The Story of a Donkey

, and make me carry earth and apples and wood and many other things. I began to grow lazy; I didn’t enjoy going in harness, and I disliked market-days very much. It

irst, and yet I had to wait till everything

y, and as they didn’t, I began to think of revenge. You see that do

gather the eggs and churn the butter, while I was still lying out in the meadow. I used to watch all

rmined to play

so that when they come to fetch me there’ll be no donkey anywhere to be seen.” So, as soon as I saw the cart being filled and the peop

the farmer himself say, “He must have got through the hedge. But where could he have broken through? There doesn’t seem to be a hole anywhere. Oh, I know! some

t, very limp, and panting for breath. The farmer declared that I must have been stolen, and that I was a great donkey to let a

the Other End

the Other End

ditch, and galloped off to the other end of the meadow, so that they shouldn’t suspect w

l the people at t

ere he is!” sai

all this while?”

t in again?” s

have managed to escape from the thieves who had stolen me, till I felt quite ashamed of myself, for I knew that I didn’t deserve all this, and that I did deserv

day he went all round the meadow, and carefully stopped up every hole he

d myself in the ditch as before. The people at the farm could not make

en everything was quiet I came out again, but this time I thought I had better not say “hee-haw!” to let them know I was there. When at last they f

if you find me out, but I don’t intend you shall,” and so whe

s and blackberry bushes, when I heard the big watc

pounced upon my hiding-place, and was growling and snapping at my heels in a most u

stopped me short. Then he led me back and tied me up, and I heard that one of the farmer’s little boys

p a Bowl

up a Bowl

rse. I compared my wretched life now with the happy one I had led in former days under the same master, and instead of trying to leave off behaving badly, I became more and more naughty and obstinate every day. One day I went into the kitchen garden and ate up all the lettuce; another day I knocked d

-day came, my mas

but I didn’t stay there long, for the little girl died, and then her parents, who had

oys S

ted.” P. 30."<