must get yourself clean. We birds are
clean creatures, and you must positively wash your mouth before you
begin."

Away went the Cat, and washed her mouth clean, and came back again.

The Hen-sparrow looked at her carefully. "You have not washed your
whiskers," said she; "they are still dirty."

The Cat went obediently and washed her whiskers.

Meanwhile the Cock-sparrow had been sitting on the
edge of the well in the sun, and by this time his feathers
were quite dry. So his Hen chirped to him, "Now,
dear, you can fly, let's be off." And off
they flew together, and the Cat was
left licking her chops and
wishing she had not
been such
a fool.

[Illustration]

The Foolish Fish

A FISH was once flapping and flopping on the sand by the banks of a
river. She was a lady Fish--how she got there I don't know; but she had
been better to stay at home, as you shall hear. Well, she flapped away
on the sand, and couldn't get off; she began to feel very dry. A man
came by, riding upon a horse. "O Man," shouted the Fish, "do carry me
back to the water again, or I shall be dried up and die."

"No, no," said the Man, "not I, indeed! You are a she, and I have had so
much bother with shes in my life that I shall keep clear of you."

"O dear good Man!" cried the Fish, "do please help me, and I will
promise not to behave badly; I'll be as nice as any man could be. Just
think! if you leave me here, I shall dry into a stick, or somebody will
come along and eat me."

The Man scratched his head, and wondered what he ought to do; but at
last he took pity on the Fish, and got down off his horse. Then he
picked up the Fish and put her on his shoulder, and walked down to the
water. "Now then," said he, "in with you."

"Take me into deep water," said the Fish; "this won't do for me." So the
good-natured fellow took her and waded into the water till he was
neck-deep. Then the Fish opened her mouth wide, and said--

"Now I'm going to eat you! I'll teach you to say nasty things about
women."

That was a nice way of showing gratitude to the Man, wasn't it? I wonder
the Man did not eat the Fish, instead of the Fish eating him. But I am
afraid the Man was rather stupid. It never occurred to him that he might
eat the Fish, and all he did was to scratch his head again. "That's not
fair," said he; "I saved your life, and now you want to eat me