Him shelter from rain,
Or a mouthful of grain;

He wished only to borrow,

He'd repay it to-morrow;

If not, he must die of starvation and sorrow.

Says the Ant to the Cricket, "I'm your servant and friend,

But we Ants never borrow, we Ants never lend. Yet tell me, dear sir, did you lay nothing by When the weather was warm?" Says the Cricket, "Not I!

My heart was so light

That I sang day and night,

For all nature looked gay—”

"You sang, sir, you say?

Go, then," says the Ant, "and dance winter away."

Thus ending, he hastily lifted the wicket,

And out of the door turned the poor little Cricket.

Though this is a fable, the moral is good:

If

you live without work, you must go without

food.

FRANKLIN AND THE WHARF

BY NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE

I

In the year 1716 a boy used to be seen in the streets of Boston who was known among his playmates as Benjamin Franklin. He was ten years old.

His father, who had come over from England, was a soap boiler and tallow candle maker. He found it hard to get bread for his family. Ben was taken from school to help. He cut the candie wicks into equal lengths and filled the molds with tallow. Many families in Boston spent their evenings by the light of the candles which Benjamin Franklin had helped to make.

Ben still found time to play with his former school-fellows. They were very fond of fishing. The place where they fished was a mill-pond on the outskirts of the town. The edge of the water where the boys had to stand while they fished was deep in mud.

"This is very uncomfortable," said Ben Franklir one day to his comrades.

"So it is," said one of them.

"What a pity it

is we have no better place to stand!"

If it had not been for Ben, nothing more would have been done or said about the matter.

But it was not his way to let things go if there were any way of bettering them.

66

Boys," cried he, "I have thought of a plan." The other boys were ready to listen at once. They felt sure that Ben's plan would be a good

one.

They all remembered how he had sailed across the mill-pond by lying flat on his back in the water and holding to his kite string. If Ben could do that, he could do almost anything.

"What is your plan, Ben? What is it?" cried they all.

II

It so happened that the boys were standing where a new house was to be built. A great many large stones which were to be used in building lay about. Ben jumped upon one of these and began to speak.

"Now I propose," said he, "that we build &

wharf to help us in our fishing. You see these stones. The workmen intend to use them for But that will make them of

building a house.

use only to one man.

"My plan is to carry these same stones to the edge of the water and build a wharf with them. That will help us in our fishing and will also be convenient for boats passing up and down the stream. Thus the stones will be of use to many instead of one. What say you, boys? Shall we build the wharf?"

“Hurrah! hurrah!" shouted all the boys. "Let's begin."

None of them stopped to think that they had no right to build their wharf with stones belonging to another person. They all agreed to be on hand that evening to carry out their great plan.

At the time set, the boys came to the place and began to move the stones toward the water. This was much harder work than they had expected. But Ben Franklin thought of ways to make the work easier, and he kept them all in good spirits by his jokes and laughter.

After an hour or two of hard work, the stones

had all been moved to the waterside. Then Benjamin was the one to show how they should be put together in the best way. At last the great work was finished.

"Now, boys," cried Ben, "let's give three cheers and go home to bed. To-morrow we can

catch fish without so much trouble.”

"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!" shouted his com

rades.

Then all went home to sleep after their hard labors.

III

In the morning the workmen came to go on with the building of the house. But on reaching the spot they looked in vain for the heap of stones. What could have become of them?

"Why, Sam," said one to another, "this is very queer. Do you suppose the stones flew away last night?"

"More likely they have been stolen," replied Sam.

"Who would think of stealing a heap of stones?" cried a third.