"If you kill me," cried Mr. Rabbit, "I will never. help you
again as long as I live."
"You will not live," said Mr. Wolf, "because I shall have killed
you."
"No nice person kills a person who has helped him," said Mr.
Rabbit; "it is not just. You ask Mrs. Duck: she is very fat and
she knows everything. She will say that no nice person would do
a thing like that."
I will ask her," said Mr. Wolf, "and if she does not say what
I want, I shall eat her too."
So Mr. Wolf and Mr. Rabbit went to Mrs. Duck. Mr. Wolf said,
"I caught Mr. Rabbit when he was sitting down near the hill. So
I say that I should eat him. Now say what you think."
"I took a great big stone from his back," said Mr. Rabbit; "So
I say that he should not eat me, be- cause I helped him. Now say
what you think. "What stone'?" said Mrs. Duck.
"A stone near the hill," said Mr. Rabbit.
"I must see it," said Mrs. Duck. "How can I say what I think
if I have not seen the stone?"
So Mr. Wolf and Mr. Rabbit and Mrs. Duck went to see the stone.
"Now, put the stone just as it was," said Mrs. Duck.
So they put th stone back where it was.
"No," said Mrs. Duck, "that is not just as it was. You said
that the stone was on Mr. Wolf's back."
So they put the stone on Mr. Wolf's back.
"Now," said Mr. Wolf, "you see just how it was. What do you
say about it?"
Mr. Rabbit and Mrs. Duck said, "We say that we are going home.
And you may ask some other person to take the stone from your back.
You look very nice like that; stay just as you are!"
The Bird,, the Mouse, and the Loaf
I
Once there was a Bird, a Mouse, and a Loaf. They lived in a
little house. The house was near a for- est. There was a garden
at the front of the house full of pretty flowers. There were flowers
in the window, and a little tree on each side of the door.
The Bird, the Mouse, and the Loaf did all the work of the house.
Each day the bird went to the forest and brought wood. The mouse
brought water from the river and made the house clean. The loaf
was the cook; she cooked the food and made bread.
They were all very happy.
One day the bird was going to the forest to get wood. He saw
a friend in the lane: it was another bird; the name of the other
bird was Mr. Magpie.
Mr. Magpie said, "I am very glad to see you. I have not seen
you for many days. Are you happy?"
The bird said, "I am very happy. I live in a pretty house. I
am now going to get the wood from the forest. "
I did not know that you had become a servant' said Mr. Magpie.
"I am not a servant," said the bird; "I live with friends. Mr.
Mouse and Mrs. Loaf live with me in the house. "
"And do you do all the work of the house?" asked Mr. Magpie.
"No," said the bird, "Mrs. Loaf is the cook; she cooks the food
and makes bread. I bring the wood from the forest; and Mr. Mouse
does all the other things."
You do more work than the others," said Mr. Magpie. " It is
not just that you should do more than the others do."
"The house is not far from the forest," said the bird.
"But on some days you have to go twice," said Mr. Magpie.
"That is so," said the bird; and he was angry that he should
have to do more work than the others.
When Mr. Bird was bringing the wood from the forest, Mr. Mouse
brought water from the river, put the water in the pot, put water
on all the flowers, set the table ready for food, cleaned the rooms,
cleaned the windows, cleaned all the pots and tins, and cleaned
everything.
Mrs. Loaf got the food, made it ready, put the pot on the fire,
made the water hot, and cooked the food.
Mr. Bird came into the house. He threw down the wood and sat
down at the table. He did not speak to Mr. Mouse or Mrs. Loaf.
Mrs. Loaf said, "Poor Mr. Bird is ill—or he is angry. What
has made you angry, Mr. Bird?"
Mr. Bird said nothing .
Mrs. Loaf brought the food and set it on the table.
This is very good bread," said Mr. Mouse; 'Mrs. Loaf makes very
good bread."
Mr. Bird did not speak.
"There is much work to do in the garden," said Mr. Mouse. "Will
you help me in the garden, Mr. Bird?" 'I will not help you in the
garden," said Mr. Bird, "or do any other work. I do too much work.
I work all day. I do all the work in the house." Mrs. Loaf said,
" Mr. Mouse cleans the house,
and I cook the food; you do not do more work than we do."
Mr. Bird said, "That is not work. You sit in the house and do
little things, but I go far away to the forest and get all these
big bits of wood, and bring them here."
Mrs. Loaf said, "After this I will go to the forest and get
the wood, and Mr. Mouse shall cook the food. You shall clean the
house. Then you will not do too much work. I shall be glad to go
to the forest: I have never been there."
