Page:Tales of old Lusitania.djvu/94



cold winter's day, when the ground was covered with snow, a poor little ant went out of her house to seek for food. Before she had taken many steps, her little feet became clogged in the snow, and after trying hard to extricate herself, she cried: "Oh, snow, you must be strong to clog my little feet so."

To this the snow replied: "I may be strong, but the sun can melt me."

"Oh, sun," she then said, "you must be strong to melt the snow that clogs my little feet."

The sun replied: "I may be strong, but the wall keeps me from shining on the snow."

"Oh, wall, you must be strong to keep the sun from melting the snow that clogs my little feet."

The wall replied: "I may be strong, but a rat can scratch a hole through me."

"Oh, rat, you must be strong to scratch a hole through the wall that keeps the sun from melting the snow that clogs my little feet."

The rat replied: "I may be strong, but the cat can eat me up."