him do and say all sorts of silly
things which led to all sorts of terrible happenings as this story will
show.

One day he went out walking. He walked down the road until he met a
little girl. The little girl was crying.

"What's the matter with you?" asked Silly Will.

"Oh!" sobbed the little girl, "our cow has died and I don't know what
we shall do. I don't know how we can get along without her milk and
everything. We depended on her so!"

"Depended on a cow!" cried Silly Will. "Whoever heard of such a thing!
I've often seen that stupid old cow of yours. Clumsy, lumbering thing!
Cows are no good! I wouldn't depend on any animal, not I! It wouldn't
matter to me if all the cows in the world died!" And Silly Will strutted
off down the road.

The little girl looked after him with astonishment. "I just wish no cow
would ever give that silly boy anything!" she thought.

Before long he met an old woman. The old woman was crying too.

"What's the matter with you?" asked Silly Will.

"Oh!" cried the old woman wringing her hands. "Our sheep has fallen over
a cliff and broken its legs and it's going to die. I don't know how we
shall get along without her wool for spinning. We depended so much on
her!"

"Depended on a sheep!" cried Silly Will. "Whoever heard of such a thing!
I've often heard your stupid old sheep bleating. Sheep are no good. I
wouldn't depend on any animal, not I! It wouldn't matter to me if all
the sheep in the world died!" And Silly Will strutted off down the road
feeling very smart.

The old woman looked after him greatly surprised. "Silly little boy!"
she thought. "He little knows! I just wish no sheep would give him
anything!"

Then before long Silly Will met a man. The man was sitting beside the
road with his face in his hands.

"What's the matter with you?" asked Silly Will.

The man looked up. "Oh, our horse has died!" he sighed dolefully, "and I
don't know how we can get along without him to plow for us now that it's
seeding time. And there's not much use getting in the seeds anyway
without a horse to carry the grain to market when it's ripe. We depended
so on our horse!"

"Depended on a horse!" cried Silly Will. "Whoever heard of such a thing!
First I meet a little girl who says she depended on a cow for food: then
I meet an old woman who says she depended on a sheep for clothes. And
here is a man who says he depends on a horse to work and to carry for
him! As for me, I depend on no