Page:The Complete Works of Lyof N. Tolstoi - 08 (Crowell, 1899).djvu/172

160 A third happened along, and asked:—

"Which of you can read?"

"Neither of us."

"Then why do you want the book? Your quarrel reminds me of two bald men who fought for possession of a comb, when neither had any hair on his head."

was running from the dogs, and wanted to hide in a cleft. But a Fox was lying in the cleft; she showed her teeth at the Wolf, and said:—

"You cannot come in here; this is my place."

The Wolf did not stop to dispute the matter, but merely said:—

"If the dogs were not so near, I would teach you whose place it is; but now the right is on your side."

soldiers made a foray into hostile territory. A peasant ran out into the field where his horse was, and tried to catch it. But the horse would not come to the peasant.

And the peasant said to him:—

"Stupid, if you don't let me catch you, the enemy will carry you off."

The Horse asked:—

"What would the enemy do with me?"

The peasant replied:—

"Of course they would make you carry burdens."

And the Horse rejoined:—

"Well, don't I carry burdens for you? So then it is all the same to me whether I work for you or your enemies."