[Illustration: THE WOLF AND THE LAMB.]
One hot, sultry day, a Wolf and a Lamb happened to come, just at the
same time, to quench their thirst in the stream of a clear, silver brook
that ran tumbling down the side of a rocky mountain. The Wolf stood upon
the higher ground, and the Lamb at some distance from him down the
current. However, the Wolf, having a mind to pick a quarrel with him,
asked him, what he meant by disturbing the water, and making it so muddy
that he could not drink? and, at the same time demanded satisfaction.
The Lamb, frightened at this threatening charge, told him, in a tone as
mild as possible, that, with humble submission, he could not conceive
how that could be; since the water which he drank, ran down from the
Wolf to him, and therefore it could not be disturbed so far up the
stream. 'Be that as it will,' replies the Wolf, 'you are a rascal, and I
have been told that you treated me with ill language, behind my back,
about half a year ago.'--'Upon my word,' says the Lamb, 'the time you
mention was before I was born.' The Wolf, finding it to no purpose to
argue any longer against truth, fell into a great passion, snarling and
foaming at the mouth, as if he had been mad; and drawing nearer to the
Lamb, 'Sirrah,' says he, 'if it was not you, it was your father, and
that is all one.'--So he seized the poor innocent, helpless thing, tore
it to pieces, and made a meal of it.