O
Once upon a time there were two dogs who were great friends. One of them was small and one was large, and they were called Little Dog and Big Dog all the days of their lives, and had no other names.
Little Dog barked at everything he saw. He barked at the cat and he barked at the kittens; he barked at the cow and he barked at the calf; he barked at his own shadow; and he even barked at the moon in the sky with a "Bow-wow-wow!" and a "Bow-wow-wow!"
Big Dog had a very loud bark, "Bow-wow! Bow-wow!" but he barked only when he had something to say. And everybody listened to him.
Now one day as the two dogs sat together in the sunshine, Big Dog said to Little Dog:—
"Come, let us go to see our friend, the king."
Little Dog thought this was a splendid plan, and they started at once.
Big Dog walked along the road with his tail curled over his back, and his head held high. "There is no need of haste," he said, but Little Dog thought there must be.
"I shall get there first," he called, as he scampered ahead, but presently he came back as fast as he had gone.