an ox, grazing in a meadow, chanced to set his foot on a young frog and crushed him to death. his brothers and sisters, who were playing near, at once ran to tell their mother what had happened.

"the monster that did it, mother, was such a size!" said they.

the mother, who was a vain old thing, thought that she could easily make herself as large.

"was it as big as this?" she asked, blowing and puffing herself out.

"oh, much bigger than that," replied the young frogs.

"as this, then?" cried she, puffing and blowing again with all her might.

"nay, mother," said they; "if you were to try till you burst yourself, you could never be so big."

the silly old frog then tried to puff herself out still more, and burst herself indeed.