one bright evening as the sun was sinking on a glorious world a wise old cock flew into a tree to roost. before he composed himself to rest, he flapped his wings three times and crowed loudly. but just as he was about to put his head under his wing, his beady eyes caught a flash of red and a glimpse of a long pointed nose, and there just below him stood master fox.
"have you heard the wonderful news?" cried the fox in a very joyful and excited manner.
"what news?" asked the cock very calmly. but he had a queer, fluttery feeling inside him, for, you know, he was very much afraid of the fox.
"your family and mine and[pg 59] all other animals have agreed to forget their differences and live in peace and friendship from now on forever. just think of it! i simply cannot wait to embrace you! do come down, dear friend, and let us celebrate the joyful event."
"how grand!" said the cock. "i certainly am delighted at the news." but he spoke in an absent way, and stretching up on tiptoes, seemed to be looking at something afar off.
"what is it you see?" asked the fox a little anxiously.
"why, it looks to me like a couple of dogs coming this way. they must have heard the good news and—"
but the fox did not wait to hear more. off he started on a run.
"wait," cried the cock. "why do you run? the dogs are friends of yours now!"
"yes," answered the fox. "but they might not have heard the news. besides, i have a very important errand that i had almost forgotten about."
the cock smiled as he buried his head in his feathers and went to sleep, for he had succeeded in outwitting a very crafty enemy.
the trickster is easily tricked.
a dog asleep in a manger filled with hay, was awakened by the cattle, which came in tired and hungry from working in the field. but the dog would not let them get near the manger, and snarled and snapped as if it were filled with the best of meat and bones, all for himself.
the cattle looked at the dog in disgust. "how selfish he is!" said one. "he cannot eat the hay and yet he will not let us eat it who are so hungry for it!"
now the farmer came in. when he saw how the dog was acting, he seized a stick and drove him out of the stable with many a blow for his selfish behavior.
do not grudge others what you cannot enjoy yourself.
a hungry wolf spied a goat browsing at the top of a steep cliff where he could not possibly get at her.
"that is a very dangerous place for you," he called out, pretending to be very anxious about the goat's safety. "what if you should fall! please listen to me and come down! here you can get all you want of the finest, tenderest grass in the country."
the goat looked over the edge of the cliff.
"how very, very anxious you are about me," she said, "and how generous you are with your grass! but i know you! it's your own appetite you are thinking of, not mine!"
an invitation prompted by selfishness is not to be accepted.
