Wolf, having a bone stuck in his throat, hired a Crane, for a large sum, to put her head into his throat, and draw out the bone.
一只狼喉咙鲠了一根骨头,便用很多钱去雇请一只鹳雀,将头伸进他的喉咙中,把那块骨头取出来。
When the Crane had extracted the bone, and demanded the promised payment, the Wolf, grinning and grinding his teeth, exclaimed: "Why, you have surely already a sufficient recompense, in having been permitted to draw out your head in safety from the mouth and jaws of a wolf."
Bat falling upon the ground was caught by a Weasel, of whom he earnestly besought his life. The Weasel refused, saying, that he was by nature the enemy of all birds. The Bat assured him that he was not a bird, but a mouse, and thus saved his life.
Shortly afterwards the Bat again fell on the ground, and was caught by another Weasel, whom he like wise entreated not to eat him. The Weasel said that he had a special hostility to mice. The Bat assured him that he was not a mouse, but a bat; and thus a second time escaped. It is wise to turn circumstances to good account.
Father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarrelling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed the faggot into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. They each tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it.
He next unclosed the faggot, and took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into their hands, on which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words: "My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks."
But Hercules appeared to him, and said, “Man, don’t kneel there. Get up and put your shoulder to the wheel.“
大力神出现了,却说:“朋友,用你的肩膀把车轮扛起来,再驱赶马拉车出来。跪在那里祈求我有什么用呢?”
A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it.
"Is this your car, Mister?" he said.
Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." the boy was astounded.
"You mean your brother gave it to you and it didnt cost you nothing? Boy, I wish . . ."He hesitated.
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. Hewas going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.
"I wish," the boy went on, "That I could be a brother like that."
Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my car?"
"Oh yes, Id love that."
After a short ride, the boy turned with his eyes aglow, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?"
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the ladwanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again.
"Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked.
He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled[5] brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of Squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.
"there she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didnt cost him a cent. And some day Im gonna give you one just like it . . . then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that Ive been
Trying to tell you about." Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. the shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride. That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when he said: "It is more blessed to give . . . "