The next day the mayor of the town rode by.  “What will you take for that dog of yours?” he asked.

“I can not spare him,” said the shepherd; “he is too good a friend to part from.  His only fault is a liking for meat.”

“I will give you a hundred dollars for him,” said the mayor, “and he shall have all the meat he cares to eat.”

“You will not be foolish enough to refuse that offer, I hope,” said the neighbor.  “Think how much meat you will save.”

“I think I shall have to let him go,” replied the shepherd, slowly and sadly.

That night Hero was taken to the mayor’s house and the shepherd received his money.

The shepherd found three curs in town to take Hero’s place.  He paid nothing for them, for their owners were very glad to get rid of them.

The next day the wolves said, “Hero is gone!  Hero is gone!  Now for a feast.  We do not care for those cowardly dogs.”

When the new dogs saw the wolves coming, they cried out, “Let us run,” and away they all went.

When the sheep saw the wolves, they too began to run.

The shepherd was taking care of a lame lamb in a distant part of the field.  When he saw the wolves chasing his sheep, he ran toward them; but before he could frighten the wolves away, they had killed several sheep.

“What a fool I have been,” said the shepherd, “to let my neighbor do my thinking for me!”

THE BOY AND THE NUTS

A glass jar half full of nuts stood on a table.

Albert, who was very fond of nuts, saw it.  He climbed up on the table and thrust his hand into the jar, grasping a whole handful.  He tried to pull his hand out.  The mouth of the jar was too narrow for his fist.

He pulled and pulled and became very angry at the jar, but it was of no use.

At last he began to scream and cry.  His mother hurried into the room to find out what was the matter with him.

“What hurts you, Albert?” she asked.

“This old jar will not let me have this handful of nuts,” cried Albert.

His mother laughed when she saw the cause of all his trouble.

“Do you wish so many nuts?” she asked.  “Try taking out a few at a time.”

Albert did as his mother told him to do, and found that he could easily get the nuts.

“When you get into trouble again, my son, stop and think of a way out, instead of screaming,” said his mother.

THE CROW AND THE PITCHER

No rain had fallen for many weeks.  All the small streams and the ponds were dried up.

An old crow had been looking for water all the morning.  At last he found some in a pitcher in a garden.  He flew down to it and thrust in his bill; but he could not reach the water.

He walked around to the other side and tried again; but he could not get a drink.  Oh, how very thirsty he was!  It seemed as if he should faint.