THE OX AND THE FROG
AN Ox, drinking at a pool, chanced to set
his foot on a young Frog, and crushed him
to death.
His brothers and sisters, who were playing
near, ran at once to tell their mother what
had happened. "A very huge beast, with four
great feet, came to the pool, and crushed him
to death in an instant, with his hard, cloven
heel."
The old Frog was very vain. She was
rather large, as Frogs go, and gave herself
airs on account of it. "Was the cruel beast
so very large?" she said. "How big?"
"Oh!" said the young Frogs. 'It was a
monster!"
"Was it as big as this?" she said, blowing
and puffing herself out.
"Oh, much bigger," replied the young
Frogs.
"As big as this, then?" she added, puffing
and blowing with all her might.
"A great deal bigger," they answered.
"Well, was it so big?"
"Oh, mother!" cried the Frogs; "pray do
not try to be as big. If you were to puff till
you burst, you could not make yourself half
as big as the creature we tell you of."
But the silly old Frog would not give up.
She tried again to puff herself out, saying,
"As big as"---- but she did indeed burstIt is useless to attempt what is impossible.