The Dog and His Reflection A Dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize as fast as he could go. As he crossed a narrow footbridge, he happened to look down and saw himself reflected in the quiet water as if in a mirror. But the greedy Dog thought he saw a real Dog carrying a bone much bigger than his own. If he...

The Fox and The Monkey At a great meeting of the Animals, who had gathered to elect a new ruler, the Monkey was asked to dance. This he did so well, with a thousand funny capers and grimaces, that the Animals were carried entirely off their feet with enthusiasm and then and there, elected him their king. The Fox did not vote for the Monkey and was much disgusted with the...

Two Travelers and A Bear Two men were traveling in a company through a forest, when, all at once, a huge Bear crashed out of the bush near them. One of the Men, thinking of his own safety, climbed a tree, The other, unable to fight the savage beast alone, threw himself on the ground and lay still as if he were dead. He had heard that a Bear will not...

The Cat and The Fox Once a Cat and a Fox were traveling together. As they went along, picking up provisions on the way-a a stray mouse here, a fat chicken there, they began an argument to while away the time between bites. And, as usually happens when comrades argue, the talk began to get personal. “You think you are extremely clever, don’t you?” said the Fox. “Do you pretend to...

The Mischievous Dog There was once a Dog who was so ill-natured and mischievous that his master had to fasten a heavy wooden clog about his neck to keep him from annoying visitors and neighbors. But the Dog seemed to be very proud of the clog and dragged it about noisily as if he wished to attract everybody’s attention. He was not able to impress anyone. “You would be wiser,” said...

The Bat and The Weasels Bat blundered into the nest of a Weasel, who ran up to catch and eat him. The Bat begged for his life, but the Weasel would not listen. “You are a Mouse,” he said, “and I am a sworn enemy of Mice. Every Mouse I catch, I am going to eat!” “But I am not a Mouse!” cried the Bat. “Look at my wings. Can Mice...

The Miser Miser had buried his gold in a secret place in his garden. Every day he went to the spot, dug up the treasure, and counted it piece by piece to make sure it was all there. He made so many trips that a Thief, who had been observing him, guessed what it was the Miser had hidden and one night quietly dug up the treasure and made off with...