But Jack was very nimble, and reached the ground before the giant was half way.
“Run, mother! bring the axe!” he cried. His mother came running with the axe, and Jack began cutting down the bean-stalk, and crash! it fell to the ground bringing the giant with it. He fell and he fell until he hit the ground so hard he went on through and has never been seen or heard of since.
THE LEGEND OF THE SPIDER WEB
Too much pride in one’s self brings a change in one’s nature.
In olden times people had to do all their own spinning and weaving. They did not have good factories and mills as we now have, but each family made its own cloth and its own clothes. Sometimes the women of the family learned how to make the most beautiful cloth. Wonderful patterns of fruits, flowers, birds and even pictures were woven in the cloth.
In ancient times people had so much regard for the work of spinning and embroidering that they had a goddess of needlework named Minerva. She could do finer work than any mortal, of course, because she was a goddess.
Now there was a young woman named Arachne, who did such dainty work in spinning and weaving that people came from miles around to see her work. Whenever they came she would show them her work, and they would exclaim, “How wonderful! How beautiful!”
Arachne was herself becoming very proud of her skill, and began to boast of what she could do. She said, “I can do better work than any woman in the world. Minerva, herself, cannot do better than I!” Thus she put herself above the gods, which was very foolish in her as we shall see.
Minerva heard about Arachne’s boast and was very much displeased. She decided that Arachne’s boast should be punished. So one day Minerva, disguised as an old woman, went to Arachne’s house and began to talk to her about her work. With great pride Arachne showed the old woman some of the patterns she had made. The old woman said finally: