want that piece of meat and I will have it!" He growled, but the dog in the water did not move nor did he drop his piece of meat. He snapped at the dog in the water. He was soon sorry for that, for the meat slipped from his mouth and sank to the bottom of the stream, and the dog in the water lost his meat at the same time. One day a farmer bought a goose and took it home. The next day the goose laid an egg of solid gold. "That is a wonderful goose," said the farmer, and he took the egg to a jeweler to find out its value. "It is pure gold," said the jeweler, and he paid the farmer a big price for it. Each day the goose laid a gold egg. The farmer had a dozen. "I shall soon be a rich man," he said, "but I do wish the goose would lay more than one egg a day." After the goose had laid many eggs, the farmer said, "That goose has many more gold eggs for me. I will not wait for one a day. I will kill the goose, open it, and get all the eggs at once." So he killed the goose and opened it, but what do you think? There was not one egg to be found. "How I hate this early rising!" said a donkey, with a great yawn. "I wish I might sleep till sunrise. Here I am, harnessed and ready to start to town before the roosters crow. And why? To take a little fruit and a few vegetables to market. Isn't that a foolish reason for spoiling my dreams!" The master was tired of his donkey, for he never seemed willing to do his work. "I do hate a donkey with his ears turned backward," he said. "He has no right to complain, for his work is really light, and he gets plenty of food and rest." One day a tanner came along. He saw what a strong donkey the gardener drove, and asked his price. The gardener was glad to sell him. "I hope he will enjoy his new work," said the gardener. "He never seemed quite happy with me." The tanner used the donkey to carry hides. These were heavy and bad-smelling. They almost made him sick. "Oh, dear!" the donkey groaned one day. "I wish I were back with the gardener. The
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