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THE LION AND THE MOUSE
Adapted from Aesop
Once a great Lion lay asleep in the forest. Sud-
denly a little teeny, tiny Mouse began running up and
down on him. This soon awakened the Lion, and
when he saw the Mouse, he stretched out his huge,
shaggy paw and caught him, then opened his jaws
to swallow him. But the little Mouse squeaked out,
“Mercy, O King! Let me go this time! Do not
swallow me and I shall never forg’et your kindness.
Who knows, if you let me go, I maybe able to help
you some day!”
“Help me? You help me?” chuckled the Lion,
greatly amused that a little teeny, tiny Mouse should
even think himself able to help so powerful a creature
as the King of Beasts. *’0h, very well then, Fll let
you go!”
He lifted his paw, and the Mouse scampered quickly
away.
Some time after this, the Lion was wandering about
in the forest, when he fell into a trap that had
been set by some hunters to catch him. These
hunters wished to take the splendid big beast
a captive to the King. So they came and drew him
out of the trap, then tied him to a tree, while they
went to fetch a wagon in which they might carry him
to the palace.
The Lion pulled and tore and tugged at the rope,
but all to no purpose. He could not get loose. At
last he cried sadly, “They have me fast! I cannot
get away!”
Just then the little teeny, tiny Mouse came by.
“Well, well, friend Lion!” he squeaked, “Whafs
this that has happened to you?”
“The hunters have bound me fast,” groaned the
Lion, “Alas! They will carry me captive off to the
King, for I cannot get away.”
“Is that all that has happened?” said the Mouse,
and he came straight up to the Lion and began to
gnaw at the rope that bound him. Little by little,
with his sharp teeth, he cut the strands of the rope
until he had gnawed it quite in two, and set the big
beast free.
‘There,” said the little teeny, tiny Mouse, “was I
not right? No matter how little one is, there may
come a time when he will prove useful even to the
greatest.”
