Once when some oxen went to their manger to eat hay they found a small dog in it. The dog growled and snapped at the oxen and would not let them come near the hay. The stableman saw it all. “Get out of there, you selfish cur!” he cried to the dog. “You cannot eat the hay yourself and you will not let those who can.” He seized a whip and the dog was glad to run yelping away.
—From Æsop
THE TWO APPLES
A real apple and a clay apple lay side by side. The real apple was jealous of the clay apple. A little girl had smoothed and pressed and patted the cheek of the clay apple, but she had only looked at him. Soon along came the little girl with her hat and coat on. She picked up the real apple. “Come, ripe red apple,” said she; “we’ll go visiting. I know a little lame boy who will like a bite of you. My clay apple would never do for that.”
As she looked at him, the real apple felt himself turning a deeper red, he was so ashamed that he had been jealous.
THE DOG AND THE SHADOW
A dog was crossing a stream of water, with a piece of meat in his mouth. As he looked down, he thought he saw another dog with a larger piece of meat. Said the greedy fellow to himself, “I’ll have that too.” He dropped his own meat and sprang into the water after the shadow. The real meat fell into the water and floated away.
—Æsop