dinner they would be for a starving horse!

He stretched his thin neck, and took one of the tempting morsels in
his mouth. It was hard to break it from the vine. He pulled at it, and
the great bell above him began to ring. All the people in Atri heard
it. It seemed to say,--

"Some one has done me wrong!
Some one has done me wrong!
Oh! come and judge my case!
Oh! come and judge my case!
For I've been wronged!"

The judges heard it. They put on their robes, and went out through the
hot streets to the market place. They wondered who it could be who
would ring the bell at such a time. When they passed through the gate,
they saw the old horse nibbling at the vine.

"Ha!" cried one, "it is the miser's steed. He has come to call for
justice; for his master, as everybody knows, has treated him most
shame-ful-ly."

"He pleads his cause as well as any dumb brute can," said another.

"And he shall have justice!" said the third.

Mean-while a crowd of men and women and children had come into the
market place, eager to learn what cause the judges were about to try.
When they saw the horse, all stood still in wonder. Then every one was
ready to tell how they had seen him wan-der-ing on the hills, unfed,
un-cared for, while his master sat at home counting his bags of gold.

"Go bring the miser before us," said the judges.

[Illustration: "Some one has done me wrong!"]

And when he came, they bade him stand and hear their judg-ment.

"This horse has served you well for many a year," they said. "He has
saved you from many a peril. He has helped you gain your wealth.
Therefore we order that one half of all your gold shall be set aside
to buy him shelter and food, a green pasture where he may graze, and a
warm stall to comfort him in his old age."

The miser hung his head, and grieved to lose his gold; but the people
shouted with joy, and the horse was led away to his new stall and a
dinner such as he had not had in many a day.

HOW NAPOLEON CROSSED THE ALPS.

About a hundred years ago there lived a great gen-er-al whose name was
Na-po'le-on Bo'na-parte. He was the leader of the French army; and
France was at war with nearly all the countries around. He wanted very
much to take his soldiers into It-a-ly; but between France and Italy
there are high mountains called the Alps, the tops of which are
covered with snow.

"Is it pos-si-ble to cross the Alps?" said Na-po-le-on