it in his hands, and went home.

When his mammy saw him, she said, "Epaminondas, what is that in your
hands?"

"A puppy dog, mammy."

"A puppy dog!" cried his mammy. "Oh, Epaminondas! What makes you act so
foolish? That's no way to carry a puppy. The way to carry a puppy is to
tie a string around his neck and put him on the ground. Then you take
the other end of the string in your hand and come along home. You hear
me, Epaminondas?"

"Yes, mammy."

Epaminondas was going to be right the next time; he got a piece of
string and put it in his pocket to have it ready.

The next day company came to see Epaminondas's mammy, and she had no
bread for dinner. She called Epaminondas and said, "Run to 'the big
house' and ask your granny to send me a loaf of bread for dinner."

"Yes, mammy," said Epaminondas. And off he ran.

Granny gave him a loaf just from the oven--a nice, brown, crusty loaf.
This time Epaminondas was certainly going to do what mammy had told him.

He proudly got out his string and tied it to the loaf. Then he put the
loaf on the ground, and taking the other end of the string in his hand,
he went along home.

When he reached home, his mammy gave one look at the thing tied to the
end of the string.

"What have you brought, Epaminondas?" she cried.

"Bread, mammy. Granny sent it to you."

"Oh, Epaminondas! Epaminondas! How could you be so foolish?" cried his
mammy. "Now I have no bread for dinner. I'll have to go and get some
myself."

She went into the house and got her bonnet. When she came out, she said,
"Epaminondas, do you see those three mince pies I've put on the doorstep
to cool. Well, now, you hear me, Epaminondas. You be careful how you
step on those pies!"

"Yes, mammy."

His mammy went off down the road; Epaminondas went to the door and
looked out. "Mammy told me to be careful how I step on those mince
pies," he said, "so I must be careful how I do it. I'll step right in
the middle of every one."

And he did!

When his mammy came home, there were no pies for dinner.

Now she was angry all over, and something happened. I don't know, and
you don't know, but we can guess.

Poor Epaminondas!--SOUTHERN TALE.

[Illustration: Epaminondas stepping in the pies]

HOW BROTHER RABBIT FOOLED THE WHALE AND THE ELEPHANT

I

One day Brother Rabbit was running along on the sand, lippety, lippety,
lippety. He was going to a fine cabbage field. On the way he saw the
whale and the