TWO BOYS AND THE FROG FAMILY

THE LION AND THE MOUSE

A lion was taking a nap in the forest. A little mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and ran across the lion’s nose. Since his sleep was interrupted, the lion was furious and laid his huge paw on the tiny creature to kill her. “Spare me!” begged the poor mouse. “Please let me go and someday I will surely help you back.” The lion found it funny to think that a little mouse could help him. But he was generous and finally let the mouse go. Some days later, while walking in the forest, the lion was caught in a hunter’s net. He started roaring since he could not free himself. The mouse knew the voice and quickly found the lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the ropes, she gnawed it, and soon the lion was free. “You laughed when I said I would return the favour,” said the mouse. “Now you see that even a mouse can help a lion.”

 

TWO BOYS AND THE FROG FAMILY

Some boys were playing one day at the edge of a pond. There lived a family of frogs. The boys had fun by throwing stones into the pond to make them skip on the surface of the water. The stones were flying thick and fast and the boys were enjoying themselves very much; but the poor terrified frogs in the pond were trembling with fear. At last one of the frogs, the oldest and bravest, put his head out of the water, and said, “Oh, please, dear children, stop your cruel play! Though it may be fun for you, it means death to us!”

 

THE RAVEN AND THE SWAN

A raven, which was black as coal, wanted to be like the swan, because her feathers were as white as the purest snow. The foolish bird thought that if he lived like the swan, swimming and diving all day long and eating the water weeds, his feathers would be white like the swan’s. So he left his home in the forest and flew down to live on the lakes. He washed and washed all day long, almost drowning himself at it, but his feathers remained as black as ever. And as the water weeds he ate did not agree with him, he got thinner and thinner, and at last he died.