NOSE!"

: For Classes Ii. And Iii.
: Children Stories To Tell

So at last the Gnat flew out from the Lion's nostril and went back to his

waving grass-blade, while the Lion slunk away into the depths of the

forest with his tail between his legs--_beaten_, and by a tiny Gnat!



"What a fine fellow am I, to be sure!" exclaimed the Gnat, as he proudly

plumed his wings. "I've beaten a lion--a lion! Dear me, I ought to have

been King long ago, I'm so clever, so big, so strong--_oh!_"
>


The Gnat's frightened cry was caused by finding himself entangled in some

silky sort of threads. While gloating over his victory, the wind had

risen, and his grass-blade had swayed violently to and fro unnoticed by

him. A stronger gust than usual had bent the blade downward close to the

ground, and then something caught it and held it fast and with it the

victorious Gnat. Oh, the desperate struggles he made to get free! Alas! he

became more entangled than ever. You can guess what it was--a spider's

web, hung out from the overhanging branch of a tree.

Then--flipperty-flopperty, flipperty-flopperty, flop, flip, flop--down his

stairs came cunning Father Spider and quickly gobbled up the little Gnat

for his supper, and that was the end of him.



A strong Lion--and what overcame him? _A Gnat._



A clever Gnat--and what overcame him? _A Spider's web!_ He who had beaten

the strong lion had been overcome by the subtle snare of a spider's

thread.



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