sum he fetched. Do not promise more than you can perform. THE DOGS AND THE HIDES Once upon a time a number of Dogs, who were famished with hunger, saw some Hides steeping in a river, but couldn't get at them because the water was too deep. So they put their heads together, and decided to drink away at the river till it was shallow enough for them to reach the Hides. But long before that happened they burst themselves with drinking. THE LION, THE FOX, AND THE ASS A Lion, a Fox, and an Ass went out hunting together. They had soon taken a large booty, which the Lion requested the Ass to divide between them. The Ass divided it all into three equal parts, and modestly begged the others to take their choice; at which the Lion, bursting with fury, sprang upon the Ass and tore him to pieces. Then, glaring at the Fox, he bade him make a fresh division. The Fox gathered almost the whole in one great heap for the Lion's share, leaving only the smallest possible morsel for himself. "My dear friend," said the
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   >>  



Top keywords:

hundred

 

crowns

 

shallow

 
decided
 
famished
 

promise

 
fetched
 

perform

 

steeping

 

couldn


hunger
 

number

 

hunting

 

glaring

 

division

 
pieces
 

choice

 

bursting

 

sprang

 
gathered

morsel

 
friend
 

smallest

 

leaving

 

begged

 

drinking

 

happened

 
divided
 

modestly

 

divide


requested

 

witness

 

Unfortunately

 

pursuers

 

contained

 

hounds

 

refuge

 

Unhappy

 

frying

 

IMPOSTOR


clutches

 

chased

 

things

 

venture

 

mistress

 

Parrot

 
perfect
 

nuisance

 

delight

 

tongue