THE OLD HOUND

 

126. THE OLD HOUND  A hound who had served his master well for years, and had run down many a quarry in his time, began to lose his strength and speed owing to age. One day, when out hunting, his master started a powerful wild boar and set the hound at him. The latter seized the beast by the ear, but his teeth were gone and he could not retain his hold; so the boar escaped. His master began to scold him severely, but the hound interrupted him with these words, “My will is as strong as ever, master, but my body is old and feeble. You ought to honor me for what I have been instead of abusing me for what I am.”

127. THE CLOWN AND THE COUNTRYMAN A nobleman announced his intention of giving a public entertainment in the theater, and offered splendid prizes to all who had any novelty to exhibit at the performance. The announcement attracted a crowd of conjurers, jugglers, and acrobats, and among the rest a clown, very popular with the crowd, who let it be known that he was going to give an entirely new turn. When the day of the performance came, the theater was filled from top to bottom some time before the entertainment began. Several performers exhibited their tricks, and then the popular favorite came on empty-handed and alone. At once there was a hush of expectation; and he, letting his head fall upon his breast, imitated the squeak of a pig to such perfection that the audience insisted on his producing the animal, which, they said, he must have somewhere concealed about his person. He, however, convinced them that there was no pig there, and then the applause was deafening. Among the spectators was a countryman, who disparaged the clown’s performance and announced that he would give a much superior exhibition of the same trick on the following day. Again the theater was filled to overflowing, and again the clown gave his imitation amidst the cheers of the crowd. The countryman, meanwhile, before going on the stage, had secreted a young porker under his smock; and when the spectators derisively bade him do better if he could, he gave it a pinch in the ear and made it squeal loudly. But they all with one voice shouted out that the clown’s imitation was much more true to life. Thereupon he produced the pig from under his smock and said sarcastically, “There, that shows what sort of judges you are!”

128. THE LARK AND THE FARMER A lark nested in a field of corn, and was rearing her brood under cover of the ripening grain. One day, before the young were fully fledged, the farmer came to look at the crop, and, finding it yellowing fast, he said, “I must send round word to my neighbors to come and help me reap this field.” One of the young larks overheard him, and was very much frightened, and asked her mother whether they hadn’t better move house at once. “There’s no hurry,” replied she. “A man who looks to his friends for help will take his time about a thing.” In a few days the farmer came by again, and saw that the grain was overripe and falling out of the ears upon the ground. “I must put it off no longer,” he said. “This very day I’ll hire the men and set them to work at once.” The lark heard him and said to her young, “Come, my children, we must be off. He talks no more of his friends now, but is going to take things in hand himself.” Self-help is the best help.

129. THE LION AND THE ASS  A lion and an ass set up as partners and went a-hunting together. In course of time they came to a cave in which there were a number of wild goats. The lion took up his stand at the mouth of the cave and waited for them to come out, while the ass went inside and brayed for all he was worth in order to frighten them out into the open. The lion struck them down one by one as they appeared; and when the cave was empty the ass came out and said, “Well, I scared them pretty well, didn’t I?” “I should think you did,” said the lion. “Why, if I hadn’t known you were an ass, I should have turned and run myself.”

130. THE FORTUNE TELLER, A FORTUNE TELLER sat in the marketplace and told the fortunes of all who cared to engage his services. Suddenly there came run . ning up one who told him that his house had been broken into by thieves, and that they had made off with everything they could lay hands on. He was up in a moment, and rushed off, tearing his hair and calling down curses on the miscreants. The bystanders were much amused, and one of them said, “Our friend professes to know what is going to happen to others, but it seems he’s not clever enough to perceive what’s in store for himself.”