The Raven and the Swan
: Aesop's FablesA RAVEN saw a Swan and desired to secure for himself the same
beautiful plumage. Supposing that the Swan's splendid white
color arose from his washing in the water in which he swam, the
Raven left the altars in the neighborhood where he picked up his
living, and took up residence in the lakes and pools. But
cleansing his feathers as often as he would, he could not change
their color, while through want of food he perished.
Change of habit cannot alter Nature.
More
-
The Queen Of Hearts
"The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts All on a summer's day The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts And with them ran away. The King of Hearts called for the tarts And beat the Knave full sore. ... The Queen Of Lantern Land
Once upon a time the youngest son of a king became filled with the desire to go abroad and see the world. He got his father's permission to depart, kissed his parents good-bye, mounted his black horse, and galloped away down the high road. Soon the ... The Queen Of Quok
A king once died, as kings are apt to do, being as liable to shortness of breath as other mortals. It was high time this king abandoned his earth life, for he had lived in a sadly extravagant manner, and his subjects could spare him without the... The Queen's Golden Sword
"Goodness me!" exclaimed Trot, raising herself by a flirt of her pink-scaled tail and a wave of her fins, "isn't it dreadful hot here?" The mermaids had risen at the same time, and Cap'n Bill came swimming in from the Peony Room in time to hear... The Rabbi's Bogey-man
Rabbi Lion, of the ancient city of Prague, sat in his study in the Ghetto looking very troubled. Through the window he could see the River Moldau with the narrow streets of the Jewish quarter clustered around the cemetery, which still stands to-da... The Rabbit And The Peas
BY MRS. M. R. ALLEN A long time ago there was a Bear that had a fine pea patch. He and his wife had to work in the field every day, so they left their little girl at home to keep house. One fine morning Br'er (which means "Brother") Rabbit came... The Rabbit The Turtle And The Owl
The little girl and the little boy stood in the corn-field near the hollow tree where the Owl lived. The corn was in shocks like wigwams, and the yellow pumpkins lay on the ground. The Turtle came up from the brook below the corn-field, and stuck hi... The Rabbits And The Dogs
A Rabbit, whom Two Dogs pursue, Into the copse In terror flew. Out of his burrow, At the clatter, A comrade sprung.-- "Friend, what's the matter?" "The matter? Zounds! I'm fairly blown; By vill... The Race Between The Secretary Birds
"The secretary birds had planned to have some field races," began daddy, "and the afternoon of the races had come. You know, the secretary birds have very, very long thin legs. Their legs are so thin that you can hardly see how it is they can s... The Rain Elves
The Rain Elf children had been shut up in their houses for ever so long, for it had been hot and the Rain Elves do not like very hot weather. Their mothers, the Rain Clouds, awoke one morning and found the sun was not shining, so they told the... The Rainbow
Rainbow i' th' morning Shipper's warning; Rainbow at night Shipper's delight. This, in one form or other, is a most common weather proverb. The present version was heard in Essex. If there be a rainbow in the eve... The Raspberry Worm
'Phew!' cried Lisa. 'Ugh!' cried Aina. 'What now?' cried the big sister. 'A worm!' cried Lisa. 'On the raspberry!' cried Aina. 'Kill it!' cried Otto. 'What a fuss over a poor little worm!' said the big sister scornfully. 'Ye... The Rat And The Cat
At telling of rabies old Esop was grand; With his subtile invention, his wisdom so great. And a story of his, as I have it at hand, Into our own language I now will translate. "It is plain," said a Rat, at the mouth of his ho... The Ratcatcher
A VERY long time ago the town of Hamel in Germany was invaded by bands of rats, the like of which had never been seen before nor will ever be again. They were great black creatures that ran boldly in broad daylight through the streets, and swarme... The Raven
There was once a queen who had a little daughter, still too young to run alone. One day the child was very troublesome, and the mother could not quiet it, do what she would. She grew impatient, and seeing the ravens flying round the castle, she open... The Raven and the Swan
A RAVEN saw a Swan and desired to secure for himself the same beautiful plumage. Supposing that the Swan's splendid white color arose from his washing in the water in which he swam, the Raven left the altars in the neighborhood where he picked up h... The Raven And The Swan
A Raven who did not like his black coat had the wish to grow as white as a Swan. So he left his old friends and haunts, and went to the streams and lakes, where he spent all his time washing and dressing his clothes; but all was of no use, he was ... The Real Princess
THERE was once a prince who wanted to marry a princess. But she must be a real princess, mind you. So he traveled all round the world, seeking such a one, but everywhere something was in the way. Not that there was any lack of princesses, but he c... The Recompense
Prince Marvellous looked at Violette and sighed heavily; Violette gazed at the prince and smiled sweetly. "How handsome you are, my dear cousin! I am so happy to have it in my power to restore you your beauty. And now I will pour some of this p... The Red Cross Seal
I am only a tiny bit of paper, with a little green and red color in the form of a cross or a wreath. I am not much larger than a postage stamp. I am going to tell you of some of the work I have done for mankind in this big world, notwithstanding m... The Red Ettin
There was once a widow that lived on a small bit of ground, which she rented from a farmer. And she had two sons; and by and by it was time for the wife to send them away to seek their fortune. So she told her eldest son one day to take a can and ... The Red Shoes
THERE was once a pretty, delicate little girl, who was so poor that she had to go barefoot in summer and wear coarse wooden shoes in winter, which made her little instep quite red. In the center of the village there lived an old shoemaker's wife... The Red Slipper
Rosy-red was a sweet little girl, with beautiful blue eyes, soft pink cheeks and glorious ruddy-gold hair of the tinge that artists love to paint. Her mother died the day she was born, but her grandmother looked after her with such tender care tha... The Red-etin
There were once two widows who lived in two cottages which stood not very far from one another. And each of those widows possessed a piece of land on which she grazed a cow and a few sheep, and in this way she made her living. One of these poor... The Red-headed Woodpecker
There was an old woman who lived on a hill. You never heard of any one smaller or neater than she was. She always wore a black dress and a large white apron with big bows behind. On her head was the queerest little red bonnet that you ever saw. ... The Relief Of Lucknow
During the time of the terrible Indian Mutiny, when most of the native troops rose against their British rulers, and vowed to kill every white person in the land, many cruel deeds were done. A great number of white people were slain before the Bri... The Repentance Of Little Jim Crow
"Little Jim Crow had been very naughty," began daddy. "He had been bullying Sammy Crow for some time past simply because Sammy was not so large and not so strong as he was. Jim Crow was quite a leader, too, in a very mean way, for he'd tried to... The Republic Of Cuba
A nation may in a day overthrow a dynasty which has ruled for centuries, it may in a few years completely revolutionize its system of government and methods of trading, but its ancient code of marriage will live on unchanged for ages. It is a n... The Republic Of Mexico
Mexico is a federative Republic composed of twenty-seven States, three Territories and a Federal District. Under the present Constitution, which is dated February 5, 1857, each State has the power to control its own local domestic concerns and t... The Rescue Of The Canary Bird
"I am going to tell you a really true story," said daddy, "something which happened to-day. I was walking along a rather poor part of the city when I saw a number of children gathered in a group in a little side yard of a tenement house. The ch...