een wanting. I have waited long and patiently. Heaven
has, after all, been kind to me," said the Goat, and shook his horns and
his beard, and made a start as if he were about to spring upon the Lion.

The latter said to himself, "This animal looks like a Goat, but it does
not talk like one. So it is very likely some wicked spirit in this
shape. Prudence often serves us better than valor, so for the present I
shall return to the wood," and he turned back.

The Goat rose up, and, advancing to the mouth of the cave, said, "Will
you come back to-morrow?"

"Never again," said the Lion.

"Do you think I shall be able to see you, at least, in the wood
to-morrow?"

"Neither in the wood, nor in this neighborhood any more," said the Lion,
and running to the forest, soon left it with his kindred.

The animals in the country, not hearing him roar any more, gathered
round the Goat, and said, "_The wisdom of one doth save a host._"

THE SUNLING

In the good old days a Clown in the East, on a visit to a city kinsman,
while at dinner, pointed to a burning candle and asked what it was. The
City Man said, in jest, it was a sunling, or one of the children of the
sun.

The Clown thought that it was something rare; so he waited for an
opportunity, and hid it in a chest of drawers close by. Soon the chest
caught fire, then the curtains by its side, then the room, then the
whole house.

After the flames had been put down the City Man and the Clown went into
the burned building to see what remained. The Clown turned over the
embers of the chest of drawers. The City Man asked what he was seeking
for. The Clown said, "It is in this chest that I hid the bright sunling;
I wish to know if he has survived the flames."

"Alas," said the City Man, who now found out the cause of all the
mischief, "_never jest with fools!_"

THE MUSHROOM AND THE GOOSE

A Goose that was once cackling with great pride thought that a Mushroom
was gazing at it, and said, "You contemptible thing, why do you stare at
me like that? You can never hope to meet me on terms of equality, can
you?"

"Certainly, madam," said the Mushroom "and that very soon."

This enraged the Goose more, so she said, "I would cut you up in pieces
with my bill but for the people who are close by, and who are so silly
as to care for you," and went strutting away. Soon after the Goose and
Mushroom were served up in separate dishes, very near each other.

"Ah," said