Page images
PDF
EPUB

near him in the field would come and drive away the wolf.

3. When the boy cried, "The wolf! the wolf!" the men left their work and ran to help him; and then he made sport of them, and told them that he was only in fun.

4. At last the wolf did come; and the boy ran to the men as fast as he could, to tell them that the wolf had truly come. But the men would not believe him. Still the boy said the wolf had come, and would kill all the sheep and lambs.

5. The men told him that they would not go. "We know you too well,” said one of them; "you have deceived us so many times that we do not think any thing that you say is true."

6. In vain did the boy cry and beg; no one would move to help him. So the wolf fell on the sheep and lambs. He ran off with one, left two or three dead on the ground, and bit eight or nine more.

7. By this fable you will learn what a bad thing it is to tell lies. If you say what is false, though only in jest, no one will believe you, even when you speak the truth.

[graphic][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

1. FANNY HOWARD was a lively little girl. She had no brother nor sister, and her only playfellow was her dog, whose name was Frisk.

2. Frisk was a merry fellow'; he was never tired of play. He had been taught to fetch and carry; and when he saw any thing lie

1 Pronounced kret'yur.

upon the ground, he used to take it up in his mouth, and carry it to Fanny, his little mis

tress.

3. Sometimes he would pick up an apple, or a pear, or a plum, that had fallen from the trees in the garden, and Fanny loved such presents very much. She was not always so well pleased with the things Frisk brought her, for he had once given her a lump of dirt, and had twice laid a greasy bone on the book in which she was reading a story.

4. If Fanny was angry with him for such tricks, he would stand at a little distance, look up in her face, wag his tail, and now and then bark very softly, as much as to say, "Please to forgive me."

5. Then Fanny could not be angry any longer; she would smile, and pat him, and say, "Pretty Frisk;" and away he would go as happy as any dog in the world, and the next stone or bone he found was sure to pop into Fanny's lap.

6. One day, Fanny was going out to dinner with her father and mother. She was very neatly dressed in a muslin frock, and was sitting on a stool beside her mother in the parlor, waiting till her father should be ready;

[ocr errors]

when in ran Frisk, and, leaping up to Fanny, dropped a great frog into her lap. Fanny screamed, and jumped from her seat, and the frog fell on the floor.

7. "Do not scream, Fanny," said her mother," that poor frog cannot hurt you; see how it sits and pants. It is ready to die with fear, or perhaps the dog's teeth have hurt it. Ring the bell, that James may come and carry the poor harmless creature back to its home."

8. When the frog was put on the grass a little way from the edge of the pond, it made one great leap, and was in the water in a moment. Fanny's frock was stained with the wet feet of the frog; she was forced to go up stairs to change it; and Frisk, who found that he had done something wrong, crept away, and lay down in a corner.

9. "I shall never love Frisk again," said Fanny. "That is very wrong," said her mother; Frisk has been taught to play tricks, and when he brings you any thing you like, you pat him and praise him.

10. "I suppose Frisk saw the frog hopping on the grass, and thought it would please you to see it hop in the parlor: you tried to teach him to bring you the kitten; and how should

.

a dog know that you do not like frogs as well as kittens?"

11. Fanny thought that this was very true, and when she got home, she forgave Frisk; but she told him, again and again, never to bring her any thing that was alive. Frisk wagged his tail; but, wise as he looked, he knew nothing about the matter.

[blocks in formation]

1. As a fox was out in search of a duck, a goose, or a hen, he by chance saw a large vine, on which was a bunch of fine grapes, that hung on the top of a tree.

grapes those

2. "Ah!" says he, "what nice seem to be! I must have some of them if I can get them." So he tried with all his might, but all in vain, for they were out of his reach.

1 Pronounced re'zn.

2 Pronounced sěd.

« PreviousContinue »