Ⅱ
So, on the day after that, Mrs. Loaf went out to bring wood
from the forest; Mr. Mouse went to cook the food; and Mr. Bird went
to get water from the river.
Mr. Bird took the pot with his foot, and went out to get the
water. He came to the river, and put the pot in the water. When
the pot was full of water, he took it with one foot; but the pot
was too big. Then he took it with the other foot, but the pot fell.
Then he got another pot, and brought the water.
Mr. Mouse went to cook the food. He put the pot on the fire,
but he put his foot in the fire. The fire burned his foot, and he
cried. But he made the food ready. Mr. Bird came back from the river.
Mr. Mouse was angry because he had burned his foot; Mr. Bird was
angry because the pot had fallen. And Mrs. Loat had not come back
from the forest.
Mr. Mouse said, "Shall we wait for Mrs. Loaf? Or shall we eat
our food now?"
"We will wait a little," said Mr. Bird.
They waited for an hour; Mrs. Loaf did not come. Then Mr. Bird
said, "I will go to the forest and get the wood, and tell Mrs. Loaf
to come home."
So Mr. Bird went down the lane to the forest. He saw some bits
of wood in the lane, but he could not see Mrs. Loaf. She was not
in the forest; she was not in the lane. Then he saw a wolf sitting
near the bits of wood.
Mr. Bird asked, "Mr. Wolf, have you seen Mrs. Loaf today?"
Mr. Wolf said, "That is Mrs. Loaf's wood."
"But where is Mrs. Loaf?" asked Mr. Bird.
"She was here," said Mr. Wolf.
"Where is she now?" asked Mr. Bird.
"She is here now " said Mr. Wolf.
"I do not see her," said Mr. Bird.
"She is inside me," said Mr. Wolf, "I have eaten her up."
"Then you are a bad wolf" said Mr. Bird. "Mrs. Loaf was a very
good cook--and now you have eaten her!"
"Mrs. Loaf should not go to the forest," said the wolf. "Loaves
should stay in the house. Go away, or I shall eat you too."
Mr. Bird took the wood and went home: he was crying. Mr. Mouse
cried too when he heard that Mrs. Loaf was dead.
Then Mr. Mouse said, "I cannot eat today. But will you have
your food now? I will go and get it ready."
The pot was a big pot; Mr. Mouse was a little mouse. He could
not take the pot down from the fire: he fell into the pot and was
killed.
Mr. Bird went to get ready the table. He set all ready, and
then he waited. He waited, and waited. Then he called, "Mr. Mouse,
Mr. Mouse; do come and have something to eat."
"Mr. Mouse," he called, " if the food is not ready, we will
eat bread." But he heard nothing.
Then he went into the other room. He could not see Mr. Mouse.
He went to the pot on the fire, and there he saw that poor Mr. Mouse
was dead.
A bit of burning wood fell out of the fire. "The house is on
fire!" said Mr. Bird. " It will all be burned!" He ran to the river
to bring water to put out the fire. But he fell into the river,
and was killed too.
And the house was burned.
That is what comes if you do not do your own work, but want
to do the work for others.
We should each do our own work, and then we shall all be happy.
Mrs. Duck and Mr. Rabbit
Mr. Rabbit said to Mrs. Duck, "Come and work with me and you
will get more money than you have ever had before." Mrs. Duck said,
"I will come."
So Mrs. Duck worked with Mr. Rabbit. After some time Mrs. Duck
said to Mr. Rabbit, "I want to buy some things; please give me some
of the money which we have got."
Mr. Rabbit said, "Things have gone very badly. I have no money
to give you now."
Mrs. Duck knew that this was not so; she knew that Mr. Rabbit
has the money, but that he did not want to give it to Mrs. Duck.
But Mrs. Duck said nothing. She went away; and she thought and
thought. She did not go to sleep at night, but stayed awake thinking.
She was thinking how she could get the money from Mr. Rabbit.
One day Mrs. Duck came to Mr. Rabbit and 'd, "I do not want
that money now; I have found a sal great big hole near the river;
the hole is full of gold. It is full to the top; I never saw so
much gold. It is more than I can take away; will you help me to
take it away?"
Mr. Rabbit said, "Yes, I shall be glad to help you.
So Mr. Rabbit and Mrs. Duck went down the road to the river.
When they came to the side of the river, Mrs. Duck said, "it is
on the other side of the river." ' How shall I get over the water?"
asked Mr. Rabbit. " Sit on my back," said Mrs. Duck, "and I will
take you over."
