much pleased with it. So George ran on before, trundling the
wheelbarrow, and Rollo came after, drawing the wagon.

Just as they came near the farmer's house, George saw, on before him, a
ragged little boy, much smaller than Rollo, who was walking along
barefooted.

"There's Tom," said George.

"Who?" said Rollo.

"Tom. See how I will frighten him."

As he said this, George darted forward with his wheelbarrow, and trundled
it on directly towards Tom, as if he was going to run over him. Tom looked
round, and then ran away, the wheelbarrow at his heels. He was frightened
very much, and began to scream; and, just then, Farmer Cropwell, who at
that moment happened to be coming up a lane, on the opposite side of the
road, called out,

"George!"

George stopped his wheelbarrow.

"Is that right?" said the farmer.

"Why, I was not going to hurt him," said George.

"You _did_ hurt him--you frightened him."

"Is frightening him hurting him, father?"

"Why, yes, it is giving him _pain_, and a very unpleasant kind of pain
too."

"I did not think of that," said George.

"Besides," said his father, "when you treat boys in that harsh, rough way,
you make them your enemies; and it is a very bad plan to make enemies."

"Enemies, father!" said George, laughing; "Tom could not do me any harm,
if he was my enemy."

"That makes me think of the story of the bear and the tomtit," said the
farmer; "and, if you and Rollo will jump up in the cart, I will tell it to
you."

Thus far, while they had been talking, the boys had walked along by the
side of the road, keeping up with the farmer as he drove along in the
cart. But now they jumped in, and sat down with the farmer on his seat,
which was a board laid across from one side of the cart to the other. As
soon as they were seated, the farmer began.

The Farmer's Story.

"The story I was going to tell you, boys, is an old fable about making
enemies. It is called 'The Bear and the Tomtit.' "

"What is a tomtit?" said Rollo.

"It is a kind of a bird, a very little bird; but he sings pleasantly.
Well, one pleasant summer's day, a wolf and a bear were taking a walk
together in a lonely wood. They heard something singing.

" 'Brother,' said the bear, 'that is good singing: what sort of a bird do
you think that may be?'

" 'That's a tomtit,' said the wolf.

" 'I should like to see his nest,' said the bear; 'where do you think it
is?'

" 'If we wait a little time