fär when they met with a troop of gîrls returning from the town, tâlking and laughing. “Look there!” cried one of them; "did ÿoû ever see such fools, to be trudging along the road on foot, when they might be riding!" The ōld Man, hearing this, quietly bade his Son get on the Ass, and walked along merrily by the side of him. Presently they came up to a group of old men in earnest debate. There!" said one of them; "it proves what I was a-saying. What respect is shown to ōld age in these days? Do you see that idle young rōgue riding, while his ōld fäṭher has to wâlk? Get down, yoû scapegrace! and let the ōld man rest his weary limbs." Upon this the Father made his Son dişmount, and got up himself. In this manner they had not proceeded fär when they met a company of women and children. "Why, you lazy ōld fellow!" cried several tongues at once; "how can yoû ride upon the beast, while that poor little lad there can härdly keep pace by the side of you." The goodnātūred Miller stood corrected, and immediately took up his Son behind him. They had now âlmōst reached the town. "Pray, honest friend," said a townsman, "is that Ass your own?" "Yes," says the ōld Man. "Oh; one would not have thought sō!" said the other, "by the way you load him. Why, you two fellows are better able to carry the poor beast than he you!" "Anything to please yoû," said the ōld Man; "we can but try." So, alighting with his Son, they tied the Ass's legs together, and

by the help of a pōle endeavoured to carry him on their shoulders over a bridge that led to the town. This was sō entertaining a sight that the people ran out in crowds to laugh at it; till the Ass, not liking the noise nor his sitūātion, kicked asunder the cords that bound him, and, tumbling off the pōle, fell into the river. Upon this the ōld Man, vexed and ashāmed, made the best of his way hōme again— convinced that by endeavouring to please everybody hē had pleaṣed nobody, and lost his Ass into the bärgain.

10. THE LION AND THE GAD-FLY.

A Gad-fly one day buzzed about the nose of a Lion. "Begone, wretch !" said the Lion; "I would crush you in a moment were you not unworthy of my notice."

"Do you despiṣe me?" said the Gad-fly. "Then I will make wâr against yoû." The Lion lay down at the mouth of his den, too proud to notice what thē insect said. Very soon the Fly began to hum, then taking a cîrcuit in the air därted into the nostril of the Lion, and bit and stung him till he was almost mad. He lashed his sides with his tail, he gnashed his teeth, and tossed the foam from his lips. At last he fell on the ground, and bit the dust with agony. "There," said the Fly; "learn the folly of despising any thing."

The Fly was greatly puffed up with his victory

ōver the Lion. "See with what ease," said hē, “] have beat the king of beasts! I challenge the whōle world to contend with me."

A Spīder from her hōle heard the vain boast of the Fly, and smiled at his folly. There is none so great, but there is a greater.

The Fly, having sung his song of victory, was flying off, when he struck upon the Spider's web, and was caught in the most tender and flimsy net in the world. The Spider leapt from her hōle, seized the conqueror of the king of beasts, and put him to death in a moment.

There is no creature sō smâll as to be safely despised, nor too great to be conquered.

11. THE WASP AND THE BEE,

A Wasp met a Bee, and said to him, "Pray, can you tell me what is the reason that men are sō illnātūred to me, while they are so fond of yoû? Wē are bōth very much alike, but that the broad gōlden rings about my body make me much handsomer than you are; we are bōth winged insects, we bōth love honey, and we bōth sting people when wē are angry; ÿet men âlwayṣ hāte mē, and try to kill mē, though I am much mōre familiar with them than you are, and pay them visits in their houses, and at their tea-table, and at their meals; while ÿoû are very shy, and härdly ever come near them; yet they build you curious houses, thatched with straw, and

take care of and feed you in the winter very often. I wonder what's the reason."

The Bee said, "Because you never do them any good; but, on the contrary, are very troublesome and mischievous; therefore they do not like to see you. But they know that I am busy âll day long in making them honey. Yoû had better pay them fewer visits, and try to be useful.”

Uses are the great test of value.

12.-THE ARTLESS YOUNG MOUSE.

A young mouse lived in a cupboard where sweetmeats were kept; she dined every day upon biscuit, märmalāde, or fine sügar. Never had any little mouse lived so well. She had often ventured to peep at the family while they sat at supper; nay, she had sometimes stolen down on the carpet, and picked up the crumbs, and nobody had ever heard her. She would have been quite happy, but that she was sometimes frightened by the cat, and then she ran trembling to the hole behind the wainscot. One day she came running to her mother in great joy. "Mother!" said shē, "the good people of this family have built me a house to live in; it is in the cupboard. I am sure it is for me, for it is just big enough; the bottom is of wood, and it is covered âll ōver with wires; and I daresay they have made it on purpose to screen me from that terrible cat, which ran after mē sō often. There is an entrance just big

enough for me, but püss cän't follow; and they have been so good as to put in some toasted cheese, which smells so deliciously, that I should have run in directly, and taken poṣṣession of my new house, but I thought I would tell ÿoû fîrst, that wē might gō in together, and both lodge there to-night, for it will hōld us bōth."

'My dear child," said thē ōld mouse, "it is mōst happy that you did not gō in; for this house is câlled a trap, and yoû would never have come out again, except to have been devoured, or put to death in some way or other. Though man has not sō fiērċe a look as a cat, he is as much our enemy, and has still more cunning."

Young persons should beware of the tempting allurements which the world spreads out for their pleasure.

13. THE RAIN-DROP.

There was once a farmer who had a large field of corn. He ploughed it and planted the corn, and harrowed it and weeded it with great care; and on this field he depended or the support of his family. But after he had worked so härd, he saw the corn begin to wither and droop for want of rain, and hē thought he should lose his crop. He felt very sad, and went out every day to look at his corn, and see if there was any hope of rain.

One day, as he stood there looking at the sky, and