Aesop's Fables Edited by Charles Stikeney.

 

THE SHEPHERD'S BOY

 
A Man  that  had  a  fine  flock  of  Sheep  put
them  all  into  a  field,  and  hired  a  Boy  to
take  care  of  them,  while he worked near by
with his Men.
   The Sheep went nibbling the grass  all  day,
up and down the hills, and along the brook;
and all that the Boy had to do was to look out
for  the  Wolf, and see that he did not  come
prowling into the field.
   After  a  while  the  Boy  began to wish that
something would happen, it was so tiresome
staying there all alone, with no one to speak to
and  nothing  to do.  He  wished  he could  be
with  the  Men  in  the  next field, or  that they
could come and  stay with him.  All  at  once
he  thought  to  himself,  "I  will  make  them
think the Wolf has come.  That will be great
fun."
   So he called out as loudly as he could, "Help!
help! The Wolf!" and  all  the  Men came  run-
ning up.
   When they found it was only a joke,  they
laughed, and went back to their work.
   On  the  next  day  the  Boy  tried  the same
trick again. As before, the Men dropped their
mattocks and spades, for fear there might  be
danger, and ran to the help of the Boy.   He
only laughed at them for their pains, and this
time they did not relish the joke.  still the  Boy
did  not  give  it  up.  Again  and  again  he
shouted "Wolf! Wolf!"  till  at  last  the  Men
took  no  notice of him when  he  called  them,
no matter how loudly or how long he shouted.
   And now perhaps  you  can  guess what fol-
lowed.
   After a while, the wolf did get into the field,
Then the Boy called and called in real terror:
"Pray  do  come  and help  me.   The  wolf is
killing the sheep. The wolf! the wolf!"   But
no one gave heed to his cries.  Finding only a
terrified coward in care of the flock, the wolf
left few of them uninjured.

   When  one  is  believed to be  untruthful, no
one will take his word.
 

 

 

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