oans, came and gnawed the ropes, and set
him free, saying, "You laughed at me once, as if you could receive no
return from me, but now, you see, it is you who have to be grateful to
me."

The story shows that there come sudden changes of affairs, when the
most powerful owe everything to the weakest.

* * * * *

THE FOX AND THE GRAPES

A hungry fox discovered some bunches of grapes hanging from a vine
high up a tree, and, as he gazed, longed to get at them, and could
not; so he left them hanging there and went off muttering, "They're
sour grapes."

* * * * *

THE FROG AND THE OX

An ox, grazing in a swampy meadow, chanced to set his foot among a
parcel of young frogs, and crushed nearly the whole brood to death.
One that escaped ran off to his mother with the dreadful news. "O
mother," said he, "it was a beast--such a big four-footed beast, that
did it!" "Big?" quoth the old frog, "How big? was it as big"--and she
puffed herself out--"as big as this?" "Oh, a great deal bigger than
that." "Well, was it so big?" and she swelled herself out yet more.
"Indeed, mother, but it was; and if you were to burst yourself, you
would never reach half its size." The old frog made one more trial,
determined to be as big as the ox, and burst herself, indeed.

* * * * *

THE CAT, THE MONKEY, AND THE CHESTNUTS

A cat and a monkey were sitting one day in the chimney corner watching
some chestnuts which their master had laid down to roast in the ashes.
The chestnuts had begun to burst with the heat, and the monkey said to
the cat, "It is plain that your paws were made especially for pulling
out those chestnuts. Do you reach forth and draw them out. Your paws
are, indeed, exactly like our master's hands." The cat was greatly
flattered by this speech, and reached forward for the tempting
chestnuts, but scarcely had he touched the hot ashes than he drew back
with a cry, for he had burnt his paw; but he tried again, and managed
to pull one chestnut out; then he pulled another, and a third, though
each time he singed the hair on his paws. When he could pull no more
out he turned about and found that the monkey had taken the time to
crack the chestnuts and eat them.

* * * * *

THE COUNTRY MAID AND HER MILKPAIL

A country maid was walking slowly along with a pail of milk upon her
head