wood'man

THE HONEST WOODMAN

I

chop'ping ах fair'y stood

A poor woodman was once chopping wood by the side of a stream. While he was at work, his ax flew off the handle and fell into the stream.

"The

"Now what shall I do?" he asked. water is so black that I cannot see my ax. The stream is so deep that I could not reach it, if I should see it lying on the sand; and I cannot swim.

"I have no other ax, nor have I money to buy one. My poor children! If I cannot work, how shall I get money to buy them bread?"

Just then a fairy stood before the woodman. "Why are you not at work, woodman?" asked the fairy. "The sun is still high. It is not time to rest."

"I was chopping down this tree," said the

woodman. "My ax flew off the handle and fell

into the stream.

"I have no other ax and no money to buy one. I can work no more. I cannot buy food for my children."

66

Maybe I can find your ax," said the fairy. "I can swim, and you cannot."

The fairy dived down into the stream and

came up with a silver ax in his hand.

"Is this your ax, woodman?" he asked.

"No," said the woodman.

"That is a finer

ax than mine. Mine was made only of steel.” The fairy dived down into the stream again. This time he came up with a gold ax in his hand.

"Is this your ax, woodman?" he asked.

"No," said the woodman. "That is far finer

than my ax. Mine was made only of steel.”

The fairy dived down into the stream a third time. When he came up, he held the steel ax in his hand.

"Is this your ax, woodman?" he asked.

66

'Oh, yes,” cried the woodman with joy, "that is my ax! Now I can go on with my work.

"I thank you, good fairy, with all my heart. My children will thank you, too."

"You are an honest man," said the good fairy. "The silver ax and the gold ax were finer than your own, but you did not take them. Because you are honest, you may have all three."

A crow sat on the branch of a tree. In

his bill was a fine piece of cheese.

He had stolen the cheese from the farmer's table. What a good dinner it would make! A fox came out of the woods.

He smelled the cheese, and it made him hungry.

He looked this

way and that, but

could see no one.

Then he looked up into the tree and saw the crow with the cheese in his bill.

"Good day, Friend Crow," said the fox.
The crow nodded his head, but could not
His bill was full of cheese.

speak.

"What a beautiful black coat you have," said the fox.

The crow moved about on the branch so that the sun could shine on his feathers.

"My friend, the jay, says you have a fine voice, too," said the fox. "Will you not sing me a song, dear Crow?"

The crow was pleased. What a good friend he had found in the fox!

A crow with a fine voice should sing for his friend.

The crow forgot what he had in his bill. He opened his bill to sing, and dropped the cheese. While he was saying 66 Caw!" the fox ran away with the cheese as fast as he could go.