THE STAG IN THE OX-STALL
牛棚里的雄鹿
A Stag，chased from his lair by the hounds，took refuge in a farmyard，and，entering a stable where a number of oxen were stalled，thrust himself under a pile of hay in a vacant stall，where he lay concealed，all but the tips of his horns.Presently one of the Oxen said to him，“What has induced you to come in here？Aren’t you aware of the risk you are running of being captured by the herdsmen？”To which he replied，“Pray let me stay for the present.When night comes I shall easily escape under cover of the dark.”In the course of the afternoon more than one of the farm-hands came in，to attend to the wants of the cattle，but not one of them noticed the presence of the Stag，who accordingly began to congratulate himself on his escape and to express his gratitude to the Oxen.“We wish you well，”said the one who had spoken before，“but you are not out of danger yet.If the master comes，you will certainly be found out，for nothing ever escapes his keen eyes.”Presently，sure enough，in he came，and made a great to-do about the way the Oxen were kept.“The beasts are starving，”he cried；“here，give them more hay，and put plenty of litter under them.”As he spoke，he seized an armful himself from the pile where the Stag lay concealed，and at oncedetected him.Calling his men，he had him seized at once and killedfor the table.
｛中文阅读｝
一只雄鹿被猎狗赶出了巢穴，只得躲进一个农家小院里。他闯进了一个满是公牛的牛棚里，拼命挤进空牛栏的干草堆中，藏了起来，但是他的鹿角却一直露在外面。不久，一头公牛对他说：“是什么原因让你到这里来自投罗网呢？待在这里很危险，会被牧人抓走的，你知不知道？”雄鹿回答说：“求求你，就让我在这里待一会儿吧。当夜幕降临后，我就能有机会在黑暗中逃走了。”整个下午都很平安，虽然有几个雇工来牛棚照料牛群，但是没有一个人注意到雄鹿的存在，雄鹿一边暗自庆幸可以平安逃走，一边对公牛表示感激。“我们都希望你能平安，”先前曾和雄鹿讲话的那头公牛又开口了，“但是，你还没有完全脱离危险。如果主人来了，你可能就会被发现，因为没有什么能逃出他的眼睛。”正说着，农场主来了，开始抱怨工人没有好好照料牛群。“牲口都饿着呢，”他大喊道，“这里再多加点干草，要给他们足够的铺垫。”他一边说着话，一边查看着雄鹿躲身的干草堆，立刻就认出了雄鹿。于是，他叫来帮工，立刻抓住雄鹿并杀死它美餐了一顿。
THE MILKMAID AND HER PAIL
挤奶女孩和她的桶
A farmer’s daughter had been out to milk the cows，and was returning to the dairy carrying her pail of milk upon her head.As she walked along，she fell a-musing after this fashion：“The milk in this pail will provide me with cream，which I will make into butter and take to market to sell.With the money I will buy a number of eggs，and these，when hatched，will produce chickens，and by and by I shall have quite a large poultry-yard.Then I shall sell some of my fowls，and with the money which they will bring in I will buy myself a new gown，which I shall wear when I go to the fair；and all the young fellows will admire it，and come and make love to me，but I shall toss my head and have nothing to say to them.”Forgetting all about the pail，and suiting the action to the word，she tossed her head.Down went the pail，all the milk was spilled，and all her ？ne castles in the air vanished in a moment！
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.
｛中文阅读｝
一个农场主的女儿挤完牛奶后，头顶着一桶牛奶，从田野里走回农庄。她边走边开始想入非非：“从这桶牛奶里可以得到奶酪，也能得到奶油，就可以拿到市场上去卖。用卖得的钱，我还可以买回一些鸡蛋。这些鸡蛋还可以再孵出成群的小鸡。如此算来，我就能拥有一个大型的家禽场了。然后，我再卖掉那些牲畜，用卖得的钱，我就能买一条漂亮的长裙子，可以穿着到集市上去；年轻的小伙子们都会赞美裙子，都会过来向我示爱，而我却要摇摇头，什么也不说。”想到这里，她完全忘记了头顶上的桶，配合着自己的想法，她真的摇起头来。结果，头顶上的牛奶桶掉在了地上，所有的牛奶都洒出来了，她的美妙幻想也随之消失了。
不要高兴得太早。
THE DOLPHINS，THE WHALES，AND THE SPRAT
海豚、鲸和西鲱鱼
The Dolphins quarreled with the Whales，and before very long they began fighting with one another.The battle was very fierce，and had lasted some time without any sign of coming to an end，when a Sprat thought that perhaps he could stop it；so he stepped in and tried to persuade them to give up ？ghting and make friends.But one of the Dolphins said to him contemptuously，“We would rather go on ？ghting till we’re all killed than be reconciled by a Sprat like you！”
｛中文阅读｝
海豚与鲸争吵起来，他们之间已经争斗了很久。战争进一步升级，并且越打越猛烈，根本没有一点要停的迹象，有一条西鲱鱼认为自己或许能够调停他们的战争，便过去准备劝他们停止争斗，成为朋友。但是，海豚轻蔑地对他说：“我们宁可争斗到同归于尽，也不会让一条像你这样的西鲱鱼来调解！”
THE FOX AND THE MONKEY
狐狸和猴子
A Fox and a Monkey were on the road together，and fell into a dispute as to which of the two was the better born.They kept it up for some time，till they came to a place where the road passed through a cemetery full of monuments，when the Monkey stopped and looked about him and gave a great sigh.“Why do you sigh？”said the Fox.The Monkey pointed to the tombs and replied，“All the monuments that you see here were put up in honor of my forefathers，who in their day were eminent men.”The Fox was speechless for a moment，but quickly recovering he said，“Oh！don’t stop at any lie，sir；you’re quite safe：I’m sure none of your ancestors will rise up and expose you.”
Boasters brag most when they cannot be detected.
｛中文阅读｝
狐狸与猴子同行，一路上都在争吵谁的家世更高贵。他们各自坚持着夸耀自己，边说边来到一个路边满是墓碑的地方。这时，猴子停下来，四处观望，然后放声大哭。“你为什么这样呀？”狐狸忙问道。猴子指着那些墓碑，说：“你在这里看到的所有墓碑都是我祖先的荣誉，他们当时可都是杰出的人士！”狐狸沉默了一会儿，但是很快就反驳道：“噢！接着吹吧，先生，不会有人揭穿你的——我相信，他们之中没有人能站起来反驳你。”
谎言无法被揭穿时，吹牛者便会夸夸其谈。
THE ASS AND THE LAP-DOG
驴和哈巴狗
