he could see no sheep between them, and so he stopped and spoke to
them.

"Ah, you foolish fellows!" he cried. "It is strange that you will
never learn wisdom.--Come here, Peter, and help me lay my sack on my
shoul-der."

Peter did so, and the man carried his meal to the side of the bridge.

"Now look at me," he said, "and learn a lesson." And he opened the
mouth of the sack, and poured all the meal into the river.

"Now, neighbors," he said, "can you tell how much meal is in my
sack?"

[Illustration: "How much meal is in my sack?"]

"There is none at all!" cried Hodge and Peter together.

"You are right," said the man; "and you that stand here and quarrel
about nothing, have no more sense in your heads than I have meal in my
sack!"

OTHER WISE MEN OF GOTHAM.

One day, news was brought to Gotham that the king was coming that way,
and that he would pass through the town. This did not please the men
of Gotham at all. They hated the king, for they knew that he was a
cruel, bad man. If he came to their town, they would have to find food
and lodg-ing for him and his men; and if he saw anything that pleased
him, he would be sure to take it for his own. What should they do?

They met together to talk the matter over.

"Let us chop down the big trees in the woods, so that they will block
up all the roads that lead into the town," said one of the wise men.

"Good!" said all the rest.

So they went out with their axes, and soon all the roads and paths to
the town were filled with logs and brush. The king's horse-men would
have a hard time of it getting into Gotham. They would either have to
make a new road, or give up the plan al-to-geth-er, and go on to some
other place.

When the king came, and saw that the road had been blocked up, he was
very angry.

"Who chopped those trees down in my way?" he asked of two country lads
that were passing by.

"The men of Gotham," said the lads.

"Well," said the king, "go and tell the men of Gotham that I shall
send my sher-iff into their town, and have all their noses cut off."

The two lads ran to the town as fast as they could, and made known
what the king had said.

Every-body was in great fright. The men ran from house to house,
carrying the news, and asking one another what they should do.

"Our wits have kept the king out of the town," said one; "and so now
our wits must save our noses."

"True, true!" said the others. "But what shall we do?"

The