A Rat was traveling along the King�s highway.

He was a very proud Rat, considering

his small size and the bad reputation all Rats have. As Mr. Rat walked along�he
kept mostly to the ditch�he noticed a great commotion up the road, and soon a grand
procession came in view. It was the King and his retinue.

The King rode on a huge Elephant adorned with the most gorgeous trappings. With the
King in his luxurious howdah were the royal Dog and Cat. A great crowd of people
followed the procession. They were so taken up with admiration of the Elephant,
that the Rat was not noticed. His pride was hurt.

�What fools!� he cried. �Look at me, and you will soon forget that clumsy Elephant!
Is it his great size that makes your eyes pop out? Or is it his wrinkled hide? Why,
I have eyes and ears and as many legs as he! I am of just as much importance, and��

But just then the royal Cat spied him, and the next instant, the Rat knew he was
not quite so important as an Elephant.

A resemblance to the great in somethings does not make us great

story 2

One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants were bustling about in the warm
sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer, when a
starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a
bite to eat.

�What!� cried the Ants in surprise, �haven�t you stored anything away for the
winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?�

�I didn�t have time to store up any food,� whined the Grasshopper; �I was so busy
making music that before I knew it the summer was gone.�

The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.

�Making music, were you?� they cried. �Very well; now dance!� And they turned their
backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.

There�s a time for work and a time for play.

Go back to Table of Contents