Thus far, while they had been talking, the boys had walked along by the side of the road, keeping up with the farmer as he drove along in the cart. But now they jumped in, and sat down with the farmer on his seat, which was a board laid across from one side of the cart to the [pg 155]other. As soon as they were seated, the farmer began.
The Farmer's Story.
“The story I was going to tell you, boys, is an old fable about making enemies. It is called ‘The Bear and the Tomtit.’ ”
“What is a tomtit?” said Rollo.
“It is a kind of a bird, a very little bird; but he sings pleasantly. Well, one pleasant summer's day, a wolf and a bear were taking a walk together in a lonely wood. They heard something singing.
“ ‘Brother,’ said the bear, ‘that is good singing: what sort of a bird do you think that may be?’
“ ‘That's a tomtit,’ said the wolf.
“ ‘I should like to see his nest,’ said the bear; ‘where do you think it is?’
“ ‘If we wait a little time, till his mate comes home, we shall see,’ said the wolf.