THE PROUD MOUSE
There was once a mouse who thought a great deal of himself and was always longing for a chance to do something which would show how great he was.
One night while he was asleep in a corner of the kasga, under the shelf, he was startled by a strange noise and woke up with a jump. He looked about him, but could see nothing; then he crept very quietly toward the door, and there he saw a great fire burning.
“Now I am going to be burned up,” said the mouse. “What shall I do to save myself?”
The fire was growing bigger and brighter every minute, and in despair he gave up all hope of getting out of the door, for he could never pass through those terrible flames. He sat down and began to think and think what he had better do.
“Well,” he thought, “I will burn up if I stay in here, so I might as well try to get out. If the fire burns me while I am getting out, I can’t help it.”
Then he made a dash through the flames to the door.
He was soon out, but he was much surprised that he did not feel burned at all. He looked himself over very carefully but his fur was not even singed.
“Now I know that I am very great indeed, because fire does not burn me,” said the mouse, and he walked about proudly whisking his little tail and thinking how great he was; then he looked back at the kasga, and saw that there was really no fire at all. What he had taken for fire was just the sunshine at the door. The proud mouse felt very much ashamed and said, “What a poor fool I am! What can I do now to show that I am really great?”