The Gray Gooses Story | Page 6

as honey:
"'I am surprised, Mrs. Hog, to see that Mr. Man doesn't look after you better. The first thing you know some bad person will come along, and then one of the babies will be missing.'
"'There's little fear of that, Mr. Wolf, while I'm around,' and Mrs. Hog showed her teeth.
[Illustration: Mr. Wolf wants to live with Mrs. Hog.]
"'Oh yes, I understand what you mean,' Mr. Wolf said, smiling all over his face as if he was the best friend Mrs. Hog ever had. 'What I'm afraid of is that the little ones may get into trouble while you are out calling, and that would come near to breaking my heart, for I am very fond of them. Now suppose I come here to live with you until they are large enough to take care of themselves?'
"Mrs. Hog knew that if Mr. Wolf should try real hard to make trouble for her, he might be able to do it, so she didn't dare tell him just what she thought; but, going a little nearer him, to where one of the boards had been slipped aside at the top, she said:
"'I'm afraid we haven't got room enough for you, Mr. Wolf. You can't even get your head between these boards.'
"'Indeed I can,' Mr. Wolf said, laughing to think how easily he was fooling Mrs. Hog, and he stuck his head through where the board was loose.
"That was just what Mrs. Hog wanted him to do, and before he knew what had happened, she jammed the two boards together with her nose, holding Mr. Wolf by the neck in such a way that he couldn't do anything but howl, till one of the babies ran and told Mr. Towser Dog to come and look after the visitor.
"The next time you want to fool anybody you'd better find a foolish little pig, instead of an old hog like me, who knows that there's some mischief in the air when the wolves get to acting like one's best friends,' Mrs. Hog said, as Mr. Towser took Mr. Wolf by the throat to teach him better manners.
"I think myself that it is better to be suspicious, as was the colored minister's rooster, than believe everything you are told, and make friends with the first one who holds out his hand."
"Tell me the story about the rooster," your Aunt Amy said as Mrs. Goose ceased speaking and turned to look at Mr. Gander, who still appeared to be in pain.

WHEN MR. BOOSTER WAS SUSPICIOUS.
"It is one of Mr. Crow's stories," Mrs. Gray Goose said after another long look at the suffering gander; "but it agrees with what I said about the wisdom of being suspicious now and then.
"It seems that once upon a time a colored man raised a nice flock of fowls; but his neighbors, who dearly loved stewed chickens or roasted turkey, came to dinner so often, that very soon one thin turkey and an old rooster, were all he had left.
"Just then two friends of the man's wife came to dinner, and, because he hadn't any meat in the house, there was nothing to do but catch and cook one of the lonesome looking pair.
"Mr. Turkey Gobbler saw the man coming, and flew up on the top of the barn, as he cried:
"'I've got other business, and can't go to dinner with you, no matter how much you want me.'
"'Now he's after me!' Mr. Rooster cried, growing suspicious when the man caught him by the end of the tail and pulled nearly half the feathers out.
"'Get under the barn! Get under the barn!' Mr. Turkey screamed, and Mr. Rooster shouted while he went across the yard as fast as his legs could carry him:
"'Give me a little time, and I'll win the race; but he's dangerously near.'
"Well, Mr. Rooster got under the barn nearly a minute before the man did, and there he stayed, paying no attention to the coaxing or threats, and, finally, discouraged and with his coat torn in two places, the man went into the house to tell his visitors that he couldn't have company to dinner that day.
[Illustration: A Race for Life.]
"When he had got inside the house Mr. Rooster crept out from under the barn, and crowed up to Mr. Turkey: 'Do you-think-he's-gone-for goo-o-o-d?'
"And the suspicious Mr. Turkey gobbled back:
"'Doubtful! Doubtful! Doubtful! Doubtful!'
"That Mr. Rooster had a good deal more sense than our Mr. Dorking, who made such a fool of himself last summer. It isn't much of a story; but it shows how silly some people are," and once more Mrs. Goose looked at Mr. Gander.

WHEN THE ROOSTER FOUND THE MOON.
"I would like very much to hear the story," your Aunt Amy said, and she spoke the truth, for thus far Mrs. Goose had been most entertaining.
"It's