So Mr. Rabbit sat on Mrs. Duck's back, and Mrs. Duck went into
the water. When Mrs. Duck was far from the side, she said, "Now
I shall go down into the water, and you will fall from my back into
the water."
"But I shall be killed!" said Mr. Rabbit.
"Yes," answered Mrs. Duck, "so you will. But you did not give
me my money for the work which I did with you."
"I hid the money in a pot in my house. Take me home and I will
give it to you," said Mr. Rabbit.
Mrs. Duck said, "I will take you home, and we will go to your
house at once, and you shall give it to me.
So Mr. Rabbit gave Mrs. Duck the money.
Mr. Rabbit was afraid of Mrs. Duck after that
The Golden Touch
I
Once there was a King. His name was Midas.
Midas loved gold. He did not want to buy things with his gold.
He wanted to have the gold; he wanted to look at the gold every
day.
There was a house made of stone. He put every bit of gold in
this house. There were many boxes in the house. He put the gold
in the boxes. Midas went to the stone house every day. He opened
every box and looked at the gold. He put his hands in the gold:
he took the gold up in his hands.
"Gold! Gold!" he said, "Oh, I love gold. I do love gold. I do
not want to buy things with my gold. I want to have my gold. I love
gold!"
Midas had a beautiful garden. There were many beautiful flowers
and trees in it. And there were beautiful birds in the trees. Midas
loved flowers and birds and trees. But he loved gold more than
flowers or birds or trees. He said, "I can buy flowers and gardens
with my gold. I do love gold!"
Midas had one child-a beautiful little girl. The little girl
loved the garden and the birds and the flowers; and Midas loved
his child. Men said, " Midas loves his beautiful little girl. He
loves his beautiful garden and his beautiful flowers. But he loves
gold more than his child; he loves gold more than beauty."
There was a god called Dionysius. Dionysius was the god of
Flowers and of Gardens.
Dionysius lived on a great hill with the other gods, but he
sometimes came down to see men's flowers and gardens.
When Dionysius came into a garden all the flowers opened. He
went to all the gardens, opening the flowers and making everything
beautiful. One day Dionysius came to the garden of Kino, Midas.
The little girl was in the garden. She saw Dionysius. "Who are
you?" She cried. "What are you doing in my father's garden?"
"I am Dionysius," said the God. "I have come to open the flowers
and make your garden beautiful."
Then the little girl was very glad. She was glad to see
Dionysius.
The little girl took the hand of Dionysius. She said, " Come
with me. I will help you to open the flowers. Show me how to open
the flowers in my garden. "
Then Dionysius went with the little girl and showed her how
to open the flowers.
At noon the little girl went into the house.
The day was hot.
Dionysius sat down at the foot of a tree. He fell asleep.
Dionysius was sleeping at the foot of a tree in the King's garden.
He slept; the King's servants came to the garden.
Then one of the servants saw Dionysius sleeping at the foot
of a tree. He said, "Who is this man? He has come to take the flowers!
But the day was hot, and he fell asleep, and we should catch him."
Then he went and called another servant. Then all the other
servants came to the place. They caught Diortysius. They took him
to the King.
They said to the King, "This is the man whom we found sleeping
in the garden. He came to take your flowers."
Then King Midas asked, "Why did you come to take my flowers?
Why did you not ask me for some flowers? I give flowers to all who
ask for them. I have given flowers to many poor men."
Dionysius did not answer.
"Do you love flowers?" asked the King.
"Yes," answered Dionysius. "I love flowers; but I have not
taken any of your flowers."
" Have you any children?" asked Midas. " Do you want to take
any flowers to your children?"
" The flowers are my children," answered Dionysius.
Then King Midas said, "This man may go, and he may take any
flowers he wants."
Dionysius said, "O King! you are a good man. You have been good
to me. You love flowers, and you love your child. I am a God. I
will give you any- thing that you ask. Ask me for anything and I
will give it to you."
"Can I ask for an thin " said Midas.
"Yes. Do you want more flowers? — or more children?"
"Flowers are beautiful," said Midas; 'but gold is more
beautiful. I want more gold. I want to change things into gold.
If I put my hand on anything, it shall be changed into gold. Give
me that."
Then Dionysius said, "You may have what you ask. If you put
your hand on anything, it shall be changed into gold."
Ⅱ
Midas sat down at a table to write. He touched the table, and
the table was changed into gold. It be- came a golden table. He