_Moral_--It is never safe to be wiser than one's friends.
[Illustration: It is never safe to be wiser than ones friends. ]
Once upon a time a farmer's wife was winnowing corn, when a crow, flying past, swooped off with a grain from the winnowing basket and perched on a tree close by to eat it. The farmer's wife, greatly enraged, flung a clod at the bird with so good an aim that the crow fell to the ground, dropping the grain of corn, which rolled into a crack in the tree. The farmer's wife, seeing the crow fall, ran up to it, and seizing it by the tail, cried, 'Give me back my grain of corn, or I will kill you!'
The wretched bird, in fear of death, promised to do so, but, lo and behold! when he came to search for the grain, it had rolled so far into the crack that neither by beak nor claw could he reach it.
'Man! man! cut tree; I can't get the grain of corn To save my life from the farmer's wife!'
But the woodman refused to cut the tree; so the crow flew on to the King's palace, and said--
'King! king! kill man; Man won't cut tree; I can't get the grain of corn. To save my life from the farmer's wife!'
But the King refused to kill the man; so the crow flew on to the Queen, and said--
'Queen! Queen! coax King; King won't kill man; Man won't cut tree; I can't get the grain of corn To save my life from the farmer's wife!'
But the Queen refused to coax the King; so the crow flew on till he met a snake, and said--
'Snake! snake! bite Queen; Queen won't coax King; King won't kill man; Man won't cut tree; I can't get the grain of corn To save my life from the farmer's wife!'
But the snake refused to bite the Queen; so the crow flew on till he met a stick, and said--
'Stick! stick! beat snake; Snake won't bite Queen; Queen won't coax King; King won't kill man; Man won't cut tree; I can't get the grain of corn To save my life from the farmer's wife!'
But the stick refused to beat the snake; so the crow flew on till he saw a fire, and said--
'Fire! fire! burn stick; Stick won't beat snake; Snake won't bite Queen; Queen won't coax King; King won't kill man; Man won't cut tree; I can't get the grain of corn To save my life from the farmer's wife!'
But the fire refused to burn the stick; so the crow flew on till he met some water, and said--