An Ant & A Grasshopper

A lazy grasshopper laughed at a little ant as she was always busy gathering food.

"why are you working so hard?" he asked, "come into the sunshine and listen to my merry notes."

"But the ant went on her work. She said" I am lying in a store for the winter. Sunny days won't last for ever."

"Winter is so far away yet, "laughed the grasshopper back. 

And when the winter came, the ant settled down in her snug house. She had plenty of food to last the whole winter. The grasshopper had nothing to eat so, he went to the ant and

begged her for a little corn.

"No", replied the ant, "you laughed at me when I worked. You yourself sang through the summer. So you had better dance the winter away."

MORAL : Idleness is a curse.

The Fox Witahout Tail

A fox was once caught in a trap. It was only after a tough struggle that she could get free. But, to her sorrow, her beautiful tail had been cut off and left in the trap. 

"How ugly I shall look!" moaned the fox, " won't the other foxes laugh at me ?"

Thinking hard, the fox hit upon a plan to save herself from being laughed at. She called a meeting of his friends and said, "Brothers! have you ever wondered why after all, we carry these long tails?" Let us cut them off and be free from their

nuisance."

But the other foxes had noticed her cut-off tail. They laughed aloud and replied, "You used to say that tails looked very fine when your own was all right. Now that you have lost yours, you want us to lose ours too."

MORAL : Dirty tricks seldom work.

The Dreamy Milk-maid

A Milk-maid had been to the meadow to milk her cows. Now she was returning home with a pail of milk on her head.

She thought, "I will make cream and butter out of this milk. Then selling them, I will buy eggs. and when they hatch, I shall have a good poultry farm."

She further thought, "I shall sell some of my fowls and buy a fine dress. Seeing it on my body at the fair,

all the boys will admire me. But I will turn them away just tossing my head at them."

Lost in day dreams, she forgot about the pail on her head. She

tossed her head with a jerk and the pail of milk came tumbling down. it was broken and all the milk got spilt.  

"Dear O dear !" she cried, "I have lost my all."

MORAL: Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.

Once the Wind and the Sun came to have a quarrel. Either of them claimed to be a stronger. At last they agreed to have a trial of strength.

"Here comes a traveller. Let us see who can strip him of his clock," said the Sun.

The Wind agreed and chose to have the first turn. He blew in the hardest possible way. As a result , the traveller wrapped his cloak even more

tightly around him.

Then it was the turn of the Sun. At first he shone very gently. So, the traveller loosened his cloak from his neck.

The sun went on shining brighter and brighter. The traveller felt hot. Before long he took off his cloak and put it in his bag. The Wind had to accept his defeat.

MORAL : Fury or force cuts no ice where

gentleness does the jobThe Wind & The Sun

The Town-Mouse & The Country-Mouse

A town-mouse paid a visit to his friend who lived in the countryside. The country-mouse was happy to see his friend. So he prepared a fine feast for him. The town-mouse looked at the fruit and the car of corn with hatred

"Is this how you live ?" he asked, "life in the country does not offer much."

He persuaded the country-mouse to accompany him to the town and see all the good things there.

So, the country-mouse packed all his belongings and off they went to the city. The country-mouse was really surprised to see the things there. But as soon as they settled down to enjoy a fine meal of cheese and fruit, a big cat leapt in through the window. Seeing the cat, both the mice ran into their

hole to save themselves, so the cat ate up all the cheese and fruit.

When the cat had gone away, the mice came out of their hole.

"I am going," cried the country-mouse, "I like my simple fare in safety than this grand feast in such a danger."

MORAL: Safety is the first importance.

The Hare & The Tortoise

Once a hare was roaming near a lake in a forest. Suddenly he saw a tortoise and mocked at him saying - "Hurry up, you slow coach! Don't you find life very dull taking so long to cover a few yards? I could have run to the other side of the lake by now."

The tortoise felt teased and dared the hare to a race. The race was to be through the wood to a fixed goal.

The hare agreed laughingly. In a few minutes he was away and out of sight.

"What a funny race it is!" he said to himself , "I am already half -way through. But it is too-too cold; why not have a nap in the warm sunshine?"

The tortoise walked steadily on and on. In a short time, he passed by the sleeping hare.

The hare slept  far longer then he had intended. When he woke up at last, he looked around in surprise and said to himself," Not even a sigh of the poor tortoise anywhere so far; I had better trot along and finish the race."

The hare ran to the goal. He was amazed to see all the animals cheering the tortoise who had arrived just a minute earlier. how ashamed he felt indeed!

MORAL : Slow and steady wins the race.