GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES - online book

130 Fairy Stories Adapted & Arranged for young people

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THE BOASTING WOLF.
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sprung at him; but neither the pain nor the noise seemed to frighten the wolf in the least. The hunter fired again; still the wolf, struggling against the pain, made another spring— this time, furiously,—but the hunter, hastily drawing his bowie-knife, gave him two or three such powerful stabs, that he ran back to the fox all covered with blood.
" Well, brother wolf, and have you succeeded in conquering a man V
"Oh," he cried, "I had not the least idea of a man's strengthj first he took a stick from his shoulder, and blew something in my face, which tingled dreadfully; and before I could get closer to him, he puffed again through his stick, and there came a flash of lightning, and something struck my nose like hailstones. I would not give in, but rushed again upon him. In a moment he pulled a white rib out of his body, and gave me such dreadful cuts with it that I believe I must lie here and die."
" See, now," said the fox, " how foolish it is to boast. You have thrown your axe so far that you cannot fetch it back."
One day a cat met a fox in the wood. "Ah," she thought, "he is clever, and sensible, and talked of in the world a good deal; I will speak to him." So she said, quite in a friendly manner, " Good morning, dear Mr. Fox; how are you? and how do affairs go with you in these expensive times ?"
The fox, full of pride, looked at the cat from head to foot, and knew hardly what to say to her for a long time. At last he said, " Oh, you poor little whisker-cleaner, you old grey tabby, you hungry mouse-hunter, what are you thinking about to come to me, and to stand there and ask me how I am going on? what have you learnt, and how many tricks do you know?"
" I only know one trick," answered the cat meekly.
"And pray what is that?" he asked.
"Well," she said, "if the hounds are behind me, I can spring up into a tree out of their way, and save myself."
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