ntreated not to eat him. The Weasel said that he had a special
hostility to mice. The Bat assured him that he was not a mouse, but a
bat; and thus a second time escaped.

The Hare and the Tortoise.

[Illustration]

A Hare one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the Tortoise.
The latter, laughing, said: "Though you be swift as the wind, I will
beat you in a race." The Hare, deeming her assertion to be simply
impossible, assented to the proposal; and they agreed that the Fox
should choose the course, and fix the goal. On the day appointed for the
race they started together. The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but
went on with a slow but steady pace straight to the end of the course.
The Hare, trusting to his native swiftness, cared little about the race,
and lying down by the wayside, fell fast asleep. At last waking up, and
moving as fast as he could, he saw the Tortoise had reached the goal,
and was comfortably dozing after her fatigue.

Perseverance is surer than swiftness.

Jupiter and the Monkey.

Jupiter issued a proclamation to all the beasts of the forest, and
promised a royal reward to the one whose offspring should be deemed the
handsomest. The Monkey came with the rest, and presented, with all a
mother's tenderness, a flat-nosed, hairless, ill-featured young Monkey
as a candidate for the promised reward. A general laugh saluted her on
the presentation of her son. She resolutely said: "I know not whether
Jupiter will allot the prize to my son; but this I do know, that he is
the dearest, handsomest, and most beautiful of all who are here."

A mother's love blinds her to many imperfections.

The Lion in Love.

[Illustration]

A Lion demanded the daughter of a woodcutter in marriage. The Father,
unwilling to grant and yet afraid to refuse his request, hit upon this
expedient. He expressed his willingness to accept him as the suitor of
his daughter on one condition; that he should allow him to extract his
teeth, and cut off his claws. The Lion cheerfully assented to the
proposal: when, however, he next repeated his request, the woodman set
upon him with his club.

The Miser.

[Illustration]

A Miser had a lump of gold which he buried in the ground, coming to look
at the spot every day. One day he found that it was stolen, and he began
to tear his hair and loudly lament. A neighbor, seeing him, said: "Pray
do not grieve so; bury a stone in the hole, and fa