His mother answered that he could try.
The little fellow persisted that he could never learn.
His mother looked at him sternly, and said that every seal must learn to swim.
He replied that the water was cold and that he liked the sand better, but because his mother insisted, he slid into the water whimpering.
After he had gone a short distance, he turned around and called out that the water was much pleasanter than the sand.
His mother said that she knew that it would be so. She said that young people must do as they are told because they have not had enough experience to judge for themselves.
2
A Faithful Servant
A certain old time king said that he needed a servant who could be depended upon. He said he knew that such a man is difficult to secure, and in the hope of getting the right one, he would hire two.
When he had engaged them, he took them to a well and, showing them a large basket, told them to fill it with water. He said that he would return at night to see what they had done.
The men were very much in earnest when they began the work, but, after pouring five or six bucketfuls of water into the basket, one of them stopped and said that he did not see any use in doing that because, as soon as he poured the water in, it ran out again, and his time was lost.